What is ReefQuest?

REEFQUEST HAS MOVED. PLEASE JOIN US AT www.ReefQuest.org !

Hi. My name is Dylan and I want to share with you a cool new idea called, ReefQuest. I got interested in coral reefs while exploring a reef in Hawaii while on vacation. Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the sea, because of to the large number of species they harbor, also know as biodiversity. Covering less than one percent of the ocean floor, reefs support an estimated twenty-five percent of all marine life, with over 4,000 species of fish alone. However I was saddened to find out that reefs are dying all over the world at a very high rate. I started ReefQuest to tell the story of "our reef" to kids all over the world. I want your help in studying and preserving as best as we can "our reef" in Hawaii. But more importantly, I hope kids all over the world can unite to adopt and protect their own marine habitats. Whether you live by an ocean, a lake or a river you can join us to tell us about what’s going on with your marine habitat, whether it is a reef or some other environment. And together, we can figure out ways to protect and take care of these fragile but important habitats. We’ve brought together in this web site hundreds of interesting activities, information articles and links for you to use in joining our effort. Our video feeds will give you the opportunity to see the work we are doing on "our" reef in Hawaii. We also want to see and read about your work as well. Check out the posts on this site and add your own as comments. Please join us in this important effort to adopt all endangered marine habitats.

Mahalo

Dylan Vecchione, (Age 10) and lead creator of ReefQuest

Feed from our Reef Camera

Environmental Research News

ReefBase Updates

Tell the ReefQuest Team what you would like them to do next?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Clean Up Time!

Today we begun the process of cleaning up our reef. Of course we are talking about underwater clean-up. This is something you should do carefully or the risk could be high that we could damage the reef. Here is a link to the safe practices of cleaning up underwater habitats. These rules apply for coral reefs, but are probably good practice for any other environment. Here is a challenge for everyone. If you are near the ocean, on the beach or in the water, pick up any trash you find and put it away. Then tell us what and how much trash you collected. Let's try to tally how much trash we removed all together! A word of caution however: do not venture in the water without an adult and unless you are properly equipped and know how to swim. Do not pick up trash that you are not sure is safe, always ask an adult for help and let them know what you are doing. Even better enlist their help!

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