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Welcome to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary monthly volunteer update for September 2026! Each month, we'll be sharing exciting sanctuary news and hands-on opportunities where you can help us safeguard our local marine ecosystems and maritime heritage.
Some links in this email lead to external partner websites and are not affiliated with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries unless specified. If you prefer to opt out of future updates, feel free to unsubscribe using the link at the bottom. Photo credit: Shawn Verne
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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities:
- Eco-Discovery Center - Key West: Do you love learning about our amazing ecosystems? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? You might be a great docent! We are looking for folks interested in four-hour shifts at the Eco-Discovery Center in Key West. Stop by and see us at 35 E Quay Road in Key West Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to p.m.!
- We need help digitizing! Do you have a passion for history or are curious about the early years of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary? Help us bring archives back to life through digitization.
- Do you like chatting with the public? Join us at a tabling event for College of the Florida Keys Community Day on November 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..
Volunteering with the Sanctuary does require an onboarding process ahead of your start date. If you are interested in the above opportunities and have not gone through this process (or if it has been a while), please reach out to Alicia at alicia.manfroy@noaa.gov.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary News:
- The Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet in Marathon in September. We will be discussing Boater Education among other topics. You can find more information here.
- Take a deep dive on stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), the most destructive coral disease described to date. The Coral Program at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory is conducting interdisciplinary research to mitigate further impacts of this disease on Caribbean reefs, as well as to prevent the potential spread of SCTLD to Pacific reefs. In this seminar, Dr. Michael Studivan presents an overview of the ‘omics research the Coral Program is conducting to characterize, diagnose, and model SCTLD spread, including implications for management and ecosystem restoration.
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A successful spawning! You may have seen news headlines highlighting the success of the coral spawning this year. Learn more about coral spawning and the research questions being explored through these partnerships.
- We are in the middle of a marine heatwave. This is just one of many threats to corals. Learn more about the issues corals are facing here.
Dive in!
- Want to get hands on with coral restoration? Join an Iconic Reef Guardians trip! Working directly with Blue Star Dive operators, Iconic Reef Guardians empowers scuba divers and snorkelers to be knowledgeable and supportive of coral restoration efforts, and become stewards of reef sites undergoing active restoration efforts.
- Are you out on the water? Join Mote Bleachwatch, which is a citizen science program designed to train and coordinate citizen science volunteers to regularly report on the occurrence, or absence, of coral bleaching, as well as basic environmental conditions from various reef sites throughout the Florida Keys. This information will allow researchers to further develop the accuracy of available coral bleaching predictions and assist resource managers to better communicate the condition of the reefs as potential bleaching events occur.
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