The Keys Marine Laboratory (KML) announced its first major gift — a $50,000 lead donation from the Lookout Foundation of Summerland Key — toward its $60 million phased campaign to build a cutting-edge marine research, education and restoration facility.
“We are thrilled to help kick off the KML building campaign,” said Nancy Noblitt, of the Lookout Foundation. “It’s exciting to see Keys Marine Laboratory grow and expand. Their continued support of education, research and restoration into unwavering protection for marine life is essential for Florida’s ecosystems and beyond.”
This campaign will fund the development of a storm-resilient marine field station designed to train the next generation of marine and oceanographic science leaders and advance a sustainable blue-ocean economy.
The project’s timeline includes:
- Phase one: Funds will support architectural and engineering plans to make KML shovel-ready for construction of short-term researcher and student housing at Keys Marine Laboratory.
- Phase two: Modernize and expand on-site housing accommodations with new suite-style housing, increasing capacity and flexibility for students, faculty and researchers. Currently, KML’s on-site housing consists of retrofitted buildings from the 1950s, limiting capacity, collaboration and growth.
- Future phases: The vision includes a storm-hardened, multipurpose academic and research facility with flexible classrooms, conference and multimedia rooms, state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories and office space for visiting researchers and agencies. This expansion will increase KML’s capacity from hosting one academic/research group at a time to three to five groups simultaneously, better serving the scientific community and KML’s demands.
“We are deeply grateful for the generosity and vision of the Noblitt family, who have been among the first to recognize the vital role KML plays in the state of Florida as well as nationally and globally,” said Cindy Lewis, KML director. “Their investment underscores the importance of providing resilient infrastructure and support for visiting research, restoration and education groups dedicated to addressing critical environmental challenges facing our oceans.”
For more than 30 years, KML has served as a regional hub for supporting academics, marine science education, research and restoration.
“The Lookout Foundation’s generous lead gift sets a powerful example for others to join our campaign. Their commitment allows us to expand our capacity to serve even more researchers, educators and restoration leaders dedicated to protecting and restoring our precious marine ecosystems. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the future of Florida’s oceans and blue economy,” said Kim Gregory, KML director of development.
Marine science education and research support technological advancements and create new opportunities for economic development and environmental stewardship.
More information is available from Gregory at kimberlygregory@usf.edu. The Florida Institute of Oceanography at the University of South Florida is exploring a range of public-private and government funding opportunities.
