HOPING TO SECURE MILLIONS FOR CORAL RESTORATION

Coral Restoration Foundation is hoping to secure $6.9 million in funding as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative. If approved, funding would contribute to an $11 million CRF project in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“This funding recommendation is a significant milestone for CRF and our mission to restore coral habitats,” said R. Scott Winters, CEO for CRF. “The most exciting aspect of this grant is the potential that it has to inject resources into local economies, with our proposed activities focusing on directly supporting the communities that depend on these reefs.”

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate-Ready Coasts initiative aims to develop climate solutions, strengthen resilience to coastal hazards, rehabilitate coastal habitats, assist underserved communities, and create employment opportunities.

If approved, CRF will allocate $4.1 million for work in Florida as part of Mission: Iconic Reefs, concentrating on reintroducing over 70,000 colonies of endangered coral species across Mission Iconic Reef sites. The work would enhance genetic diversity in the wild, and bolster in-situ coral nursery infrastructure. For context, as of April 2023, CRF has already returned more than 220,000 corals to the reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, restoring more than 34,000 square meters of this threatened habitat.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the remainder of the funding would support locationspecific restoration plans, in collaboration with local partners, working to realize territory-wide restoration goals including the regional genotyping of Acropora palmata. All the proposed restoration work under this grant would bring significant socio-economic benefits to local communities, injecting resources into three local economies through activities such as strategic hiring, asset procurement and recreational charters.

— Contributed

Solo swimmers, relay teams and even “mermaids” can embark on a one-of-akind in-water adventure on Saturday, June 17: a 12.5-mile open-water swimming race in both Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean waters, on a course that circles the entire island of Key West.

Entrants in the annual College of the Florida Keys’ Swim Around Key West can register as solo competitors or in relay teams of two to six swimmers with or without fins. The race also is open to swimmers with monofins or mermaid tails.

Participants will vie for awards in age categories ranging from 12 and under to 70 and over.

Sanctioned by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the 2023 swim will feature a 7 a.m. final check-in and 8 a.m. start Saturday at Higgs Beach, located at 1000 Atlantic Blvd. on the Atlantic Ocean.

All solo swimmers and teams must also check in and pick up race packets between 1 and 7 p.m. Friday, June 16, at the College of the Florida Keys pool on campus at 5901 College Road.

The 12.5-mile clockwise route around Key West takes participants past island landmarks including Mallory Square, the Southernmost Point marker and Fort Zachary

Taylor Historic State Park. Competitors will end where they began, at Higgs Beach.

Each swimmer or team must provide a support crew and kayak or boat to accompany them around the island. Lifeguards and kayaks will be positioned throughout the course for the safety of participants.

Swimmers who prefer a shorter challenge can participate in 800-yard, 1-mile, 2-mile and 6.2-mile (10k) competitions in the Atlantic waters off Higgs Beach. Following courses marked with poles or buoys, the shorter races will start at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

All participants must register by June 16. The entry fee for the 12.5mile race is $160 per solo swimmer and $240 to $600 per relay team depending on the number of team members. Participants with a monofin or mermaid tail pay $140 per person. Entry fee for the 6.2-mile race is $80 per person and each shorter race is $40 per person. Discounts on solo swimmers’ fees are available for United States Masters Swimming and USA Swimming members.

More information is at swimaroundkeywest.org or 305-809-3562.