The Spurlino Foundation Nearshore Reef Rehabilitation Project

The Spurlino Foundation provided a grant to the Reef Ball Foundation to help restore nearshore coral reef habitats after the hurricane. The funds were used to create a nearshore reef off the 7 mile beach area known as Cemetary Reef as it is only a few hundred feet offshore of a cemetary with public beach access. The Reef Balls were placed inside of a marine protected area where fishing is not allowed. Not only were the reefs installed with the funding, but the DOE was provided with 6 Reef Ball molds and training to continue building onto this reef over time using community volunteers and DOE staff. The Reef will also provide an opportunity for volunteer groups interested in coral propagation and planting activities. A 2005 project on the same site with 4 test Reef Balls provides a benchmark to gauge volunteer effort sucess in this work.