When University of Kansas graduate Keri Kenning joined REEF in August 2012 as a Marine Conservation Intern, Keys residents constantly reminded her, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” Five months, sixty dives, and zero lionfish stings later, Keri has abstained from clicking those ruby red heels together and returning to Kansas. She is staying at REEF headquarters in Key Largo as the new Communications and Affiliate Program Manager. Keri graduated in May 2012 from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and University Honors.

More than sixty people gathered recently at the Fish House Encore in Key Largo, Florida, for Lionfish Food and Wine Night, a four course dinner with paired wines meant to introduce the light, white meat and delicious flavor of lionfish. And to give lionfish a taste of their own medicine.

$1,726 per person double occupancy ($2,146 single occupancy) - includes: lodging for 7 nights at the Kura Hulanda Lodge, breakfast each morning, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, r/t airport transportation on Curacao, ground transportation for group activities, and all taxes.

+$200 REEF Program Fee per diver will be added to each package to cover the cost of the group leader, seminar and survey materials.

A diminutive, non-native damselfish (Neopomacentrus cyanomos) was recently discovered inhabiting coral reefs near Veracruz, Mexico—far removed from where it is native in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific. This publication, co-authored by REEF's Director of Special Projects, Lad Akins, evaluates the threat of establishment and spread in the invaded range.

REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. Over 60,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.

This month we highlight Adam Nardelli. Adam has been a REEF member since 2009, and he served as a REEF Intern in 2014. He has conducted 54 surveys and has participated in several of REEF's programs. Here’s what Adam had to say about REEF:

When and how did you first volunteer with REEF or become a REEF member?

We are in the last few weeks of our summer fundraising campaign, and we need your help. Donations from our members are critical to REEF’s marine conservation efforts. In addition to supporting programs for marine biodiversity, fisheries management, and invasive species control, we are asking our members to make an extra donation this summer to help us build an Interpretive Center on the REEF Campus in Key Largo. Please help us continue to build our legacy of ocean conservation by being a part of this special campaign.

Join Carol Cox in this informative webinar about the fish that you will see while diving in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, including changes that have taken place since the lionfish invasion and a new invasive species that has taken over the region. Tune in to find out more!

Your time zone may vary - this is a live, online session that starts at 8pm Eastern time.

Fishes covered in this session are:

It was a busy summer for REEF’s Explorers Education Program, between the Ocean Explorers Summer Camp and the “Nature Days” program with the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. Throughout the summer, 80 children joined REEF to learn about marine conservation and environmental science in a fun, outdoor setting. Thank you to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Coral Reef Park Company, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, Island Dolphin Care, and the Everglades Outpost who made these programs possible. 

This holiday season, we are reflecting on the beginnings of REEF. Our mission to conserve marine environments began 25 years ago in the Florida Keys, when a small group of pioneering divers and conservationists took a slate on a dive and started REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project, a program that would eventually become the largest marine life sightings database in the world. Since then, our work has grown to include endangered and invasive species work, as well as education and outreach. None of this would be possible without you, our members.

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