Expeditions Virtual Field Trip: Diving Into the World of Coral Restoration
Summary
Coral Restoration Foundation™ is the world's largest marine-conservation non-profit organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs to a healthy state, both in Florida and globally. Our core mission is to restore coral reefs, to educate others on the importance of our oceans, and to use science to further coral research and coral reef monitoring techniques. In this presentation, we will discuss the work Coral Restoration Foundation™ does to support the Florida Reef Tracts’ natural recovery processes via large-scale cultivation, out planting, and monitoring of reef-building corals whilst simultaneously engaging and empowering others in the mission to save our planet’s reefs.
Panelists
JD Reinbott
A long-term ocean lover, JD has spent his life advocating for the conservation of numerous marine ecosystems, but it wasn’t until his time as a student at the University of New England where he discovered his passion for coral reefs. During college he traveled extensively throughout the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System to collect coral population abundance, predation, disease and bleaching metrics. Seeing these once pristine systems struggling to survive sparked his desire to actively make a difference and shortly after graduating, he started a yearlong internship with the Coral Restoration Foundation TM . The internship allowed him to combine his interests of both restoration and education into one set entity and jumpstarted his career within the coral conservation world. After some time working abroad as a PADI SCUBA Instructor and Assistant Coral Program Manager for Marine Conservation Costa Rica, JD returned to CRF TM and the Florida Keys where he now directly manages the Volunteer Program, assists with the Internship Program and actively partakes in the world’s largest coral restoration effort.
Classroom Resources
Expeditions Virtual Field Trip: Diving Into the World of Coral Restoration
Coral Restoration Foundation™ is the world's largest marine-conservation non-profit organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs to a healthy state, both in Florida and globally. Our core mission is to restore coral reefs, to educate others on the importance of our oceans, and to use science to further coral research and coral reef monitoring techniques. In this presentation, we will discuss the work Coral Restoration Foundation™ does to support the Florida Reef Tracts’ natural recovery processes via large-scale cultivation, out planting, and monitoring of reef-building corals whilst simultaneously engaging and empowering others in the mission to save our planet’s reefs.
OurEcho Handout Corals
This is a supplemental handout for the OurEcho Challenge Biodiversity Basics Lesson Plan (Step 1). This is the digital version for educators to send to students learning virtually. There is also a printer-friendly version for educators to print and distribute to students learning in-person.
Snack-Sized Science: Coral Creations
EarthEcho invites you to play along with us during “Snack-Sized Science”. These brief and interactive science demos with the EarthEcho team are meant to help your young-learners get excited to investigate the fascinating world of SCIENCE and hopefully explore more of EarthEcho’s digital resources...maybe even on their own! Join EarthEcho to learn about the anatomy of corals and the communities they build. We’ll make our own edible corals and learn how important coral reefs are to the health of the ocean!