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UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 29, 2019
‘LEAVE A BIG, HUGE, STOMPING FOOTPRINT’
MUCARSEL-POWELL BACKS NOAA BLUEPRINT REVIEW
Lad Akins, chapter director for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, strives to reinforce the sanctuary’s mandate to balance use and preservation of marine resources.
Foundation formed to support sanctuary goals TIFFANY DUONG
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newly-formed foundation is setting out to support the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary by connecting people to the ecosystem and inspiring stewardship. Lad Akins, chapter director of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, recently spoke to the local Key Largo community during Florida International University’s Ocean Life Series lecture at the Murray Nelson Government Center. Akins is a longtime advocate for Florida Keys waters, serving as founding executive director of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). He’s currently the CEO of Blue Earth Conservation. He began the presentation by outlining the goals of the foundation, which formed this year. “We’re here to support the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as a nonprofit in ways they cannot do as a governmental organization,” he said. “We want to be a sounding board for the community and the sanctuary.” The foundation has four main priorities: restoration, community engagement, infrastructure, and compliance. Akins discussed realworld actions the foundation hopes to take within each category. For restoration, the foundation will support current efforts to restore the marine environment through the funding of restoration partners and research, the promotion of successful efforts, and active participation. Akins made clear that restoration doesn’t mean just corals, but rather the entire reef ecosystem. To engage the community, the foundation will run public service
announcements, media campaigns, educational talks and perhaps even a dive program to get volunteers into the sanctuary. Akins encouraged community members to become active stakeholders in the management of the sanctuary. Lisa Symons, regional response coordinator with the sanctuary, agreed. “We’re looking at the community to help us steward these resources. We need your help to watch out for a particular patch of reef, to remove invasives, and to keep an eye out,” she said. “It’s going to be a long-term project, and we can’t do this without you.” As for infrastructure improvements, Akins discussed the need for more mooring buoys, vessels, signage letting people know they’re in a sanctuary zone, and an interpretive center that would welcome visitors upon entering the Keys. A rotating buoy system and a mobile phone application were also suggested. Finally, the foundation will look to use technology, awareness and increased enforcement capacity to bolster regulatory compliance. Akins acknowledged, “Officers don’t have enough people, equipment, and fuel. We’ll be working with the sanctuary and law enforcement to find out what they need and how we can make their jobs better and more effective.” Akins concluded the talk with hope and an invitation to everyone in the room to “be a part of the solution.” “Quite often we are told we want to minimize our footprint; we don’t want to leave a mark on the environment,” he said. “And I would challenge you to leave a footprint. We want to leave a big, huge, stomping footprint so that when we are gone, people will say that we were here and that we made it better than it was.” “The coral reef ecosystem drives our economy and our local way of life,” Akins continued. And while coral reefs make up only 0.25% of the seabed, they harbor 25% of nursery life for the ecosystem.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks with Amanda Netburn and Lisa Symons from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary before addressing the Sanctuary Advisory Council members and the public. TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly
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he Florida Keys’ representative in the U.S. House is lending her support and encouragement to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s newly-released Restoration Blueprint. On Aug. 20, Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell stopped by the sanctuary’s advisory council meeting in Marathon. Murcasel-Powell said she’s “encouraged” upon her first read of the plan due to its breadth and depth of coverage. The Restoration Blueprint contains four alternatives for change with proposed updates to the sanctuary boundary, regulations and marine zones. It synthesizes lessons from more than 20 years of experience in science, management, education and local community involvement. The congresswoman implored everyone in the room to remain engaged with the review process because the focus of the plan — the marine environment in the Keys — is of the utmost importance. “We have the third-largest barrier reef in the world and the only coral reef in the contiguous United States,” she said. “But we also have seagrasses, mangroves, fisheries and so many other important marine resources.”
The congresswoman expressed her support for the goals of the blueprint and the sanctuary. “The main point we need to consider is the long-term effect on our community and our environment. The environment is the most important and pressing issue we have in Monroe County. My priority in Congress is to protect our environment,” she said. Murcasel-Powell urged everyone to attend the public hearings and to participate in the process. She concluded by offering her continued support. “Please let me know what I can do at the federal level to assist. I have sponsored several bills that provide funding to protect our coral reefs. Reach out to my office and let me know what matters to you. I want to be involved.”