News & Notes
January 2010

Join us for a Fun and Fury-ous Fundraiser
to Protect Coral Reefs!

Sunday, Jan. 31
5-7 p.m. at Sunset Pier/Ocean Key House
Light Appetizers & Drinks $15
Silent Auction Dockside

Sponsored by Fury Water Adventures and Sanctuary Friends
Benefits FKNMS Mooring Buoy Program
Mooring Buoys are designed to protect the coral reef!

Join us this Sunday!

  Our Amazing Ocean

What's a Mooring Buoy?

Hot Issues

Seagrass Meadows are Everywhere!

The greater South Florida area has the largest documented seagrass bed in the world, covering approximately 5,900 square miles. Much of this grassbed lies within the FKNMS and nearby Florida Bay, where it serves as shelter and a nursery ground for a myriad of fish and invertebrate species. Along with mangrove forests, meadows of seagrass are vital to supporting the coral reefs of the Florida Keys.

Scientists from Florida International University have been studying seagrass meadows for the past 14 years to see if they are undergoing changes due to higher nutrient concentrations in nearshore waters. The scientists have learned that, over time, higher nutrient conditions cause a shift in which seagrass species is most common in the area. From this knowledge, they have developed a suite of numerical indicators to show whether nutrients are affecting seagrass plants.

To find out more about the condition of seagrass in sanctuary waters, take a few minutes to read the two-page Sanctuary Science Summaries written with input from scientists. Research conducted for this program has been funded primarily by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Water Quality Protection Program of the FKNMS. This program is designed to help sanctuary managers make informed decisions about resource issues.

Read the Science Summary: Seagrass Meadows and Nutrients

In the closing days of 2009, NOAA's Director of the National Marine Sanctuaries, Dan Basta, invited representatives from the "Friends" groups of all 14 Marine Protected Areas (MPA) to attend a very special summit meeting in Monterey, California. This unprecedented gathering also included new leaders (staff and board) of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, which serves as the unofficial coordinator of the 14 separate Friends organizations scattered across our nation.

The highlight of this special meeting can be summed up in one word: commonality. Attendees identified common priorities, a common vision, a common message and even a common membership model. (See "Letter from the Board" in this newsletter). One important covenant was an "oath" to participate in monthly conference calls attended by all Friends Foundations, including the National Foundation.

The common vision is one of strength in numbers, including better goals for fundraising, public education, and marketing. Marketing? Yes, folks, someday we all wish our beloved sanctuaries benefitted from the same stewardship and responsible use now seen with our National Park System. Too many people still see our sanctuaries as "out there yonder" and have little appreciation for the treasures they contain both now and for future generations.  

With our country's poor economy too often marginalizing important sanctuary matters, the timing of this summit was ideal. While we all know our economy will rebound, ignoring the spectacular coral reefs in the National Marine Sanctuaries will certainly have the effect of losing them forever. Our sanctuary is not just a beautiful and magical place to recreate, it is the absolute only reason we even have the opportunity to live the good life in the Florida Keys.

The “peel-and-stick” technology of the panels, which are not visible from the outside of the building, is the new wave in solar technology. The 18-foot long strips are attached to the roof and are rated to withstand winds of 150 miles an hour.

In addition to the solar panels, FKNMS is developing an interactive kiosk and educational display for the Eco-Discovery Center that will provide information about global climate change and renewable generating technologies.

The PV panels will prevent an estimated 66,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The panels represent approximately 77 barrels of foreign oil that will not be needed to generate power and 3,700 gallons of gasoline that need not be burned in a given year. More information.

Sanctuary Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization (Tax ID# 59-2443959).
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