Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves staff lent a hand to the Southwest Florida Water Management District regulatory staff and their consultant during a site inspection of the Gasparilla Island Causeway Shore Protection Project. Staff documented seagrass coverage within the project area including Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass).
DEP Coral Protection and Restoration Program’s Restoration Projects Coordinator, Katie Gretter, participated in a multi-day, hands-on Coral Spawning and Propagation Course hosted by Nova Southeastern University. The course, developed and supported through Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery (FCR3) Initiative, aims to train the next generation of coral restoration specia
On April 16, Stephanie Stinson from the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) participated in the Palm Beach State College Earth Day event. The CRCP team educated students on coral reef conservation efforts local to Palm Beach and throughout the state.
On April 10-12, the Coral Reef Conservation Program and its Citizen Support Organization, Friends of Our Florida Reefs, participated in the annual Tortuga Music Festival’s Conservation Village on Ft. Lauderdale Beach.
On March 13, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserves' Ecosystems Assessment Specialist, Noah Singer, joined the Reef Injury Prevention and Response team as they conducted an assessment of a section of the coral reef in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park that was damaged by a ship grounding. Teams from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Pennekamp also joined the project.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives. One funded project led by Dr. Nikki Fogarty titled Optimizing Reproductive Success of Corals Spawned in Land-based Nurseries, is using innovative methods to improve upon aquaria induced coral spawning, larval survival, settlement and growout.
Several Aquatic Preserve staff from the Southeast Region presented slides or posters at the SEACAR Project of Special Merit’s (PSM) Science Stories in Your Community Public Seminar showcasing work done in the region alongside the PSM team’s larger science communications initiatives.
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.