Reef Environmental Education Foundation

For this #MeetTheTeamMonday, we are re-introducing Carolyn Corley, this time as a new REEF staff member! Carolyn's path at REEF began last summer as a Marine Conservation Intern. Following that, she served as Education & Outreach Fellow, and now we are excited to welcome her to the staff team as Education Coordinator! In this role, Carolyn will work with the Ocean Explorers Education Program by facilitating education and outreach opportunities in the Florida Keys community and beyond. Carolyn is from Simi Valley, CA. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a B.S. in environmental & ocean sciences, with minors in biology and environmental policy. Prior to REEF, Carolyn interned with the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC), a REEF Conservation Partner, in Utila, Honduras, where she became a PADI Divemaster and conducted her senior thesis on invasive lionfish! 🦁 Carolyn's favorite fish is the Whale Shark, and swimming with them is at the top of her bucket list! 🐠 When she was younger, she always wanted to be a zookeeper and own her own zoo. Fun fact: Carolyn is a triplet! We're thrilled that Carolyn is now part of our staff! Please join us in welcoming her to the team!

Last weekend, the REEF crew traveled to Pompano Beach, FL for the #OperationLionfish Derby benefitting Warfighter Scuba, a nonprofit dedicated to providing therapy to veterans through scuba diving. In a single day, derby participants collected 485 invasive lionfish from Florida waters, the largest being 405 mm - just under 16 inches! 🦁🐟❌ Congratulations to all of the derby winners and a big thank you to @guy harvey outpost resorts for hosting and inviting us! We had a blast and were so happy to lend a hand with scoring and lionfish filleting. 🔪 We even found a little filefish in one lionfish's stomach - check it out! 🤯 It was also great to see our friends at @Zookeeper during this event!

Happy July!☀️ Next Tuesday, July 9, we are excited to welcome Brad Bertelli, Florida Keys historian, author, & Honorary Conch to the REEF Campus as our Fish & Friends guest speaker! Did You Know: Built in 1913, the REEF Headquarters building in Key Largo is a classic conch-style house, recognized as the oldest building in the upper Florida Keys still in its original location. 🏡 If you have ever been curious about the history of this property and the Florida Keys, join us (in person or online!) for an interesting and informative talk as Brad delves into Florida Keys history with a presentation titled, "Rock Harbor, Pineapple Farming, & the Connection to REEF." 📚 REEF Fish & Friends is a free monthly seminar and social series held at the REEF Campus in Key Largo, FL. Each month features a guest speaker who shares an ocean-related topic. The evening begins with a social at 6:15pm, followed by the presentation from 7-8. Tune in from anywhere! 💻 The presentation will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel (https://lnkd.in/eEnVAs5Q) starting at 7pm ET. For more details, visit https://lnkd.in/ek4yvQMw.

It's #MeetTheTeamMonday, and today we are introducing Marine Conservation Intern Sydney Brock! Sydney is originally from Marietta, GA, and is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina 🐓 where she is pursuing a B.S. in environmental science with minors in marine science and Spanish. Last summer, she participated in a Seamester voyage where she lived and worked on a sailboat in the Caribbean for several weeks, and visited six different countries! ⛵ Here's a bit more about Sydney: 🐠 What is your favorite fish? Smooth Trunkfish. 🛶 Where is your favorite place to go on vacation and why? My family has a lake house in northern Indiana that is one of my favorite places on Earth. I love spending time there with relatives and getting out on the water as much as possible! 🇦🇺 What is one place you would love to go diving and why? I’ve always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef, and my ultimate dream would be to see a whale shark there. I would also love to witness the Mobula Ray migration around the Baja California peninsula one day. 🏡 What did you want to be when you were younger? I always harbored dreams of being an interior designer or architect, and to this day I can binge HGTV for hours. Welcome, Sydney! We're thrilled to have you on the team!

Ten reasons to conduct REEF fish surveys and make your dives count: 1. The fish have been counting us for YEARS. 2. Fish and critters are WAY more interesting to look at compared to watching your dive buddy attempt to blow bubble rings. Again. And yet again. 3. Don't fool yourself. You never were very good at catching fish - may as well count them instead. 4. Conservation is sexy. Even if neoprene isn't... 5. You'll finally know how many fish there are in the sea. 6. Sharks don't go for REEF surveyors. 7. It's another excuse to miss Sunday brunch and go diving. ("Honey, I swear! The fish have to be counted every weekend!) 8. Eco-diving is good karma. Do future you a favor. 9. Fishwatching doesn't require doubles or stage bottles 10. You'll finally stop searching for a Clownfish in Bonaire, even if the postcards promise they're there! To sum things up, surveying is awesome and you should do it. There's no better time to get involved than now! Tomorrow marks the first day of the Great Annual Fish Count (GAFC), a month long celebration and initiative to get people excited about REEF surveys and citizen science. Read more about the GAFC and upcoming events at www.REEF.org/gafc.

July is just two days away - can you believe it?! This means the Great Annual Fish Count is nearly here! The Great Annual Fish Count, or GAFC, dedicates the entire month of July to getting people involved in the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Here are some FAQs about the Great Annual Fish Count and how you can participate: How can I keep up with upcoming GAFC events? 🌊 Check out our event calendar at www.REEF.org/events/ to see what GAFC events are coming up in your area. You can even register your own event! Visit www.fishcount.org to learn more. Who can participate? 🌊 Anyone! Divers and snorkelers of any experience level can join in on the fun and be a citizen scientist by conducting REEF surveys. Why participate? 🌊 Doing REEF surveys contributes valuable data for that is used by researchers, policy-makers, and the general public. It makes your time in the water make a difference, and it's fun! Can I only do this in the month of July? 🌊 You can survey year round, in any of REEF's survey regions. Visit www.REEF.org/vfsp to learn more. 📸: 1 - Ron Lucas, 2 and 3 - Janna Nichols

Did you know we have regional Facebook Groups for each of our different survey regions? 🌎 Each group focuses specifically on marine life found in that area, so no matter where you dive/snorkel, these groups can be a great outlet to share cool fish finds, discuss mystery species, and get helpful ID hints from other fish lovers! Check them out below! 👍 🐠 Tropical Western Atlantic: https://lnkd.in/e9ciAVMK 🐠 Central Indo Pacific, South Pacific, Indian Ocean/Red Sea: https://lnkd.in/eDJ74-sv 🐠 Tropical Eastern Pacific: https://lnkd.in/eq5-KN6z 🐠 California: https://lnkd.in/eccuuTza 🐠 South Atlantic States: https://lnkd.in/e9jREjZ7 🐠 Pacific Northwest and Alaska: https://lnkd.in/e46cNawq 🐠 Northeast US and Eastern Canada: https://lnkd.in/edmbChQV 🐠 Hawaii: https://lnkd.in/eV9iBKcC

The data from our REEF Field Survey Trip to Utila, Honduras are in! ✏️ Over the course of five days, a team of 12 citizen scientists conducted 179 fish surveys and reported 213 species! 🐠 These data are now a part of REEF's publicly accessible marine life database, which is an important resource for scientific research and conservation efforts all over the world! You can read more about the data collected form this trip by visiting https://lnkd.in/ee7WdpR5? A big thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, the backbone of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, and thank you to Utila Lodge for hosting us!🏝️

Cheesin' hard because REEF Fest 2024 registration is OPEN! 🐠🎉 REEF Fest is our annual celebration for ocean lovers to come together to share their love for marine life, learn about the latest in conservation, and get involved in citizen science. Join us in Key Largo, FL on October 17-20 for diving, snorkeling, kayaking, free ocean seminars, and socials. For more details and to register, visit www.REEF.org/REEFfest.

Happy #MeetTheTeamMonday! Today we are introducing Summer Marine Conservation Intern, Diana Phillips! Diana is from Tampa, Florida. She recently graduated from Nova Southeastern University, where she earned a B.S. in marine biology. Before interning with REEF, Diana conducted research on deep sea jellyfish in underwater canyons using robots! 🐠 What is you favorite fish (or animal)? Jellyfish are my favorite animals, particularly the Giant Phantom Jelly, Stygiomedusa gigantea. 🤿 What is one place you would love to go diving and why? I want to go diving in every ocean region across the world, because it is my dream to see firsthand the diversity of wildlife internationally. My first stop would be the Great Barrier Reef or the Red Sea! 🏆What are some of your hobbies? I play Ice Hockey and my team won first place in the Noice League during the last tournament. I also am a Second-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a Pre-Professional Dancer. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, camping, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, and anything outdoors.