THE MORE YOU KNOW
Education is one of the three central pillars of our mission, along with science and restoration. Our education department is hugely important in moving our mission forward. Restoration is not possible without support from our community, which is bolstered by our education team's efforts to engage and empower them to make a difference for coral reefs.
Restoration Associate Lindsey Smith teaches supervises a dive program where the general public and students have a chance to return corals to the reef!
In fact, our education department comprises most of our workforce, thanks to our robust internship program! Today we employ roughly 20 staff members and 25 paid interns.
Our interns receive invaluable job experience through in-situ nursery maintenance and active coral restoration under the supervision of our Restoration Team. They are also hugely influential in another vital function of CRF™, our outreach! Interns are trained to give our educational presentations, teach our marine science curriculum, and conduct our Recreational Dive Programs! Over the last year we have reached out to thousands of people in our local communities, and even globally, through these outlets.
In addition to all of our interactive educational content, we also have online resources available for free to anyone in the world. We've published 6 downloadable activities packs and a YouTube series covering the experiments of our marine science curriculum, perfect for trying with your students or children!
Our most recent projects in the education department include our after school coral club, and the ongoing development of the CRF™ Online Academy!
Our after school club wrapped up over the summer, and the students had a blast learning all about corals from our education interns! CRF’s online academy is a platform we will use to showcase an entire lesson plan consisting of multiple chapters all focused on coral reefs and marine conservation.
There’s so much that our education department does and we are excited to continue our outreach and educate all kinds of people on the importance of marine conservation.
RECENT OUTREACH EVENTS WITH OUR CORAL COMMUNITY
REEF FEST
CRF™ was invited to be part of REEF’s annual “Reef Fest” this year! This event is a Key Largo favorite and lasts four days. Each day is filled with different festivities and programs all focused around marine conservation. CRF™ was invited to take part on the last day of the festival where REEF participants were encouraged to explore other local conservation organizations here in the Keys!
We opened our Exploration Center along with stations for participants to get hands on experience learning to outplant corals on the reef, and fill and clean Coral Trees™. We had multiple people come through interested in learning more about our organization and took the time to hang a coral on our Coral Tree™. It was a wonderful day for educating on marine conservation!
VIRTUAL PRESENTATION FOR COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Our Education Team is incredibly knowledgable and able to adapt their teaching for many age groups. We teach students as young as pre-school all the way up to University level discussions. This month on October 5th a professor from Colorado State University asked us to give a zoom presentation to their Ecological Restoration Case Studies class.
The presentation was forty five minutes long covering an over view of coral reef degradation and the work we do here at CRF™. After the presentation the Case Studies class asked lots of amazing questions. The class was assigned to wright a reflection following the presentation to touch on what they learned, their professor made a point to reach back out to our team to mention how much the class enjoyed our presentation and how inspiring our work was for his students.
We are honored to have been able to speak with a class at Colorado State University and hope to be able to present and educate next Falls Ecological Restoration Case Studies students!
When we come together to restore coral reefs, we all win. When we come together to restore coral reefs, we all win. Join us for the next 4 weeks as we prepare for #GivingTuesday2021 and look back at the wins you’ve helped us achieve for corals in 2021!
Your support has helped us fund research collaborations including a new scientific breakthrough, the observation of grooved brain coral spawning in the Florida Keys!
CRF™ intern Tessa Markham had this to say about the experience, “working together with scientists and divers from the University of Miami who are so passionate about coral conservation is a motivating experience and when we saw those 18 brain corals spawn you could feel the hope rush through all of us.”
Mark your calendars for November 30th, #GivingTuesday2021, and let's grow together!
RESOURCES FOR YOU
ATLANTIS DIVE RESORTS TEAMS UP WITH CRF™
You can now participate in a fulfilling week at the Dumaguete Atlantis Dive Resort in The Philippines!
"Heads Up" Editorial Intern
Molly Whiting grew up in Traverse City, MI where she spent her time downhill skiing, playing tennis, and sailing. At age twelve, Molly received her PADI open water dive certification and instantly fell in love with the ocean. In 2018, she volunteered with GIVE International Volunteers down on Little Corn Island, Nicaragua where she worked on marine conservation. While on Little Corn Island, she gained knowledge in coral identification/health, invasive species removal, and planting artificial reefs. It was through this volunteer program that Molly discovered her true passion for a career in marine conservation. Once back home, she received her divemaster certification and in the spring of 2020 she graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Natural Resource Management and her search for an inspiring marine organization began. Molly is extremely excited to part of CRF’s intern team and to help restore Florida’s coral reefs.
"Coral Chronicles" Editorial Intern
Tom Condon grew up in Palm Springs, CA and knew he wanted to be an environmentalist from an early age. His interest in the natural world was fueled by frequent trips to the beaches, deserts, and forests of the West Coast. Tom recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Marine Biology and a minor in Conservation Biology. He entered the marine realm after taking his first conservation class and learning about how vulnerable coral reefs are to climate change. He started diving in the Channel Islands and became a scientific diver to research algae while on a quarter abroad in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. While abroad, he experienced the degradation of coral reefs firsthand. Tom is very excited to work with CRF to make a positive impact on coral reefs and inspire people to take action to tackle the upcoming climate crisis.
Editor
Madalen Howard is CRF's Marketing Associate. Madalen comes to CRF™ via a winding road from the Tennessee hills, to the South Carolina low country, ending here in Florida’s Coral Reef. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology and a Minor in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston in 2016. Her experience ranges from field research to education, and communications.
Madalen spent the last 4 years as a Field Instructor and Social Media Strategist for MarineLab Environmental Education Center. Here she was able to study and teach marine ecology, while snorkeling through mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs every day. While at MarineLab she combined her education and research background, entered the world of communications, and developed MarineLab’s social media department from the ground up.
Throughout her life Madalen has had a skill connecting people with nature. With CRF™, she is excited to bring people into the world of coral restoration, creating inclusive pathways to scientific discovery.