On Sept. 25, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve, in partnership with DEP Parks officially started Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM) surveys for the season in the Big Pine area, within the Coupon Bight Aquatic Preserve. These surveys are designed to monitor coral reef health during and after a disturbance, and each year trained divers survey corals during peak annual temperatures.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) and Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) are hard at work completing benthic surveys for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).
On August 20-21, Yesmarie De La Flor of the Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) and Stephanie Stinson of the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), attended the 2026 South Florida GIS Expo. The wide array of sessions ranged from insights into emerging GIS technologies, to environmental applications, and professional development opportunities.
On August 12, the Coral Protection and Restoration Program, along with The Reef Institute, hosted the Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration & Recovery (FCR3) Initiative Implementation Meeting. Established in 2023, the FCR3 Initiative aims to support the long-term recovery of at least 25% of Florida’s Coral Reef by 2050 through the development of infrastructure, technology, workforce capacity and logistics.
On August 6, Coral Reef Conservation Program’s (CRCP) Awareness and Appreciation Coordinator, Maya Bhalla-Ladd, hosted an outreach event with local partner, Young At Art Children's Museum, to educate the new wave of ocean stewards with two back-to-back lessons on local coral ecology before diving into the six primary stony coral morphologies found on Florida’s Coral Reef. Participants then built a collaborative reef with molding clay!
The Coral Protection and Restoration (CPR) Program conducted a site visit to The Reef Institute in West Palm Beach. The visit allowed the team to see firsthand the extensive improvements that this key coral restoration partner has made their facility over the past year through support from the Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery (FCR3) Initiative grant program.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives.
The Central Florida Aquatic Preserve (CFAP) team recently installed the Living Waters collection in the Lyonia Environmental Center gallery, in Deltona, Fl.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives.
Noah Singer, Ecosystem Assessment Specialist, and Robin Sarabia, AP Manager, of the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve, met with representatives from SeaBase and SeaCamp to initiate the beginning stages of a partnership with both the organizations. These organizations host camp and school groups throughout the year to provide marine science-based activities to children of all ages.