In mid-June, Bud N’ Mary’s Marina was buzzing with activity. I.CARE, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the local reefs of Islamorada, hosted Force Blue and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) in a two-day coral training, planting and monitoring exercise to benefit our local coral reefs. Divers planted endangered corals together and raised awareness about the importance of and challenges facing coral reefs.
“This is an absolute dream come true for me,” said I.CARE co-founder Kylie Smith as she welcomed the dive teams and local crowd to Islamorada to kick off festivities.
The Florida Keys boasts the third-largest barrier reef in the world. Its rich biodiversity supports our local fishing industry and tourist economy. It’s also what established us as the scuba diving capital of the world.
Unfortunately, “we do have some challenges here,” said Patxi Pastor, GHOF CEO and president, in the kickoff press conference. “Ninety-eight percent of our reef has left us. The good news is, we have 2% left, and we’re gonna change that.”
GHOF conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs to conserve the marine environment. The foundation also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists – and immediately saw a synergy between its work and that of I.CARE.
I.CARE’s mission involves local businesses, residents and visitors in the active restoration and maintenance of the coral reef communities in Islamorada. From the start, it has maintained that success will come most organically and efficiently through a community-based approach to reef restoration.
When Smith met Pastor last year, they knew this collaboration would be fruitful and important. Then, they invited Force Blue to join, and a tremendous trifecta was created for our reefs.
The training, conducted by I.CARE and Mote Marine Laboratories, included coral restoration methodology, coral species identification, data collection methods and coral transplanting and maintenance training. Joining the nonprofits were Katie Palmer, a Gold Star family member whose father was killed while serving in the Armed Forces; Nina Bowen, founder of Team BLU marine science club at Key West High School; and local, county and state government officials and representatives.
Introducing Force Blue as part of this unique initiative, Pastor said, “The U.S. military – they’ve given everything for the liberties we enjoy. U.S. soldiers are what this country is about, and we’re on a new mission, so who better to lead this effort?
Force Blue was established in 2016 to address two seemingly unrelated problems – the rapidly declining marine environment and the difficulty that many servicemen and women face in adjusting to civilian life after their service ends. Force Blue retrains and redeploys former Special Operations veterans and combat divers to work alongside scientists and environmentalists on new marine conservation missions.
Founder Jim Ritterhoff thanked the hosts for their hospitality, recalling, “Our first mission was here in the Florida Keys – after Irma. We sent Special Ops guys to the Florida Keys, and that’s really where Force Blue began. It’s a privilege to come back here to train and serve.”
Monroe County Mayor David Rice thanked the veterans, scientists and volunteer divers for their efforts. He noted that while historical attempts to grow coral “seemed impossible” with the rising temperatures and water quality issues, “not only are we doing that, but, with your help, we will get this reef back.”
To that end, two boats full of divers departed from the marina to a reef near Alligator Light. They used their recent training to transplant endangered staghorn corals back onto the reef, using Mote’s vetted, science-based methods. At the end, they cemented a Force Blue medallion on one of the newly-restored coral heads, the foundation for a future reef.
Bowen, who was excited to participate in such a bold effort to help our oceans, said, “We’re trying to do more than just talk about it. … I’m super excited, I’m thrilled and I’m really honored to be here. I’m a STEM-nerd and … today we get to dive and help with coral restoration beneath the surface. It’s crazy!”
After a successful few days and many new corals planted, I.CARE co-founder Mike Goldberg said, “We are the only organization that gives the recreational diver an outlet to bring back what we’ve lost. I’ve been diving here 30 years and seen the declines. So, we had to come up with a way to give our community a way to bring it back. This partnership with Guy Harvey and Force Blue is the next evolution of this work, and we are so thrilled.”
