September Update from Reef Check Australia!
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The latest news and updates from Reef Check Australia
Dear <<First Name>>,
September has been a busy time for the Reef Check team! We’ve been making the rounds
and sharing the Reef Check story at conferences, festivals, events and schools. We are
truly enjoying the opportunity to brag about the amazing efforts of our dedicated volunteers
to collect useful reef health data that can fill gaps in available data for improved
management decisions and greater community awareness. It’s been inspiring to see the
positive reactions from a wide range of stakeholders and great to see the Reef Check
network continue to grow. Please read on to find out more.
Best Fishes,
Jenn, Jodi and the Reef Check Australia Team
Showcasing our work at Conferences
September saw our Community Engagement Officer travelling the coast, speaking at both
the Australian Marine Turtle conference and the Coast to Coast conference. Visitors from
around Australia tuned in to see what Reef Check Australia was all about and how they
could get involved! It was great to see so many people interested in our volunteer
program and the positive results of community based research! Citizen science and
marine debris were hot topics at both conferences and it was great to see the RCA logo
pop up on a variety of presentations, as our contributions were recognised. Thanks to all
of our dedicated volunteers for their outstanding and ongoing efforts!
Students get involved!
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Reef Check Australia was lucky enough to be invited to the Brisbane Future Leaders Eco
Challenge, organised by the Reef Guardian program. One of our survey & office
volunteers, Vanessa Taveras, represented RCA with flair. Students from Cleveland
District State High School showed the visitors their schools initiatives towards
sustainability and the reef, and how they include environmental messages and
sustainability into their work. It’s great to see so many students engaged in protecting
their reefs and oceans.
Our Reef Check representative, enthusiastic Vanessa Taveras says, "It was so
enlightening to participate in the Eco-Challenge and witness what Reef Guardian schools
are doing. The student's passion for marine conservation is contagious. Such initiatives
should be widely duplicated. Preserving our coral reefs depends on exposing youth to
the beauty of our oceans and organisations such as Reef Check, which enable them to
make a difference in preserving our marine resources."
Caloundra Music
Festival
It’s the music festival of the Sunshine
Coast--thousands of people will gather by
the beach to listen to some of the world’s
Sunshine Coast
Students try RCA in
Fiji
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September Update from Reef Check Australia!
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greatest musicians. Reef Check Australia
Earlier in the year, a number of university
will be there sharing our Sunshine Coast
students from the Sunshine Coast
survey stories and doing a bit of
fundraising to support our program. As
part of a campaign to reduce the number
of plastic water bottles used, RCA will be
one of the water stations set up at the
University were trained in Reef Check
Australia survey methods on snorkel. As
part of a project for their undergraduate
degree, the students visited the Nataleria
Eco Lodge (about 1 and half hour drive
festival to refill reusable water bottles.
north of the main capital Suva), where
they carried out Reef Check surveys to
Chilled, filtered and downright delicious,
document a baseline health assessment
the eco-friendly choice to refill will be
broadcast amongst the masses, in an
effort to reduce the world’s plastic
pollution and introduce thousands to the
amazing efforts of Reef Check Australia!
on three reefs.
Festival tickets are still available online,
Danielle Silcox, was lucky enough to be
one of 13 students from University of the
Sunshine Coast to head over to Fiji for
three weeks as part of an International
Internship. She says “The village is
at www.caloundramusicfestival.com.
Stay tuned to check out RCA’s very own
reusable aluminium water bottles-available very soon!
fortunate enough to have three amazing
reefs right on their door step, which is a
huge draw card for potential tourists.
Reef Check will now be conducted every
year to monitor tourism impacts on the
reef and to help encourage sustainable
tourism.”
Snapshot of Moreton Bay
On September 16, more than 40 ocean
lovers boarded Nautilus Scuba Centre's
SUPERCAT and headed out to Flinders
Reef for a photography and education
day celebrating Moreton Bay!
Moreton Bay's subtropical reefs are a
mixing spot for tropical and temperate
Grey Nurse Shark
Watch's 100th
Volunteer
Grey Nurse Shark Watch commenced in
June 2011 and is proud to announce their
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September Update from Reef Check Australia!
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species, making it an important place to
100th volunteer joining the program! Tess
better understand and protect.
Stay tuned for next month's newsletter to
see the contest winners for our
Snapshot of Moreton Bay event!
Middleton, who came into the program
through Reef Check was similarly thrilled
to hear the news and shared a little bit of
insight about herself and her motivations
for participating.
As the Queensland Conservation Partner
and an official fringe event for the 2012
“I have always loved sharks & will spend
my life helping them in any way that I
Underwater Festival, we encourage YOU
can. In 2013 I will be going to university
to study a combined degree of Laws &
Legal Practice & Environmental Science
so I can work on legislation to help
protect sharks & marine life & to educate
to submit your photos to the Underwater
Festival for more than $100k of amazing
prizes! Get your entries in by September
30!
the public on these amazing creatures ,
Big thanks to our event supporters,
including Gambling Community Benefit
we have nothing to fear from sharks. I
joined the Grey Nurse Shark Watch
Fund and Nautilus Scuba Centre as
well as prize donations from
the Queensland Museum and
aritist Lindsay Muir. A special note of
Program as it is an incredible opportunity
to help such an amazing and
appreciation to photographers Nigel
Marsh and Gary Cranitch for donating
their time to this event.
misunderstood creature. I hope this
program can provide us with the
information needed to rebuild a
struggling species.”
The Team at Grey Nurse Shark Watch
wish Tess every success with her career
and would like to thank her and all
volunteers for their commitment to the
Grey Nurse Shark Watch program.
Upcoming
Events
She sells sea
shells on the
sea shore!
Industry
Spotlight- Dive
World
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September Update from Reef Check Australia!
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Sept 28-30 Caloundra
Music Festival
Oct 1-4 Marine
Teachers Association
QLD Conference
Oct 12-14 Reef Check
Australia Training
Oct 13 Old Woman
Island Public Meeting
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Of course we don't sell
sea shells. But, we DO
have a great range of
products such as
clothings, activity books,
reusable mugs and
photos. Anything you
buy represents a
contribution to coral reef
conservation through
Reef Check Australia.
Brisbane's Dive World
has recently launched
their new custom dive
vessel, Cwilamanzi
(African meaning ‘dive
water’). Dive World offers
a full range of scuba
diving training, diving
adventures and the latest
scuba equipment and will
now be regularly visiting
the reefs of Moreton Bay!
Browse our range here.
Coming soon: Reef
Check Team Leader
Training!
Dive World opened in
2010 and have helped
Reef Check Australia
volunteers get into the
water to clean up their
local ocean environments
through clean up events
as well as fundraising to
For more info, please
email Jenn!
support our volunteer
programs.
forward to a friend
We would love your contribution
to this eNews!
Write an article, send us a story, send us pictures of
your last dive, have your efforts featured or just send
us your opinion. If you would like to contribute, e-mail
Jenn.
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Reef Check Foundation Ltd. (Australia) ABN: 46 108 200 933
Reef Check Australia is a registered Environmental Organisation and
Australian Charity with tax deductible gift recipient status.
PO Box 13204 George St Brisbane QLD 4003 - Tel 07 3211 5560
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