Message #87
1) This important announcement just in:
FROM: Florida Department of Environmental Protection
TO: 1999-2000 artificial reef grant applicants and other interested
parties
SUBJECT: Artificial Reef Development Funding request not included in DEP
budget package for 1999 legislative session
I received word today that the Department did not include artificial reef
development funds in its legislative budget package. The Division of
Marine Resources attempted to submit a legislative budget amendment to
include this funding but for the moment this amendment is not being
considered. Since this affects funding available for your grant
application, if you are interested in insuring the availability of reef
development/monitoring funds for projects for this coming 1999-2000 fiscal
year, I suggest you contact your local legislator and the legislative
budget committees as well as Donna Arduin, Director, Governor's Office of
Planning and Budgeting, Room 1602, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32399
No additional information is available to me at this time.
Jon Dodrill, Environmental Administrator
Office of Fisheries Management and Assistance Services
Artificial Reef Program
Ph 850/922-4340.
2) Molds have been shipped for the project in Belize. A Reef Ball Training
Team will be in Belize for 10 days starting Feb. 12. The San Pedro Tourist
Guide Association is sponsoring the project.
3) We are working to schedule a side trip to the Cancun/Cozumel area on
the back end of the Belize trip for monitoring of 3 year old structures
that have been hit by several strong storms and hurricanes and to meet
with a possible Cancun distributor. Please contact us at
reefball@america.net if you are in that area and would like to meet with
us.
4) Reef Ball representatives will be at the Miami Boat Show (for one day
only) on Feb. 11 for meetings with several companies. Please contact the
office at reefball@america.net if you would like to meet with them.
5) The Reef Ball Foundation is expecting a grant application for a Lo-Pro
Mold for a yellow perch research project in Michigan.
6) This just in from OMAN (Nic Heymans):
"Got some more pictures of first three pallet balls deployed in June last
year and I am working simple photographic record of the growth pattern.
The results are quite remarkable. The latest photographs are really good."
7) and from Salt Lake City:
When we saw you at DEMA, you said you had a program for people to pay
shipping for the molds to build some reefballs-and Bonneville Seabase
(<www.seabase.net>) is in real need for some habitats...and exactly
what do we need to make a batch of ten or so balls?
8) Jules Unlimited, the popular science program of the VARA, a public
broadcasting company in the Netherlands, is currently doing research for
the new series. One of the subjects they would like to investigate for
possible filming is the making, using and the results of reef balls....
During the past nine years, Jules Unlimited has built up a regular
audience of some 1 million viewers. The programme is rated highly and in
1997 was awarded the Dutch Academy Award for the Best Informative
Programme.
9) A new reef for the SE Florida area is in the planning stages. More to
come...
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