HAPPY MARCH

The new year is progressing quickly, please continue to be active in our activities. If you have any requests or suggestions we would appreciate any ideas.

REMINDER, our meeting location has changed to the Pompano Beach Elks Lodge. The new room is large and much better acoustics than our previous location. The Lodge opens at 5:00 and they have food available, so please come and learn about our new location. The meeting will start at 7:00 since the Lodge closes at 9:00 and we need to be out of the building. We are required to prepare and clean up the space (part of the savings) so any help is appreciated. There is one aspect that we need to be aware of, because this is a private club only members (Elks) can purchase alcohol. Everybody else will need to pay cash as the bartender is working with us.

As always, we would love members that are interested in helping or getting to know the club better to join the Board of Directors. We would enjoy some new blood and the perspective of new members.

Our schedule is filling up with new Local Dives and Social Events, please come out and join your fellow members. We all joined the club for these activities and the friends we have made through the years.

I received the following information that people may find interesting.

The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) is a collaborative partnership of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private partners, scientists, and reef stakeholders working together to identify and implement priority actions that reduce key threats to southeast Florida’s coral reef ecosystem. SEFCRI supports the protection and management of the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve (KJCAP) by combining scientific knowledge, stakeholder input, and community engagement to guide effective local action planning.
SEFCRI is now accepting applications for new team members for the 2026–2030 term through March 14, 2026.
Please note: SEFCRI Team membership is not a job position. Team members serve in a voluntary, advisory capacity.

What do SEFCRI Team Members do?
The SEFCRI Team includes agency and non-agency participants who are expected to share relevant information with their respective organizations, professional networks, or community groups and to relay updates to the Team. Members may include agency representatives, technical experts, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and local resource users.

Team members are expected to serve as an informational point of contact, attend the majority of SEFCRI Team meetings, and dedicate the necessary time to assist KJCAP staff with implementing the strategies outlined in the management plan. They are also expected to respond to the majority of SEFCRI communications and help identify potential funding mechanisms and other opportunities to support management plan implementation.

We encourage you to apply if you are a local stakeholder interested in preserving and protecting the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve.

There are 40 open positions available across the following stakeholder groups:
·         Diving (5 seats)
·         Fishing (5 seats)
·         Academic (8 seats)
·         Non-Governmental Organizations (8 seats)
·         Private Business (8 seats)
·         Other (e.g., Citizens at Large, Ports, Water Sports, Zoos & Aquariums, Local and Indigenous Communities) (6 seats)

Application Information
The attached packet includes the background information on KJCAP and the SEFCRI Team, the SEFCRI Team Charter with eligibility requirements, and the application form.

If partners or other local stakeholders would like to receive an application packet, please ask them to fill out the request form by visiting https://southeastfloridareefs.net/contact/. A KJCAP staff member will follow up with them directly.

All applications must be received no later than March 14, 2026.
For more information about the SEFCRI Team, visit www.southeastfloridareefs.net.
If you have any questions, please contact: taylor.tucker@floridadep.gov

Kind regards,

Mo Morrow
CRCP Associate Coordinator
Coral Reef Conservation Program
Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mo.Morrow@FloridaDEP.gov
Office: 786-798-4498

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President