For the past 5 years, FAU Harbor Branch and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have been collaborating to monitor corals at the northernmost coral reef in the contiguous United States - St. Lucie Reef. Just offshore of the St. Lucie Inlet and contained within the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, the reef has been exposed to seasonal estuarine discharge. Altered hydrology in the region, coupled with increased agricultural and urban land use, have changed our coastal waters for the worse. The Voss Lab and FWC have been studying the effects of discharge waters on St. Lucie Reef corals, with the goal of informing local water management. If you are interested in getting involved, check out the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative.
This latest outreach video was produced as a deliverable of Project CLOUD.