Reef Environmental Education Foundation

🌟 Happy New Year! 2025 is here, and we are ready to dive deep into ocean conservation! 🐟 ✨ Whether you're new to REEF or a longtime member, there are plenty of ways to get involved, including citizen science surveys, attending educational events and webinars, and more. 🌊 What are your ocean-related resolutions or goals for 2025? Share them with us below! 💬👇 📷: 1- Janna Nichols, 2 - PJ Widestrand

🌟 The countdown to 2025 is on! As the sun sets on 2024, let’s take a moment to celebrate the wonders of the ocean that unites us all. 🎉 From coral reefs to kelp forests and everything in between, the underwater world inspires us every day to protect it. Thank you for being part of REEF's work! 🌊✨ 🎆 Here’s to a new year filled with happiness, exploration, and lots of progress for our oceans! 📷: Brook Peterson / Ocean Image Bank

Calling all bookworms and ocean lovers! Into the Blue Book Club's first online meeting of 2025 will be on Thursday, January 30 at 8pm ET, where we will be discussing Grouper Moon by Cindy Shaw. 🌊🐚 Grouper Moon is a young-adult novel set during the Nassau Grouper's annual winter spawning. The dual plot follows Cooper, a Nassau Grouper, and Renny, a 13-year-old island boy, in a family-friendly story featuring themes of friendship and trust, second chances, and having the courage to reach out and make a difference in the world. You can submit questions for Cindy (who both wrote and illustrated the novel!) in advance by emailing books@REEF.org. Everyone is welcome to attend the virtual meeting, even if you have not read the book! 📚 For more info or to register for the meeting, visit www.REEF.org/bookclub.

Are you feeling bamboozled by butterflyfish? Or maybe you want to take a wrasse class? Check out our Fishinars! These free webinars help you identify the fish you see while diving or snorkeling. There are more than 200 Fishinars archived online and available for viewing anytime. We also have some brand new Fishinars coming up in 2025, featuring Eastern Atlantic & Mediterranean (EAM) Fishes, plus EAM Invertebrates & Algae, Fishes of Micronesia, and more! Visit www.REEF.org/fishinars for details. 📷: Striped Red Mullet (top) and Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse, photographed in Cyprus by Carol Cox

As we reflect on 2024, we are proud to share some of REEF’s achievements and milestones from the year, made possible thanks to our wonderful REEF community! Thank you for being part of REEF, and happy holidays! Let's make 2025 an amazing year for ocean conservation!

✨ Happy Hanukkah from all of us at REEF! 🕎 May this season bring warmth, light, and happiness to you and your loved ones. 💙🤍 📷: Christine Dorrity

Merry Fishmas! Santa's happiest helper is here to wish you and your family a happy holiday. Best fishes this season from the REEF team! 🎄❤️ 📸: Daryl Duda

Are you an educator who loves the ocean? Dive into an incredible opportunity with REEF and citizen science! 🐟🤿 We are still accepting applications for the 2025 Educator in the Field Fellowship. Whether you are a formal or informal educator, this is a great opportunity for those eager to incorporate marine conservation and citizen science into their teaching. 📚 The chosen Fellow will participate in a REEF Field Survey Trip to Roatan from June 28-July 5, 2025, and receive a travel reimbursement of up to $1,200. This is your chance to expand your knowledge about marine life and inspire your students to do the same! Don’t wait—applications close on January 5, 2025. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/euGiGq_Q. 📸: Anthony, 2024 Educator in the Field Fellowship Recipient, doing fish surveys in Bonaire.

As the year winds down, we wanted to highlight some amazing work made possible thanks to the Oceans for All Fund: In 2024, we hosted: 🌊 23 Ocean Explorers Education programs funded through Oceans for All, including: 🌊 8 virtual programs 🌊 3 in-person programs at the REEF Campus 🌊 13 in-person programs at offsite locations Oceans for All is a REEF initiative to create opportunities for future ocean stewards by providing scholarships, programs, and outreach to support equity-deserving groups and those with financial need. Thank you to our amazing supporters for making all of this possible! Read more about the Oceans for All Fund here: https://lnkd.in/e-tnspAp 3

Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year—meaning longer, sun-filled days are ahead. What better way to celebrate than with today's fun fish feature: the Ocean Sunfish! ☀️ This gentle giant can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh nearly 5,000 pounds! Often seen basking near the surface, they spend their days soaking up sunlight while gracefully drifting in the ocean’s photic zone, where light supports so much marine life. 💙