{"id":722,"date":"2013-05-04T21:41:33","date_gmt":"2013-05-05T01:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/?p=722"},"modified":"2013-05-04T21:41:33","modified_gmt":"2013-05-05T01:41:33","slug":"reef-rescue-volunteers-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/2013\/05\/04\/reef-rescue-volunteers-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Reef Rescue volunteers in action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reef Rescue new testing equipment arrived just in time to catch contractor dredging violations.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In February we unpacked and calibrated our new turbidity meter (paid for\u00a0with your donations) and put it right to work monitoring contractor permit compliance. Turbidity standards are built into the dredging permits by FDEP to protect our nearshore coral reefs from siltation. Reef Rescue volunteers were onsite daily monitoring the Palm Beach Inlet, Boynton Inlet and Delray Beach dredging projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Volunteers immediately began to witness violations and report their findings to FDEP. They found and documented boulders pumped on the beach in Palm Beach, making it unsuitable for sea turtle nesting. The Army Corp of Engineers ordered the contractor back to remove the rocks. After the first cleanup was performed improperly volunteers reported them a second time and they were forced to go back and do it again.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After finishing the Palm Beach Inlet dredge the contractor towed their equipment away and dragged cables across a three mile swath of coral reef. Local dive boats spotted the damage and turned them in to the FDEP. Under the 2009 Florida Coral Reef Protection Act, the contractor faces hundreds of thousands in fines, must repair the damage and pay for monitoring of the restoration for the next ten years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Next the dredge arrived in Delray Beach on March 2nd to nourish 1.9 miles of beach. On March 3rd we caught them violating the projects turbidity standard. During\u00a0the 27 days of the project 12 turbidity violations\u00a0were documented, forcing the project\u00a0to shut down\u00a0on several\u00a0occasions. On April 9, a joint Reef Rescue and FDEP site inspection found turbidity levels far above permitted levels. Volunteer dives are now in the process of monitoring the nearby reefs for any sign of project related damage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can learn more about these and other issues by following the updates on the Reef Rescue Blog<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is the best way to stay in touch with Reef Rescue happenings?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Reef Rescue on Facebook<\/a> where we post updates on a nearly daily basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

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And at the Reef Rescue Coral Reef Blog<\/a> where you will find more in depth reporting on reef related issues updated several times a month.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Here is some local news coverage from just the last week:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Palm Beach Daily News May 3, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

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Reef restoration work to resume next week<\/span><\/p>\n

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http:\/\/www.palmbeachdailynews.com\/news\/news\/national\/reef-restoration-work-to-resume-next-week\/nXfZy\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Coastal Star May 2, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

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Delray Beach: Divers monitor reef for human-caused damage<\/span><\/p>\n

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http:\/\/thecoastalstar.ning.com\/profiles\/blogs\/along-the-coast-divers-monitor-reef-for-human-caused-damage?xg_source=msg_mes_network<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Palm Beach Daily News April 30, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

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DEP says town must build artificial reef; costs yet unknown<\/span><\/p>\n

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http:\/\/www.palmbeachdailynews.com\/news\/news\/dep-says-town-must-build-artificial-reef-costs-yet\/nXbr8\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Palm Beach Post April 28, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

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Beach boulder cleanup ordered to be redone in Palm Beach<\/span><\/p>\n

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http:\/\/www.mypalmbeachpost.com\/news\/news\/local\/beach-repair-redo-being-redone-on-stretch-of-palm-\/nXY9z\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Two great fundraising events to show your support for Reef Rescue are coming up:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Party to Help Florida Reefs Fundraiser<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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May 18th, 2013<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A fundraiser for two very special organizations that help protect the health of our Florida Reefs. We all want to keep diving on beautiful coral reef, so lets make sure to support Reef Rescue and Vone Research in what they do to keep our reefs thriving.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fundraiser will be from<\/span>1 to 6 pm at Hurricanes in Delray Beach<\/span><\/p>\n

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Located at 640 E. Atlantic Ave<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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We will have food, 2 for 1 drink special, live band, and raffles on items from Force-E, Aqua Lung, Mares, Diver\u2019s Alert Network and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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All proceeds will go to Reef Rescue and Vone Research to help them fund their organizations to keep up the good work!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pre-buy your tickets for this event at any Force-E Scuba Centers= $10, plus get one FREE raffle ticket at the door\u2026. Or Buy your tickets at the door $12<\/span><\/p>\n

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And<\/span><\/p>\n

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The always popular Kayak-a-thon Fundraiser<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The date is set for the\u00a08th annual Kayak-a-thon fundraiser.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On Saturday June 1, 2013, kayakers will paddle their way along a 7 mile course from the Riviera Beach Marina to Munyon and Peanut Islands then back to the marina.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This annual event is one of the most exciting fundraising activities of the year for Reef Rescue. Not only does the Kayak-a-thon help raise funds to support Reef Rescue coral reef conservation projects, but it also brings together our family of supporters for a fun filled day of outdoor activity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Like a walk-a-thon, kayakers raise money by collecting donations or pledges for completing the predetermined course. It is similar in format to other physical activity based fundraising events such as marathons and cycling races, but this low intensity, non-competitive event is ideal for mobilizing broad-based community support.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click here to learn more, see photos and watch video from previous years events.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Kayakers signup now!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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If you do not have a kayak there are some available, but the supply is limited, so act fast. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Go to:\u00a0<\/span>www.kayakathon.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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If you have any questions about the event or how your organization can become involved contact Brian Lee\u00a0(561) 843-4109<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Not able to make either fundraiser, but still want to support our efforts?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Consider making an online donate to Reef Rescue:<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> PO Box 207<\/span> * Boynton Beach<\/span>, FL<\/span> 33425<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reef Rescue new testing equipment arrived just in time to catch contractor dredging violations. In February we unpacked and calibrated our new turbidity meter (paid for\u00a0with your donations) and put it right to work monitoring contractor permit compliance. Turbidity standards are built into the dredging permits by FDEP to protect our nearshore coral reefs from … Continue reading Reef Rescue volunteers in action<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reefrelieffounders.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}