Reef Relief Mission

"REEF RELIEF is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to Preserving and Protecting Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and global efforts."

Reef Relief's goal is S.E.A. for C.P.R. We focus on rigorous Science to Educate the public & Advocate policymakers to achieve Conservation,
Protection, and Restoration of coral reefs.

To implement this new vision, the REEF RELIEF Board developed objectives and strategies to meet the following goals:

Programs to support these goals will based on existing efforts including the Coral Reef Conservation Program, Photo Monitoring Survey, the Environmental Center & Store, International Projects, and fundraising efforts.

REEF RELIEF was founded in 1986 by charterboat skipper, Craig Quirolo, the current Director of Marine Projects. REEF RELIEF is a non-profit corporation, directed by a board of directors, a Citizen Advisory Board and a Scientific Advisory Board.

Current Programs

Marine Projects

Coral Survey
For the past six years, REEF RELIEF's founder, Craig Quirolo, has documented changes in the coral communities of the Key West area with a non-intrusive photographic survey. Instead of grid systems that are fixed to the ocean floor, Craig uses only dive charts and laminated photographs of corals to locate the many sites included in the survey. A series of pictures taken over months and years monitor growth and overall health. Craig regularly photographs and videos the same coral heads at seven reefs near Key West and shares his results with the world's leading coral reef scientists. This work began several years ago through the cash prize accompanying the Robert Rodale Environmental Achievement Award, made possible by Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine. This year's funding was provided by the Turner Foundation, the Edith and Curtis Munson Foundation and others.

Scientific Research and Monitoring: REEF RELIEF provides technical assistance to NOAA, EPA, and many other visiting scientists studying corals and water quality at Key West-area coral reefs.

This relatively easy-to-use, low-tech system to monitor coral reef growth, algal growth, and diseases afflicting corals gives extremely sophisticated and accurate results. The importance of this system can not be stated strongly enough. Craig discovered yellow band disease and has shared his data with several scientists studying coral diseases. Cores from corals infected with the disease have been sent to Dr. Debbie Santivay at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf Breeze Laboratory to determine just what the disease is. On April 11, 1996, Craig was able to alert the scientific community of a browning of purple seafans in reef areas just off Key West. Again, he provided video footage and data to experts, including Dr. Drew Harvell of Cornell University and Dr. Kio Kim of University of Buffalo, who are studying seafans. They have discovered a fungus, aspergillus, attacking the sea fans. Usually this fungus is associated with soil, not salt water environments. In 1997, Craig first observed white plague type II, a fast growing coral disease that attacks the base of major coralheads and consumes all living tissue. He has also noted that white pox disease is attacking several different types of corals, including star corals (dicoena) earlier identified at Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. This proliferation of diseases is not good, but at least scientists who usually only monitor coral reefs on a quarterly basis, are receiving regular episodic updates from REEF RELIEF.



Reef Mooring Buoy Inspection and Maintenance Program
REEF RELIEF's Mooring Buoy Program is the first private effort of its kind. It was the largest privately maintained reef mooring buoy program in the world until October 1997, when it was officially incorporated into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary program. Reef Relief developed broad public support of the mooring buoy program by organizing skipper's meetings, distributing information on how to use the buoy system, and creating a network of local area skippers who assist in the maintenance and use of the reef mooring buoys.

These mooring buoys are patterned after those designed by the National Marine Sanctuaries Program at Looe Key and Key Largo. They eliminate the need to "drop anchor" when at the reef. Commercial and recreational boaters can use the buoys as an alternative to anchoring in coral.

In 1988, funds for the installation of the first mooring buoys were provided by the Monroe County Boating Improvement Fund and the Florida Keys Land and Sea Trust. Additional buoys were installed in 1989 in a cooperative venture with Greenpeace. In 1991, we acquired the hydraulic drilling equipment to install additional buoys at Keys reefs, thanks to local charterboat Fury Catamarans. REEF RELIEF helped install 35 reef mooring buoys in Negril, Jamaica in 1991. (see Protecting Jamaica's Coral Reefs: Final Report of the Negril Reef Mooring Buoy Workshop and Installation).

In 1993, REEF RELIEF helped install buoys at the Dry Tortugas National Park and at patch reefs off the Lower Keys.

Reef Relief Key West buoy program included 116 reef mooring buoys at the following locations: Western Dry Rocks, Sand Key, Rock Key, Eastern Dry Rocks, Western Sambo, Pelican Shoal, and Cottrell Key. The buoys are regularly inspected and maintained according to a schedule that replaces components on a timely basis to provide assurances that the buoys are in a safe condition for use.


Coral Reef Conservation Program

This multi-media campaign educates residents and visitors of the Florida Keys and elsewhere on why and how to protect the coral reef eco-system. It includes educational brochures, newsletters, signs, videos, teacher kits and research materials, in addition to a year-round schedule of activities, including REEF AWARENESS WEEK, school presentations and field trips, speeches, radio and television announcements and programs and other special events.



REEF RELIEF IS A GRASSROOTS WATCH DOG THAT MONITORS FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL POLICIES AND PROGRAMS IMPACTING THE CORAL REEF "REEF RELIEF endorses cooperative federal, state and local efforts to protect Florida's underwater environment. We are actively involved with community and government agencies and provide recommendations and information on public policy and oversight of threats to the reef".

In Florida Bay and in the newly established Everglades clean-up, we urge that both "clean-ups" be based on pure water. We urge -- at in-flow and out-flow areas where water is introduced by government agencies -- that all water be stripped of pollutants until it is nutrient free. The technologies is available. REEF RELIEF will applaud -- and encourage -- a cleaning program, based on clean water, for the Everglades, Florida Bay and North America's Living Coral Reef. Such a program will guarantee the future of these natural wonders for generations to come. For further information, or if you would like to help us in this mission, please write or call us.



Phosphate Ban
REEF RELIEF provided the County Commission with an ordinance limiting the use of phosphate-laden cleaning products. It was unanimously passed and went into effect throughout the Florida Keys on October 19, 1991. Prior to passage, more than three dozen Keys hoteliers voluntarily converted to no-phosphate cleaning products under our guidance. We are currently monitoring enforcement of the ban.

It is now the law that phosphate-laden detergents may not be sold in this country. Nutrients such as phosphate promote algal blooms, which reduce water clarity resulting in the "greening of canals and nearshore waters. At the reef, such nuisance algae compete successfully with corals for habitat.



10 Year Ban On Offshore Oil In The Keys
Several years ago, the U.S. Department of the Interior leased 73 tracts to 9 oil companies to explore and develop offshore oil for areas as close 25 miles from Key West and the Dry Tortugas. REEF RELIEF has worked hard to support legislative measures to provide temporary one-year moratoriums on such offshore oil development. Our goal is permanent protection from offshore oil for Florida's fragile marine environment. President Bush announced a ten year ban on leasing activity in this area as a result of years of pressure from local petitions, hearings, and other efforts spearheaded by REEF RELIEF and others at the local and national level. Drilling is banned in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and in South Florida waters until 2002.

On June 15, 1998, President Clinton extended the current offshore oil drilling ban that expires in 2002 another ten years, to 2012 and included a permanent end to offshore leasing in all national marine sanctuaries.


Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
REEF RELIEF encouraged the development of a comprehensive management plan for the entire reef of the Florida Keys. We supported legislation to create the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary by testifying before the committees of both houses of Congress and through grassroots efforts to increase local support for this legislation. Since passage of this important legislation, we have participated in planning efforts to create a zoned management system for the new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. We launched "The Keys Are In Our Hands" water quality awareness campaign to support improved sewage treatment in the Keys through the Water Quality Protection Program of the Sanctuary.

When the Sanctuary submitted its Draft Management Plan, we issued recommendations that would make it do the job of saving the reef. Among other things, we were alarmed that none of the monies budgeted were to go into direct actions to improve water quality, no educational patrols were planned for the reef and no educational efforts were underway. We sent out an "Action Alert" that advised members about the plan and our position. We publicized our view-point in the papers and on the radio. We urged everyone to attend the public hearings about the plan and forwarded letters of approval of our position from the public to congressmen, senators, the Sanctuary, the EPA and to NOAA. We will continue to monitor the sanctuary as it develops. It is essential to the coral reef that the sanctuary puts forth strong, effective programs that will protect and save this invaluable eco-system for all time.



Other Issues
REEF RELIEF approached the state in 1996 and succeeded in upgrading the rules governing what can be pumped into shallow injection wells in the Keys. The new rule states that all sewage effluent in the Keys pumped into Class 5 wells must "meet or exceed state standards for Outstanding Florida Waters."

We have actively opposed the use of fish traps, collection of live rock, and sport lobster weekend. We support setting a ban on fish collecting. Current limits rob the coral reef of its breeder fish and its bio-diversity. We support the immediate need to upgrade waste treatment facilities in the Keys, to upgrade illegal cesspits, leaky septic tanks, and to remove nutrients from the Key West Sewage Treatment Plant.



Coral Reef Coalition
REEF RELIEF was a founder and the first Keys coordinator of the Coral Reef Coalition, a loose affiliation of over one hundred conservationists, activists, and organizations dedicated "To secure comprehensive lasting preservation of the biological diversity and productivity of Florida's coral reef eco-system and wise use of its resources."

REEF RELIEF was one of the sponsors and organizers of the First Coral Reef Coalition Conference held March 19-22, 1992 in Key West. The event focused on grassroots recommendations for the comprehensive management plan of the new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The final panel discussion, co-hosted by REEF RELIEF featured representatives of NOAA, the EPA, the Florida governor's office, the Monroe County Commission, the scientific community, and the conservation community. It was aired on local radio and videoed and provided specific recommendations for adoption of the new sanctuary management plan. The final report is available through REEF RELIEF.



Blueprint For Action Seminar
In February, 1990, REEF RELIEF co-hosted a seminar along with the Monroe County State Attorney's Office, entitled "Blueprint for Action". Forty experts representing regulatory agencies, conservation groups, elected officials, and user groups collaborated to develop a policy aimed at preventing freighter groundings on the reef. The final report is available through REEF RELIEF.



Hospitality Industry Symposium
A symposium for the hospitality industry was held in February, 1991, in cooperation with the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada. The event featured speakers, a mini-trade show and panel discussions that covered a wide range of subjects from water conservation and xeriscaping to energy conservation, recycling, recycled paper products, and watersport activities. Over 90 hoteliers participated and learned how to make their operations environmentally friendly. A booklet is available (see Printed Educational Materials) on the subject entitled "Creating the Resort of the Future." A copy of the final report is available through REEF RELIEF.


International Projects

"Nothing is isolated in this world. Everything is linked. Problems facing our coral reef, affect other coral reefs. Everything is part of the same puzzle. Not to recognize this is to limit true knowledge".

REEF RELIEF representatives participate in international forums and provide information and training to grassroots organizations and government agencies involved in protecting coral reefs world-wide.


Jamaica Reef Mooring Buoy Project
In November, 1991, REEF RELIEF members participated in a cooperative venture with the Negril Coral Reef Foundation to install 35 reef mooring buoys to protect the reefs of Negril, Jamaica.

A workshop on protecting Jamaica's coral reefs was held and included presentations from coral reef expert Dr. Thomas Goreau, fisheries expert Karl Aiken, eco-tourist authority Herb Hiller and others. In 1992, REEF RELIEF returned to help host a workshop on water quality issues that provided public input into the creation of a central sewage treatment plant for Negril. In 1993, REEF RELIEF returned to help train members of the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society to implement a patrol of their coral reefs. In 1994, REEF RELIEF founder, Craig Quirolo with volunteer engineer, Dave Cannella, conducted a preliminary survey of the actual length of Negril's famed 7 mile beach and planned the installation of a swimmer's lane of buoys to protect swimmers from boaters and jetskis. On August of that same year, Craig and Dave returned and taught local divers the art of mooring buoy installation and maintenance.

Currently the newly trained divers maintain the buoys and implement a patrol of the waterfront, modeled after REEF RELIEF's Reef Ranger Program.

It was estimated that 160 buoys, 100 augers and 60 U-Clips would be necessary to complete the project. In the end, 90 augers and 70 U-Clips were used. Craig designed a new U-Clip, a single hole U-Bolt, specifically for this project to be used in areas of hard bottom. The U-Clip design will be adopted for future use in reef mooring buoy installations, as it is less expensive and stronger than the traditional eye-bolt that has been in use for years. Dave Canella also devised a new method of setting the augers into the sand which proved a tremendous success.

The Negril Project created the longest and most comprehensive swimming lane in the Caribbean, insuring the safety of the swimmers in the area. It was also one of the first steps of a zoned management system for the Negril Marine Park. At the ribbon cutting ceremony November 2, 1995, attended by many high ranking Jamaican officials, Craig Quirolo and REEF RELIEF were honored for our efforts and presented with two awards.

The complete history and all information on the Negril mooring Buoy project are available in a report called "Protecting Jamaica's Coral Reef: Final Report of the Negril Reef Mooring Buoy Workshop and Installation" (see Printed Educational Materials). Since then, REEF RELIEF's Craig Quirolo has returned to Negril once again to help train Rangers to survey the shorelines of Bluefields, Ocho Rios and the South Coast of Jamaica so that similar reef mooring buoy and swimmer's lane projects can be implemented for these areas. In 1995 Quirolo returned to complete the swimmer's lane project for Negril.

See the Winter, 1998 Reef Line article on the Jamaica Project.

REEF RELIEF'S Efforts To Help Establish Grassroots Coral Reef Organizations, World-Wide.
Grassroots organizations are an effective means to protect local environments, to educate, and to monitor programs established by governments and big business. They are a way to voice local concerns, so that different ways of life, traditional knowledge, and resources do not get lost.

REEF RELIEF is happy to information share. In 1996, we helped Coralations, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Puerto Rico's coral reefs, get started by helping to organize a workshop in Puerto Rico on coral reef protection. Our educational materials are used (with proper credit going to REEF RELIEF for their use) as guidelines for their educational materials. We share with Coralations and many other community-based groups, our knowledge about our different activities (environmental education, grassroots organizing, reef mooring buoy programs, etc.), so they can take advantage of what we have done right, and avoid certain pitfalls they are sure to encounter along the way.

In this spirit, information sharing with community efforts from all over the world who desire to protect their coral reefs, are underway.



Photomonitoring Coral Reefs and Information Sharing
Thanks to the photomonitoring system developed by REEF RELIEF'S founder and director of marine projects, Craig Quirolo, islands and countries with limited budgets now have access to a system they can afford that will enable them to monitor their reefs. The knowledge gained from this system is invaluable. From data provided, the overall health of a reef can be diagnosed. Trends can be projected, priorities can be set, and critical areas can be targeted for protection. Just as important, information sharing with other areas can be facilitated. This monitoring system is being offered to other areas in the Caribbean and Pacific.


The Environmental Center & Store

The headquarters for REEF RELIEF is the Reef Relief Environmental Center & Store in Key West, located on a busy charterboat dock in Historic Old Town at 201 William Street. The center features educational displays and information, continuous video, a resource library, facilities for volunteers and staff, and coral reef gift shop. It is also headquarters for all REEF RELIEF operations and is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.

The REEF RELIEF Center & Store is our opportunity to meet and talk with you. So come in and hang out as long as you like when you visit Key West, and tell your friends about us. The Environmental Center is staffed by REEF RELIEF's educational coordinator, Joel Biddle, and REEF RELIEF'S store manager, Barbara Blackmore. Start-up costs were partially funded by a grant from the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation. Half of the rent for the location is donated by the City of Key West.




Board of Directors
Reef Relief is guided and directed by a dedicated board of directors who are assisted by a small staff.

Dr. Brian LaPointe, President - Brian has been involved in research on water quality in the Florida Keys for nearly twenty years. He is on the research staff of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and operates their laboratory on Big Pine Key. A specialist in eutrophication and algal impacts on coral reefs, Brian is recognized around the world for his expertise.

 

Captain Victoria Impallomeni, First Vice-President -A true Key West native and former President of Reef Relief's Board of Directors, Victoria is a marine biologist who has been a wilderness guide in Key West for the past twenty five years.

 

Marci L. Rose, Esq., Second Vice President - Marci received her Juris Doctor from Capital University where she concentrated in environmental law. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1972 and is the Chairman of Clean Florida Keys.

 

DeeVon Meade Quirolo, Treasurer - wife and partner to Craig, and current Project Director of Reef Relief. DeeVon is educated as a lawyer, experienced as a publisher, and responsible for overall administration, advocacy, education and retail operations at Reef Relief.

 

Craig Quirolo, Founder and a Director of Reef Relief - The founder of Reef Relief and current Director of Marine Projects. He received a Point of Light Award from President Bush and the first Rodale's Environmental Achievement Award, among others. Craig is currently focusing on the study of coral diseases in the Caribbean.

 

Russell Teall -Russ was instrumental in organizing the effort to install mooring buoys near Marathon. He is founder of the Florida Tourism Association, the Association of Dive Operators and the Dive Industry Association.

 

Paul Johnson - After serving in the Florida's Governor's Office for both democratic and Republican Administrations, Paul joined the ranks and is currently working with Environmental Solutions International.

 

Howard Fulton - Howard is an executive with American Express who was originally instrumental in the American Express campaign to donate two cents to Reef Relief every time the American Express Card is used in the Florida Keys.

 

Becky Roper Matkov - Becky has been involved in historic preservation for more than twenty years. She has served as President of the Junior League of Miami, Inc. and the Heritage Trust and for ten years was the manager of the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation.

 

Captain Bill Wickers - A renowned Key West charterboat captain and angler, Bill is active on many fronts. He is a member of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and has received numerous awards and commendations from civic and community groups.

 

Wendy Weir - Wendy has been active in the area of coral reef and tropical rainforest conservation for the past thirteen years. As co-founder of Coral Forest, a coral reef non-profit organization, she focused on the preservation of coral reefs around the world through education and grassroots action.

 

Randall Hayes - Randy is an action-oriented organizer. He is founder and president of Rainforest Action Network. Randy is a leader in the efforts to halt destruction of tropical rainforests and to fight for the rights of indigenous people.

 

Bob Weir -A member of the legendary rock band the Grateful Dead, Bob is an active environmentalist and humanitarian. His primary areas of interest focus on the preservation coral reefs, tropical rainforests and temperate old growth forests.

 

Scientific Advisory Board

Harold Hudson, Fla. Keys Nat'l Marine Sanctuary

Dr. James Porter, U of Ga., Dept. of Ecology

Dr. Drew Harvell, Cornell U, Sect. Of Ecology

Dr. Bill Alevizon, Coral Forest

Drs.Charles & Clarise Yentsch, Founders, Bigelow Labs Protect Coral Reef Ecosystems