CRF™ AROUND TOWN
Nautical Flea Market
Over the weekend of February 25th and 26th, the Upper Keys Rotary Club hosted the annual Islamorada Nautical Flea Market at Founders Park. Vendors from all over the Keys came to showcase every nautical themed item you could ever imagine. Boats, fishing rods, ocean inspired artwork, fishing apparel, SCUBA gear, you name it, it was there! The family fun event hosted more than 300 vendors, so there was something for everyone! The goal of the Nautical Flea Market is not only to bring everyone together for a fun weekend, but also to raise money for the students of Coral Shores High School for college or other future plans.
Coral Restoration Foundation™ got to join in with our booth featuring our outplanting station! People got the chance to learn how to outplant and see our boulder coral trees. Everyone was interested in our sustainable merchandise that is completely made out of recycled materials! It was a fun weekend that we were happy to be able to share with the nautical enthusiasts of the Florida Keys!
Miami Youth Summit
At Coral Restoration Foundation™, one of our missions is to educate the new generation on important environmental issues. In the beginning of March, we got the opportunity to take part in the Miami Youth Summit. Hosted by Ransom Everglades School, the Miami Youth Summit was almost completely run by the students of the school. They organized an excellent event that emphasized all of the different aspects of being an environmentally conscious person. The lunch was completely vegetarian with compostable silverware and plates and compost stations located all around the campus. The students also got the chance to hear from the environmental leaders of Miami.
The day had a focus of inspiring hope within the children that there can be a positive future. Will Charouhis is an 18 year old environmental activist who does exactly that. At such a young age, Will is the founder of We Are Forces of Nature, a movement inspiring young people to incite change and fight climate change. His presentation proved to the students that you are never too young to make a difference. The YES Institute gave an informative presentation to the young students on how to communicate and particularly how to communicate with people who have different opinions. Constructive communication is necessary when discussing any issue, but especially environmental issues in order to work towards reaching a solution. Debris Free Oceans and Surfrider partnered up to host a workshop turning old t-shirts into reusable bags.
Coral Restoration Foundation™ got the chance to give our own presentation to teach the students about coral reefs and how they can be environmentally responsible individuals. Our Dive Program Intern Haley Evans with first round intern Cecilia Dolaz gave a compelling presentation about the state of coral reefs, why they are critical to our way of life, and how we can resore the coral reef ecosystem. Their main focus was to inspire the students, and teach them that there is hope for the future and they can be a part of it. We had a table where students practiced hanging up corals on our Coral Tree, cutting them down, and outplanting them onto the reef using our outplant station. The students learned about the importance of coral reefs and how they can help to protect the coral reefs and make a difference.
Coral Restoration Foundation™ presents at the Miami Youth Summit. ©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
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 Community Corner Editorial Intern
Julia is from California and went to Oregon State University where she majored in Zoology. She has had an interest in coral conservation ever since she got her Open Water certification in Indonesia. She also enjoys long walks in the intertidal, identifying marine invertebrates. She wants to educate others about coral and conservation efforts.
Sources for the Coral Community Corner article can be found below:
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.