REEF in the News
Invasive Tunicate Discovered in San Juans
Pacific Northwest diver and REEF surveyor, Nick Brown, recently discovered the invasive tunicate, Ciona savignyi, during a dive in the San Juan Islands in Washington. This was the first record of the unwanted species in the San Juans. Nick learned about the invasive tunicate, and two other species that are monitored by REEF surveyors in the Pacific Northwest, during a recent REEF training seminar taught by Janna Nichols. Volunteer divers are serving an important role in the early detection and removal of invasive tunicates in the Pacific Northwest.
Immersed in Education
As part of a current REEF training project in the Pacific Northwest that is funded by The Russell Family Foundation, regional REEF instructor, Janna Nichols, has organized free training sessions around the region in order to enlist new divers into the Volunteer Survey Project. The TRFF project also includes funding for periodic boat dives that are open to active REEF surveyors in order to provide opportunities and incentive for existing REEF surveyors to stay involved and increase their surveyor skill level. This article was published prior to a training workshop in Anacortes, WA.
Sanctuary Voices: One Survey at A Time
REEF Executive Director, Leda Cunningham, is featured in the latest edition of Sanctuary Watch, the quarterly publication of the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. Read about how REEF volunteers actively contribute to preserving the natural heritage of these national treasures.
Vandenberg Prepped in Norfolk VA
NORFOLK, Va. -- A decommissioned Air Force ship, that once tracked Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space launches off Florida, is being prepared in a Virginia shipyard to become a new habitat for marine life and an attraction for recreational divers in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Read more.....
Vandenberg Prepared for Sinking as Artificial Reef 6 Miles Off Key West
NORFOLK , Va. — A decommissioned Air Force ship is being prepared at a Virginia shipyard to become a new habitat for marine life and an attraction for recreational divers in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Read More.....
Counting Fish in the Caribbean
Elisabeth Eaves, Slate.com writer, provides a first-hand account of her experiences during the 2007 REEF Field Survey to St. Vincent and the value of “Voluntourism”.