Hello Everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s livestreams! Yesterday, we were able to take everyone out on the DOE’s boat, called the Sea Keeper, to the Nassau Grouper’s spawning aggregation on the west end of Little Cayman. If you were unable to catch our live broadcast, you can always head over to REEF’s YouTube page where each of our livestreams are archived. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/live/wdyE69rViIw?feature=share
KEY LARGO, FLA. – All are invited to celebrate ocean conservation during REEF Fest on Oct. 19-22, 2023, in Key Largo, Fla. Hosted by Reef Environmental Education Foundation, this annual event features educational ocean seminars, social gatherings, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and a nature tour. Most events, including the seminars, are free and open to the public, although online pre-registration is requested. Please visit www.REEF.org/REEFfest for complete details.
The Conservation Challenge is a fun way to get involved in marine conservation and citizen science. You can earn collectible stickers by participating in various REEF programs and events! There are some great opportunities coming up this fall to earn different Conservation Challenge stickers, including:
Our annual summer fundraising match just ended on August 8, and we wanted to share some exciting news. Thanks to the REEF community, we reached our goal and were able to take advantage of our full match amount of $70,000! Thank you to The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, The Henry Foundation, and The Meyer Foundation for generously matching all donations this summer.
Take a bite out of lionfish at the 14th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, coming up on Sept. 7-10. The event features two full days of lionfish hunting, plus a family-friendly lionfish festival.
REEF Fest 2023 is coming up on October 19-22 in Key Largo, Florida. Join us for free, educational ocean seminars, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, nature tours, and socials! You can see all the details and register at www.REEF.org/REEFfest. We're excited to host free ocean seminars at Murray Nelson Government Center on Oct. 20 and 21. Our seminar speakers include:
August is here, and for many, this means back to school season. To kick off the school year, we are hosting a virtual Educator Workshop for REEF Programs, on August 17 at 7pm EDT. All educators are invited to attend this webinar to learn more about REEF education resources including Virtual Field Trips, available for grades 3-8, and Virtual Case Studies, designed for high school students. Visit www.REEF.org/fishinars to register for the webinar. Did you know that REEF also has a special newsletter designed just for educators?
The 2023 REEF Discover the Sea Underwater Photography Contest is coming soon! Starting September 1, all photographers, regardless of skill level or experience, are invited to submit their best ocean-themed photos for this year's contest.
Each year during the full moon, more than 15,000 Camouflage Grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion, converge in French Polynesia to spawn in the early morning hours. They are joined by hundreds of sharks, including gray reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, oceanic blacktip sharks and lemon sharks. The sharks take advantage of this massive gathering of large-bodied grouper to feast on distracted individuals.