Coral Reef Restoration Logbook

“He who sees things grow from their beginning will have the finest view of them.” (Aristotle)

The logbook is a way for me to keep you updated on the progress of this project.  The Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) is located in Tavernier, Florida in the Florida Keys.  This project was created to support the efforts of CRF through photography, blog entries and articles to raise awareness of their programs.

There are some important things readers should know about this project.

• Coral Reefs: Coral reefs of the Florida Keys are at risk from coral diseases, overfishing, high resource use, coastal pollution, and vessel groundings.  The World Resources Institute identifies over 60 percent of Florida’s reefs as threatened but probably understates the overall risk to coral reefs in Florida.  The decline in reef health in southeastern Florida and along the Florida Keys is well documented. For example, live coral cover in the FKNMS decreased from 10.3 to 6.4 percent between 1996 and 1999.  Over the past 20 years, coral bleaching has increased in frequency and duration, with 1997 and 1998 being the worst years on record, and probably has been responsible for some of the declines in coral cover observed since 1996.  In addition, coral diseases significantly threaten the overall health and vitality of reef systems in the Florida Keys. (Source: World Resources Institute; Reefs at Risk Revisited, February, 2011)
• Coral Restoration Foundation: Founded by Ken Nedimyer, the foundation has developed and maintains several coral nurseries in the Florida Keys.  They have a goal of transplanting 30,000 new corals in the Keys in the next several years.  CRF is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.  As is the case with many small environmental organizations, they operate on a limited budget and have no funding for photography and documentation as part of their staffing.  I have been in the water many times with Ken and have donated many photographs and written for the local newspaper to help support his efforts.
• Fiscal Sponsorship: Raising awareness for CRF’s efforts is a need that has yet to be filled.  The New York Foundation for the Arts has a fiscal sponsorship program through Artspire.  I applied and was approved for sponsorship and began operations in April 2011.  All donations to this project through Artspire are tax deductible.  In effect, I am raising funds to create a part-time position to support CRF through my photography and writing.  In the long run, we hope to create a sustainable funding base and have this project incorporated into CRF as they grow.
• About me: I moved to the Keys in August 2009 to pursue underwater photography on a full time basis.  I am a student of and being mentored by one of the most widely published underwater photographers in the word, Stephen Frink.  In December 2010 I won the underwater photography contest that was conducted during the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Shortly after that I was offered a freelance opportunity to write the scuba diving column for The Reporter, our local paper here in the Keys.
• Why we need your help: This project is a necessary tool to bridge a gap in funding for CRF as they expand. It takes time to go through he grant writing process and build a sustainable base for the future.  As such, this project is designed specifically to raise awareness of CRF through a photographic and written record.  As a sponsored project of Artspire, a progam of NYFA, funds raised to support this project are tax deductible.

CRF seeks to develop a sense of community stewardship for the coral restoration process through hands-on learning as citizen scientists in action-orientated programs. To reach and sustain the goal of public participation and stewardship, CRF has developed volunteer programs, informative lectures, and community events as channels that link user groups with active programs. These programs empower and teach various user groups how to help in off-shore coral nursery activities including: aiding in nursery expansion and maintenance, coral propagation, transplanting corals to reefs, as well as follow-up monitoring and evaluation.