SAFE BOATING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS!
Boat enthusiasts from all along the Florida Keys gathered at the Island Boat Show at the Island Community Church in Islamorada to share their love of all things boating! The event ran from January 20th to January 22nd and was a hit with over 300 people stopping by each day to learn about CRF™ and purchase our sustainably sourced boating apparel. The weekend was full of good food and music with a silent auction and a raffle. There were seminars throughout each of the days with topics ranging from boat safety to offshore fishing and more! Boat dealers were able to show off their brand new shiny boats with nearly 100 boats on display.
Boating is a way of life in the Florida Keys and it's important to be mindful of the ecosystem that we all admire so much. Poor anchoring practices can contribute to reef degradation by directly breaking off corals. Avoiding anchoring when possible is a great way to prevent damage to coral reefs. If anchoring is necessary, try to anchor in a sandy area. The Florida Keys are a boater’s haven with crystal clear blue water, great fishing, and beautiful marine ecosystems. Safe boating practices are essential to help keep our reefs healthy and our ocean beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
We had more than 250 people come up to our booth over the course of the weekend to learn about the Coral Restoration Foundation™. At our booth locals got the chance to try their hand at coral outplanting with our model reef station! 11 of our interns were a part of this event and got involved in their new community to teach about how boating and coral safety are related. Boaters got to learn about the importance of reef-safe sunscreen and many other ways to help protect our coral reefs!
Boating is a huge part of the Florida Keys lifestyle so Coral Restoration Foundation™ was so happy to be able to interact with those that make up such a great community.
CRF™ JOINS THE KEY LARGO SCHOOL CARNIVAL
Coral Restoration Foundation™ got the opportunity to join Key Largo School at their school carnival hosted by the Parent Teacher Association on Saturday January 21st. Around 200 people came out for a day of fun filled with carnival rides, artisan vendors, face painting, and lots of good food.
The students had so much fun with our activity booth! At our booth we had plenty of games including Restoration Relay, Biodiversity Jenga, and cornhole with MyChelle reef safe sunscreen and ENSO rings as prizes. The students got to race their friends wearing SCUBA gear to see who could hang the coral on the Coral Tree™ faster. The students had a blast racing to hang up their corals on their Coral Tree™ as fast as possible! Our Biodiversity Jenga workshop offers a way for kids to learn about what biodiversity is and how it relates to the marine ecosystem and corals in a fun way.
Three new CRF™ interns join the Key Largo Community for the KLS Carnival! ©Coral Restoration Foundation™
Our interns Emilia, Jessie, Alice, and Cecilia had a great day teaching the students all about how important corals are. Alice, Emilia, and Cecilia are all new interns that just joined us in the beginning of January. This was one of their first outreach events with Coral Restoration Foundation™ and they had a fantastic time giving back to their new community in a fun way.
The students got the chance to learn all about why reef safe sunscreen is so important, how corals encourage biodiversity in the ocean, and how we raise corals in open ocean nurseries at Coral Restoration Foundation™. The Key Largo School students are always so eager to learn about corals and interact in all of the fun activities that Coral Restoration Foundation™ has to offer. Overall, it was a fun day full of cotton candy, carnival games, and corals.
CRF™ Restoration Program Intern Addisen teaches students at the KLS carnival about coral defense mechanisms like their mucus! ©Coral Restoration Foundation™
KEEP IN TOUCH!
Coral Restoration Foundation™ is an active member of the Florida Keys Community and we are always excited to join in for local outreach! You can keep up to date with all of the public outreach events we will be attending in upcoming months by subscribing to our Coral Chronicles email newsletter and checking our website calendar: https://www.coralrestoration.org/events
If you are hosting an event that you think CRF™ could make a difference at please let us know! We offer educational activities for all ages including an unforgettable virtual reality SCUBA dive through our Coral Tree™ Nursery! If you'd like CRF™ to be at your event please reach out to our Communications and Outreach Coordinator Madalen via email madalen@coralrestoration.org
INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN!
Click the photo above to be taken to the application page!
Heads Up Editorial Intern
Addisen first found her love for scuba diving and marine conservation through her study abroad program aboard an 88-foot schooner in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. Through that program, she was first truly introduced to the marine environment and all of what it has to offer. Although originally from New Jersey, Addisen recently graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem’s Science and Policy. During her time at the University of Miami, she was able to work her way up to a PADI Divemaster certification with 5 specialty certifications. All of the diving she has done has cultivated her passion for conserving the ocean and spreading awareness of the issues at hand. She is very eager to be able to work firsthand on coral restoration with CRF this summer and excited to be a part of the solution.
Coral Chronicles Editor
Madalen Howard is CRF's Communications and Outreach Coordinator. She comes to CRF™ via a winding road from the Tennessee hills, to the South Carolina low country, ending here in Florida’s Coral Reef. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology and a Minor in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston in 2016. Her experience ranges from field research to education, marketing and digital communications.
With CRF™ Madalen creates inclusive pathways to scientific discovery through content creation and by building and fostering relationships with press, digital media creators, and local community members. Throughout her life Madalen has had a skill connecting people with nature, and is excited to bring people into the world of coral restoration.