KEY LARGO, Fla. – REEF, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, raised $25,000 for coral reef conservation at the first annual “For the Love of the Sea” dinner and auction. Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach, co-founders of REEF and authors of the popular Reef Identification series, spoke about the importance of the REEF in training divers and snorkelers to help with conservation. Community businesses, conservationists and concerned individuals attended the event, which was held at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, Florida.
WHAT:
On Wednesday, March 12, REEF will host a community panel discussion to raise awareness about how volunteers contribute to scientific understanding of the environment. Rick Bonney of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York will lead the discussion. Florida Keys-based citizen science experts will present on local projects and ways for volunteers to get involved.
REEF is hosting this community panel discussion to raise awareness about how volunteers contribute to scientific understanding of the environment. Rick Bonney of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York will lead the discussion. Florida Keys-based citizen science practitioners will present on local projects and ways for volunteers to get involved. Topics include fish and bird surveying, native plants and coral restoration.
This is the second in a series. The first was held in February in Key Largo, FL.
6:30-7:00 - Reception with food, 7:30-9:30 - Presentations
REEF is hosting this community panel discussion to raise awareness about how volunteers contribute to scientific understanding of the environment. Rick Bonney of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York will lead the discussion. Florida Keys-based citizen science practitioners will present on local projects and ways for volunteers to get involved. Topics include fish and bird surveying, native plants and coral restoration.
Panel Speakers include: Leda Cunningham, REEF
Thanks to a three-year grant from the Lenfest Ocean Program at the Pew Charitable Trusts, REEF and collaborators at the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment (CIDOE) and Oregon State University (OSU) will greatly expand the conservation science research being conducted as part of the Grouper Moon Project in the Cayman Islands.
On Friday, February 1, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys honored REEF HQ volunteers Audrey and Ken Smith at the 2008 Volunteer of the Year/Unsung Heroes Awards Luncheon in Key West, Florida. Ken and Audrey have been the backbone of REEF HQ in Key Largo for ten years. Their quiet, constant and cheerful help with the unglamorous tasks of building maintenance, data management and administrative work has consistently supported REEF in its mission to actively engage divers and snorkelers in marine conservation.
On Saturday, February 9, REEF hosted the first annual For the Love of the Sea benefit dinner and auction at Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, Florida. The event was a huge success! More than 150 guests attended a sold-out event, enjoying a picturesque sunset set to island music and the awe-inspriring underwater photography of authors and REEF founders, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach. REEF raised more than $25,000 thanks to successful silent and live auctions and the generosity of event sponsors in the Keys and greater REEF community.