Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Welcome to our August update. Our teams have once again been busy, but we still have some past events to share with you. We would like to say a BIG welcome to our new subscribers from our most recent events and our Ambassador trainees who commenced their training last week. Hopefully you will get to meet some of these people at our upcoming events. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Create a new habit! News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Create a new habit! Creating a new habit or ditching an old one is hard.  Whether it's exercising more, eating healthier, or practicing self-care, creating a new habit can be challenging. But with the right approach and mindset, it's possible to develop new habits that stick. Well. The time is now, and we are here to help. So this months Action of the Month is to create a new habit (and lets make it a good one!) There are 4 laws to creating habits - Make them obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. Start small. Instead of trying to make a big change all at once, focus on taking small, consistent steps. Want to read more books? Leave the book where you have to physically pick it up. Set a goal of just opening the book, make it a book you want to read, and maybe read it in your comfy chair, in the sun, or at the beach, so all 4 laws are met. Remember to make it enjoyable. Find ways to make your new habit fun or rewarding. If you enjoy your new habit, you'll be more likely to stick to it. Accountability is also important when it comes to building a new habit. Having someone to support you and hold you accountable can make a big difference in sticking to your new habit. Another really important tool for creating great habits is to track them!  There are plenty of habit trackers out there; paper and app versions. Tracking helps make your habits obvious, increases self-esteem around ability to change/grow and can also increase motivation by gamifying it. Remember to be patient with yourself. Building a new habit takes time and effort, and setbacks are a natural part of the process. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up or miss a day, simply recommit to your habit and keep moving forward. With dedication and perseverance, you can develop new habits that bring positive changes to your life. So, What habit will you focus on building this August? News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Peel Island Underwater Clean Up With blue skies and clear water, the Reef Check Australia team was out again, on and under the water cleaning up our local Moreton Bay marine environments, this time at Peel Island North. Peel Island is a small, heritage-listed island and national park located in Moreton Bay, just 4km from the mainland at Cleveland. The island is known for its natural beauty and wildlife enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and is accessed only by boat or watercraft.  The island has an interesting history. To read all about it, check out some of our previous posts. The island is a popular fishing area. Unlike Horseshoe Bay, the north of the Island is not as protected from the elements, meaning less tourist boats. There is however heavy use by recreational fishermen. For this reason, this site was selected as it has been previously identified as a hot spot for marine debris. Surprisingly, much less debris was recorded at this location. Approximately 2 kilograms of debris was removed from a 400m2 area, including 3 glass bottles, approximately 20 meters of fishing line, and some pieces of broken glass. This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of marine debris in the area due to boating and fishing. Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. Burleigh Heads Beach Clean Up The last day of school holidays and the weather was perfect, so the Reef Check Australia team took the opportunity to clean up the popular Burleigh Heads as a part of an ongoing effort to document debris loads along the length of the Queensland coastline. Burleigh is popular with tourists and locals alike, as evidenced by the huge amount of people enjoying the sun surf and sand bright an early on a Sunday morning. Unfortunately, many also choose to leave their waste behind. Over 1000 pieces of debris was removed in a couple of hours. 473 of these items were plastic, single use balloons. Polystyrene chunks were also found, as well as a variety of both paper and plastic straws and cutlery, 147 cigarette butts, plastics, clothing, and even some toothpaste, sunscreen and a pool noodle. This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of debris in the area due to land based activities. Approximately 8.9 kilograms of debris was removed from a 500m stretch of beach, covering 8000 square meters. Despite the number of accessible bins in the area, the sand dunes, trees and shrubs were filled with a variety of debris items. It doesn’t take much to make a difference. If you see debris, pick it up. Every bit counts. Together we can stop this rubbish from entering our oceans and waterways. Reef Check Acknowledge the Yugambeh people of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. Gold Coast Seaway - Reef Health Surveys Braving the crowds that can always be found utilising this popular Gold Coast area, our team of trained volunteer divers headed to the Gold Coast Seaway to undertake our annual survey at the South-west Wall. This site was established in 2007 after initially conducting a clean-up dive and discovering the diversity of organisms and substrates at this site, and the potential for change over time. This site is located within the broadwater and is a very popular spot for fishing, boating, diving, snorkelling and swimming, with a sandy beach and sets of steps making access to the water easy. Visibility was excellent with the substrate dominated by rock with turf algae reaching a sandy base. Despite the unassuming appearance of the substrate, the site hosts a variety of marine organisms including tunicates, hydroids and nudibranchs. Our team recorded a number of target organisms including butterflyfish, moray eels and snapper, several collector urchins, lobsters, banded coral shrimp and anemones. Thank you to Aqua Adventures for hiring us tanks, and to all our amazing volunteers who gave up their public holiday to help out. It is much appreciated as always. Reef Check Acknowledge the people of the Yugambeh language region of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from The City of Gold Coasts Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program. Mudjimba Island - The Ledge survey The sun was out and the water was looking crystal clear, so with a full team and plenty to do, our Reef Check Australia volunteers headed out to one of their favourite locations in the whole of South East Queensland; Mudjimba Island. Site 1 at Mudjimba Ledge was set up as a long term monitoring site in 2007, and sits at just 4-5m of water, along the top of the reef. The site is dominated by encrusting hard coral, soft coral, anemones, plenty of corallimorphs and zooanthids and benthic invertebrates. The visibility was fantastic, with the team able to identify corals from the surface, at over 10m deep. The site was teeming with fish (as usual) and turtles resting and making their way along our transect. Moray eels, nudibranchs and sea stars were spotted between lobsters and wobbegongs. This site is truly one of the most species dense areas along the length of South East Queensland. Soft corals, encrusting hard corals and a variety of sponges, ascidians and algaes made up the substrate, along with rock with turf algae and calcareous algae which acts like a cement to hold the reef together. Drupella snails (a coral eating snail) were found on every transect, often in small patches of high number. Coral disease was recorded. Bleaching was also observed on all transects, with up to 10% of the population being bleached. Butterflyfish, snapper, turtles and wobbegongs were all recorded on transect. The water temperature had dropped a couple of degrees in just over a day, illustrating that cold weather is starting to come in. Time to make sure you get some clear water diving in whilst you can! Thank you to Blue Tortuga Adventures for getting us to site. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant. Nurture Festival - Lake Kawana What a beautiful excuse to get out and about, enjoy the sunshine and meet so many new people! The Reef Check Australia team set up a gorgeous, captivating stall at the Nurture Festival at Lake Kawana in May this year. This annual family friendly event provides a safe space for young people and their families to have important conversations about mental health and wellbeing. As visitors meandered through the festival grounds, enjoying the live music and inspirational speakers they were drawn to our vibrant stall and the passionate volunteers of Reef Check Australia. The stall was adorned with informative posters, a green screen and knowledgeable volunteers who enthusiastically shared insights on the current state of Australia's reefs, the threats they face, and the collaborative efforts underway to protect these delicate ecosystems. The green screen provided the opportunity for some fun, with one background image proving the most popular. Attendees left the stall inspired and empowered, armed with a deeper understanding of the urgent need to safeguard Australia's reefs for future generations. The Reef Check Australia stall was a focal point of the Nurture Festival, showcasing the organisation's commitment to preserving and nurturing the mesmerizing underwater worlds that grace the Australian coastline. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Our attendance at this festival is made possible by funding support from the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environment Levy Partnership Grant. Great Barrier Reef Fitzroy Island Land and Underwater Clean Up The strong wind warnings cancelled one of our trips to Fitzroy earlier in the month, so as soon as the weather turned favourable, a tiny but mighty team of three headed to site in mid-May as part of our collaboration with Tangaroa Blue's ReefClean project. Great Barrier Reef team leaders Jenni and Aimee were joined by reef health surveyor in training; Bec, for an underwater clean-up, as well as a beach clean-up on the beautiful Fitzroy Island, off Cairns. The team started off the day with a morning walk across Welcome Bay collecting rubbish from the beach and talking with visitors about marine debris, data collection and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative. After collating and recording their findings, the dive team jumped in the water with scuba cylinders supplied by our friends at Reef Restoration Foundation and Fitzroy Island resort and conducted an underwater clean-up focusing on the areas under the public boat moorings. Glass bottles, aluminium cans, fishing line and a pair of underwear were found around this well utilised area. The location was chosen due to its high use, and identification as a marine debris hot spot during previous visits to the island. The ReefClean project is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and a number of partner organisations including Reef Check Australia Reef Check Australia acknowledge the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people of Fitzroy Island (also known as Koba or Gabar) as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Nelly Bay Underwater and Land Clean up Co-Exist Australia joined forces with Reef Check Australia to undertake a marine debris event at Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island in late May. A team of 20 volunteers partook in collecting marine debris along the 1500m stretch of beach, as well as in water with both divers and snorkellers cleaning up the local reefs. During our event we came across some locals who walk this beach daily, and are regularly picking up debris. Despite this amazing commitment from locals , we still collected a total of 406 items, and not surprisingly half of this was hard plastic pieces (214 pieces). Other items collected included plastic cups from the nearby accommodation, cigarette butts (26), a lighter and a vape, and 11 clothing items. Underwater, our divers and snorkellers collected 25 items, consisting of remnants of soft plastics, hard plastics, glass, aluminium cans and paper. In addition to this, we also collected an additional 420 pieces of hard plastic from the degrading tactile strips at the bus stop adjacent to the beach which were breaking apart and spreading plastic into the surrounding scrubland. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Wulgurukaba people. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Our Townsville event A small team held a stall at the Our Townsville event in early June, an annual event with a huge range of local exhibitors. Being such a diverse community event, we had people from all ages and backgrounds (environmental or not) visiting our stall. The majority of people we spoke to at our stall had never heard of Reef Check Australia, so it was a great opportunity to inform locals who we are and the work we do in the area to protect our local reefs. Many expressed their interest in becoming involved with Reef Check, with people signing up for our eNewsletter and to express their interest in becoming an ambassador, surveyor, or to participate in local clean ups. We hope to see some of these new faces at our next event! We also acknowledge the Bindal and Wulgurukaba People, the traditional custodians of the land on which this event took place, and their elders past, present and emerging. Thankyou to Townsville City Council for organising this event. Our attendance at this event was made possible by funding support from Townsville City Council through the Creek to Coral program.     Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. If I had an Octopus by Gabby Dawnay. A great bedtime story for the little ones. Many Things Under a Rock - The Mysteries of Octopuses by David Scheel. Written by a marine biologist with a lifelong preoccupation with octopuses. Only out this month and looks amazing, let us know if you read this one and give us a review. Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Studying Marine Life with Seaweed-Based Soft Robots Biodegradable, edible, bendible soft robots? Yes it is a thing! Read in: Innovation Hub Fossil records hold clues about modern-day marine ecology Read in: Popular Science Marine Sponges don't like it too hot either! Sponges are turning white and dying when the water gets too hot, but why? Read now: AIMS information centre Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  8 August | Coast to Corals - Movement and Diet of Tiger Sharks with PJ Ikpe. Register now: Reef Check Calendar 12 August | Whale Festival, Justin Park, Burleigh Heads. Free event. Visit their website for more details. 29 Sept - 1 Oct | Caloundra Music Festival - tickets available now: https://caloundramusicfestival.com/ If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Can you believe it is already half way through winter and 2023? Our SEQ teams have been busy doing clean-ups (both above and below the water) and undertaking reef health surveys, whilst our GBR teams have been busy hosting stalls whilst we wait for our next round of surveys to begin. We would also like to say a BIG welcome to our new subscribers and stay tuned for our next Reef Ambassador and Reef Health Surveyor Training Courses. We hope to finalise dates for these shortly. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Plastic Free July News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Plastic Free July. Lets chat about Plastic Free July! If you haven't heard of this campaign before, it's a movement that started in Australia in 2011 and has grown into a global initiative to raise awareness about plastic pollution and encourage people to reduce their plastic usage. The idea behind Plastic Free July is to challenge individuals to make small changes in their daily habits to reduce their plastic consumption. For example, instead of using single-use plastic items like straws, plastic bags, and water bottles, participants are encouraged to use reusable alternatives. Reducing plastic consumption can be super overwhelming at first, but its all about starting small. Start using a reusable water bottle. Say no to single use coffee cups and either sit down, or BYO keep cup. Carry a reusable shopping bag, and choose naked products. These choices are not hard. they are all there for us to make. It's about making conscious choices that moves away from plastic convenience, and actively choosing to steer clear of single use plastic. So our Action of the Month for July is this; Try Plastic Free July for yourself. Start with 1 day and see how you go. Nailed it? Go for another. Each of these actions is a ripple, and together, ripples create waves. And remember to share your wins and fails. Lets share our experience, and hot tips. The impact of Plastic Free July may seem small at first, but it can have a significant impact when we all participate. By making conscious choices to reduce our plastic consumption, we can help protect our environment and preserve our planet for future generations. Ready to check it out? Head to https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ to sign up, to find out more and to be inspired! And if you need a reusable cup, bag or beeswax wrap.. head on over to the Reef Check Australia page and get ready for the month in style! http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/seastore News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Caloundra Outrigger Club Underwater Clean Up During summer the Reef Check Australia team took the opportunity to clean up one of our in water clean up locations in Caloundra; the Outrigger. This site has been previously identified as a marine debris hotspot due to its location along the river and the small rocky groin or pier capturing much debris as the tides moved back and forth. The site is also a popular fishing location, resulting in fishing debris often being found throughout the site. This site sits south of our Bulcock Beach clean up location, also inside the Caloundra bar. The area has changed significantly over the last few months, due to the breakthrough occurring on Bribie Island.  We knew it would be an interesting spot to go back to visit after all these changes, so the team was excited to go and check it out. The site has changed substantially since we last visited. Due to the ongoing rain and wind, we have had of late, the visibility was less than previously seen at the site, with the area covered in a layer of silt, making it important to keep an eye on the estuary floor in case of stonefish and the like.  Several fish, prawns and even an eel was spotted amongst the fishing tackle and lures underwater.  A broken and discarded crab pot was removed (it had no identifying markers, no name and no number as required) and several cans, bottles and shards of glass were found from below the water. Above the water we had four more people join in, showing that beach clean ups can be a great family-based activity if done safely. Cigarette butts, bottle caps, fishing debris and light weight plastic made up the majority of our findings. A total of 8kg from below the water and an additional 2kg of lightweight items (totalling more than 450 individual items) were removed from this well utilised area in just over an hour of cleaning up. Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. Green Island -  Summer Reef Health Survey Moreton Bay put on a mighty fine show this April, with gorgeous sunny days, calm waters and beautiful clarity! With temperatures dropping above and below the surface, the Reef Check Australia team headed out to conduct a summer reef health survey at Green Island West to document any changes to the reef in the area since last we visited. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Green Island (Danggar) Island since 2017, as part of a partnership with Port of Brisbane to monitor the effects of activities in the Bay. These locations are monitored twice a year (summer and winter) to detect any seasonal changes. Green Island; a low flat wooded coral cay 2km in length and 1km wide is located 5km from Wynnum Esplanade, and has quite the fascinating history. For a detailed history, see our previous posts on the island, or check out this link for some fascinating info: https://thecommunityleader.com.au/community-news/local-history/green-islands-fascinating-history/ Reef Check Australia has two long term monitoring sites around the island.  This site; West is towards the West of the island (fancy that!) and has coral bommies interspersed throughout the area. The site was beautifully clear for this time of year, with up to 6m of visibility. There was a high layer of silt covering much of the substrate. A nutrient Indicator Algae called Lobophora was found covering large portions of the area, with several bleached hard corals recorded; similar to Green Island North. A single butterfly fish was recorded at this site. Overall the site continues to surprise us with a diverse array of corals and other substrates found here, and we highly recommend checking the site out for yourselves! We look forward to heading out again in a few months to continue monitoring any changes that might occur as a part of this long term monitoring program. Thankyou to Go Dive Brisbane for getting us to our reef health monitoring site. We appreciate that many of the sites we visit are not regularly on the tourist circuit, although we believe they should be! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program.     Inner Gneerings - Reef Health Surveys With wind forecast to hit later in the afternoon, the Reef Check Australia team headed out to the Inner Gneerings first thing in the morning to survey our sites at The Caves. The Inner Gneerings reef is located offshore from Mooloolaba and is a popular diving and fishing location, with depths ranging from 10m to 25m.  Reef Check Australia has been monitoring site 1 for reef health since 2009. The site can be heavily impacted by Asparagopsis algae during the warmer months, however lower levels than usual were observed on this trip, much to the delight of our surveyors. The site consists of rock with turf algae and scattered hard corals, predominantly the encrusting growth forms, and soft corals. Whilst we observed coral bleaching on all transects, at only 1% of the population, levels were low. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Site 2 for reef health since 2013. This site is located in proximity to Site 1 but was set up to gain a greater understanding of the health of this highly utilised reef area. Similar to Site 1, the site consists of rock with turf algae and scattered hard corals, predominantly the encrusting type, soft corals and encrusting sponges. Whilst we observed coral bleaching on three transects, at only 1% of the population, levels were low. We also observed low levels of coral damage, disease and scars. Plenty of Asparagopsis, a seasonal macro algae was also found at this site. Thank you to @‌bluetortugua Adventures for getting us to site and to all our volunteers. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant.       Peel Island - Beach Clean Up Another gorgeous winter day in Moreton Bay, allowing he Reef Check Australia team to take full advantage of it, and head to Peel Island for a beach clean up. The island is popular with locals and visitors alike, with the island often utilised as a beach stop, as evidenced by many items of food debris found strewn around the area. This site was selected as it has been previously identified as a marine debris hot spot, and most likely to accumulate debris due to the bays shape. This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of marine debris in the area due to boating and fishing. Approximately 10 kilograms of debris was removed from a 7000m2 area, with hard plastic, soft plastic, plastic bottle lids, aluminium foil and polystyrene being the most common items found. Single use cutlery and balloon string were found amongst lures, fishing line, toothbrushes, old clothing items, a fishing net and construction debris. Construction debris is regularly found at many of our clean up locations along the length of South East Queensland, with much appearing to come from up river. Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.       Great Barrier Reef Eco Fiesta Cairns Overnight rain didn’t dampen the spirits at the Cairns Eco Fiesta on Sunday 4 June 2023, with huge crowds coming out to visit the myriad of stalls with exhibitors covering everything from the Reef to the Rainforest. A fantastic range of food and beverage options kept the crowd nourished as they enjoyed the live entertainment and workshops. Our team were kept very busy with a constant flow of families, young people and the not so young quizzing our volunteers on the health of the reef, who Reef Check Australia are, and what we do. A small reef survey display gave a visual representation of how we do what we do and provided a great chance to quiz our younger visitors on which items should not be there on the “reef”, with the majority correctly identifying the items we look out for. Our team used this opportunity to explain the dangers of plastic in the environment and how easy it was for them to help simply by collecting rubbish when they see it on the beach. Strong interest was garnered for our next ambassador and survey diver training courses, whilst many people expressed an interest in helping out at future clean-up events. We certainly hope to see these people again! Our attendance at this event was made possible by support from Cairns Regional Council’s Community Sustainability Grant.   \    Low Isles Underwater Clean up What better way to spend National Volunteer Week than diving the Great Barrier Reef to collect marine debris and data! In mid May, a team from Townsville and Cairns travelled to Port Douglas to head out to Low Isles for our annual underwater clean up as part of the Tangaroa Blue ReefClean project. Although local tourism operators visit this location daily taking many tourists to visit this part of the Great Barrier Reef, we were pleased to find minimal debris at this location. Divers found 14 pieces of debris in total, and these were all found within close proximity to the public moorings. The most common finds were glass items, including beer bottles, jars, and an unopened bottle of wine! Divers also found a reef anchor, which has been passed on to be reused. We would like to say a massive thank you to Wavedancer Low Isles for the ongoing support to our charity! Thank you giving us spots on your vessel to reach this location, supplying scuba tanks and to all of your amazing crew for all of their assistance and generosity throughout the day! The ReefClean project is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and a number of partner organisations including Reef Check Australia. Reef Check Acknowledge the KuKu Yalanji and Yiragandi people of the Low Isles as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Weird and Wonderful World of Marine Worms: Tropical Indo-Pacific by Andrey Ryansky. One of a number of amazing ID books by Andrey Ryansky, available in pdf, hardcover and paperback.   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean 'Catastrophic': Decade of loss on Australian reefs paints grim picture in new study. Work must ramp up to protect what is uniquely Australian Read in: 7 News Credit: Alison Godfrey/AAP Striped Pyjama Squid is never going back to the office Read in: Australian Geographic Striped pyjama squid (Sepioloidea lineolata). Image credit: Alexius Sutandio/shutterstock Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  11 July | Coast to Corals - TBA - due to the Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual conference being held in the first week of July, we have postponed this months talk - stay tuned for details. 12 August | Whale Festival, Justin Park, Burleigh Heads. Free event. Visit their website for more details. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Winter is fast approaching and water temperatures are dropping.  Our teams have been busy doing surveys, clean ups and attending events with lots more coming up in the very near future. Check out "Get with the Program" below to see where we are going to be in the next month or so. We have also done so many activities in the last few months that we can't fit them all in each newsletter so are including a few past events in here. This months email includes: Action of the Month: A chance to give back. News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program A chance to give back! National Volunteer week in May (15-21) celebrated the hundreds of thousands of volunteers donating millions of dollars’ worth of in-kind support to their favourite charities. For not-for-profit organisations the world over, volunteers make up an invaluable part of the workforce enabling groups to truly make stuff happen. Volunteers are the backbone of not-for-profits. Groups like Reef Check Australia depend on the passion and dedication of volunteers to help get stuff done. There is always so much to do, and limited time to do it all in, which is why volunteers are absolutely so vital! We know that volunteering allows people to connect with each other and causes you care about, which can be incredibly fulfilling both professionally and personally. It allows you the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and make a positive impact on the environment and community around you. So for June, our Action of the Month is to think about how a local charity, or not-for-profit or community group or even a family or friend group has supported you to learn a new skill, to get back on your feet, to connect with new friends, to increase your social network, or get you out in nature. And when you think about these groups/friends/family; how can you offer support in return? The last couple of years have been tricky for everyone, and a lot of not-for-profit groups have seen a decrease in volunteer rates due to increased busy-ness, and changes in life. Maybe you are an active volunteer, or maybe you were (AKA; a sleeper agent waiting to be reactivated). Maybe life has gotten in the way of late (hey, we aren’t judging, it's happened to us all!) and volunteering isn’t a priority any more. OR  MAYBE you are looking for a gentle nudge to say hey.. we see you. We appreciate you and we need you. Well. If so.. this is the sign you have been looking for. Junes Action of the Month is to think of a way that you can support those around you. It might be friends or family, or it might be a local charity. It might even be us (wink wink).  We are always looking for new ways to get more people involved, to get people in the water, and helping clean up our coastlines. Or maybe time is still a little scarce at the moment, but you have money you would like to put to a good cause (all donations are tax deductible!) If you think you can help with time, or money; please, get in touch. News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Gold Coast Volunteering Collective On 9th March, Reef Check Australia attended the Gold Coast Volunteering Collective at the Broadbeach Cultural Centre. This was a fantastic event for volunteering organisations to collaborate, discuss issues, share information and to learn from each other. Local community groups and organizations working with volunteers came together and collaborated, discussed current volunteer sector pressures, generated awesome ideas and ate yummy morning tea! The interactive morning included: An update and discussion on the Gold Coasts Volunteering program of works; A panel presentation led by local oganisations The Benevolent Society (Philomena Baumann), Radio Lollipop (Mathew MacDonald) and Volunteering Gold Coast (Brad Cooper) who shared key learnings form the 2023 National Volunteering Conference; and A facilitated workshop and group discussion, that identified the priorities for the sector and future collective actions. The morning was a fun filled event where Reef Check Australia came away with some new collaborative partnerships and lots of new inspiring ideas – watch this space for some exciting future Gold Coast Reef Check projects! Thankyou to City of Gold Coast for the opportunity, and to Toni Massey, long term volunteer for attending the event, and for sharing her experience.   Beach Clean Up - Main Beach, Gold Coast A group of Reef Check Australia volunteers took advantage of the beautiful weather to complete a beach clean up at Main Beach, Gold Coast. The team visited a beautiful stretch of beach between Surfer’s Paradise and the Spit on Tuesday 18th April. Given that this region is in close proximity to a developed shoreline, packed with restaurants, pubs, shops and apartment buildings, it is prone to littering and industrial waste disposal. A total of 1.5 kg consisting of over 50 items of litter was removed from a relatively short stretch of coastline. Most items were in relatively good condition which indicates they were disposed of quite recently and were likely to have been disposed of by residents and tourists in the area. In particular, there were a large number of takeaway cups and paper straws collected, likely from nearby cafes and shops. Overall, the most common items on the clean-up were takeaway containers, straws and plastic wrappers. Hard plastics, glass bottles, cans, shorts, shoes and baby wipes were just some of the items that were also removed from the beach. These items are commonly found amongst marine debris clean-ups Australia wide, as they are used on a daily basis and easily transported across oceans by rain, swell, wind & currents. It was encouraging to note that very few small/micro pieces of plastic were observed. Remember, every little bit counts. If you see rubbish on the beach, pick it up and dispose of it in the correct bins. Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference! Reef Check Acknowledge the Yugambeh people of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from The City of Gold Coasts Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program.   Gold Coast Seaway - Underwater Clean Up What better way to celebrate Easter than with an underwater clean up! Well, that’s what this team of clean up divers thought , and with the gorgeous weather and clear waters after a long weekend of the Gold Coast Seaway south West Wall being used heavily for the easter holidays, it was the perfect time to check out how this interesting and heavily impacted site was holding up. A team of five including two surface watch and three trained volunteer divers completed an underwater clean up along approximately 120m of rocky scree, sand and seagrass to cover 1200m2 of area in approximately 90 minutes. This area has been monitored and cleaned up regularly by a variety of different dive groups over the years, and by Reef Check Australia since 2007, as funds allow. This site, despite being so heavily used, is often home to a wide variety of animals including large numbers of fish, urchins, nudibranchs and even seahorses. We found plenty of collector sea urchins; many holding onto some of the lightweight plastic items we were targeting, as well as a few nudibranchs and lots of fish. 119 pieces of fishing line averaging 3m in length (that’s more than 350m of fishing line!), plus lures and sinkers etc were removed amongst pieces of lightweight plastic from the remains of plastic shopping bags. Remember, every little bit counts. Pick up rubbish when you see it, and please dispose of fishing line and debris safely in the bins provided. Thankyou to the volunteers who helped out! We cannot do this without you. Reef Check Acknowledge the Yugambeh people of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.    Gold Coast Seaway - Survey Dive Braving the crowds that can always be found utilising this popular Gold Coast area, our team of trained volunteer divers headed to the Gold Coast Seaway to undertake our annual surveys. The site at the pipe was established in 2015 after initially conducting a clean-up dive and discovering the diversity of organisms and substrates at this site, and the potential for change over time. The site was established to better document the impacts this heavily utilised site faces from anthropogenic activities, in particular fishing. This site is located within the broadwater and is a very popular spot for fishing, boating, diving, snorkelling and swimming, with a set of steps making access to the water easy. Our survey site at the pipe runs parallel to the rock wall, as opposed to the more popular dive option of heading across the channel under the pipe.  Visibility was excellent with the substrate dominated by rock with turf algae reaching a sandy base. Despite the unassuming appearance of the substrate, the site hosts a variety of marine organisms including tunicates, hydroids, sponges, nudibranchs and a variety of fish, including lionfish and stonefish. Our team recorded a small number of soft corals, and a number of target fish including butterflyfish, grouper, moray eels, snapper, and sweetlips. Invertebrates recorded include collector urchins, lobster, and banded coral shrimp. A stingray was also spotted passing the transect line on more than one occasion. Thank you to Aqua Adventures for hiring us tanks, and to all our amazing volunteers who gave up their public holiday to help out. Your assistance is much appreciated as always. Reef Check Acknowledge the people of the Yugambeh language region of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from The City of Gold Coasts Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program. Sunshine Coast - Mudjimba Island - Survey Dives With winds forecast to be favourable, the Reef Check Australia team was excited to jump in at Mudjimba Island and check out the deepest site on the southern side of the island and North-west Reef on the opposite side of the island. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Mudjimba for reef health since 2013. The southern site sits at around 9m and is located on the reef slope dominated by encrusting hard coral, soft coral, anemones and other benthic invertebrates. The north-west reef hosts a variety of organisms but is not as heavily utilised as the south side. Visibility was great, always a welcome surprise!  On the southern side, salps were found throughout the water column, and all over the boat before we diligently released each and every one back to the ocean. The substrate consists of rock with turf algae and scattered hard and soft corals, along with calcareous algae which acts like a cement to hold the reef together. We observed coral bleaching on all transects, but at only 1% of the population, levels were low. We recorded a few butterflyfish and a wobbegong shark, with a Triton shell observed off transect. These molluscs are a known predator of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish so it is always great to see them protecting our reefs. On north-west reef, we observed some coral bleaching on the first two transects, but at only 2% of the population, levels were low. Our team were excited to find several large spider conch shells and a variety of sea stars and nudibranchs. Thank you to Blue Tortugua Adventures for getting us to site and a big thank you to our surveyor Lucy Wells for getting back into it and to one of our GBR Team Leaders, Jenni Calcraft for helping out even though she was on holidays. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant. Moreton Bay - Peel Island Underwater Clean Up The weather put on a show for the team in early April, allowing them to access Peel Island for an underwater clean up. Peel Island is a small, heritage-listed island and national park located in Moreton Bay, just 4km from the mainland at Cleveland. The island is known for its natural beauty and wildlife enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and is accessed only by boat or watercraft.  The island has an interesting history. To read all about it, check out some of our previous posts. The island is a popular fishing and area, with tens of boats often anchored in Horseshoe Bay due to the area offering protection from many winds, and a safe spot to swim.  This site was selected as it has been previously identified as a hot spot. Sitting close to Platypus wreck, and close to a beach entry point, this area is commonly used. Due to the large number of people visiting the area, it is often littered with fishing debris as well as additional recreational items. This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of marine debris in the area due to boating and fishing. Approximately 10 kilograms of debris was removed from a 400m2 area, including 6 glass bottles, approximately 35meters of fishing line, several lures and sinkers, pieces of broken glass, metal shards and a long rope. A large metal structure was located; which looked to be a piece of a boat, however this was left in place due to the amount of coral growth on the structure. With larger amounts of the reef suffering large impacts due to the floods and recent storms, we want to ensure live coral remains that way. Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.   Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Marine Plants of Australia by John Huisman. Do you know your algae?? Check out this handy reference guide. How to speak Whale by Tom Mustill sounds like an enthralling read. Tom had a hump back whale land on his kayak - this would certainly make your day interesting!!. Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Plastic Rocks Found On Remote Volcanic Island Are A "Terrifying” Discovery At first, scientists couldn’t identify the strange bluish-green rocks so they ran chemical tests on them and… oh. Read in: IFL Science Sea cucumbers have a Spiderman-esque superpower—and it involves their butts Mess with the cuke, get the goop. Read in: Popular Science Scientists discover pristine deep-sea Galápagos reef ‘teeming with life’ Diving to 600m, researchers find reefs full of octopus, lobster and fish, raising hopes for corals’ survival amid rising sea temperatures Read now: Guardian News Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  2-4 June | Pranafest - Borumba deer Park. For more information and tickets head to https://www.pranafest.com.au/ 4 June | EcoFiesta Cairns - Come visit our team - see here for more details 4 June | LEAF - Griffith Uni Campus Meadowbook - click here for more details 6 June | Coast to Corals - Crown of Thorns Management - Register Here: 11 June | Our Townsville Event - Check out this great event - for more details head to What's on Townsville If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Whilst our teams in the GBR have been a little quiet in the last month, our SEQ teams have been busy completing surveys and clean-ups before the latest round of windy weather arrived.  This months email includes: Action of the Month: Mindfulness in May News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Mindfulness in May How have you spent your time today?  Did you invest it? Did you spend it? Did you waste it away? Each and every one of us has 86,400 seconds each and every day. Just think; if each day you were given $86,400.00 to spend, but at midnight the balance went to $0.. what would you do? You would spend as much as you could, each day, right? Well, TIME is more precious than any amount of money, so why do we spend so much of it doing things that don't fulfill us? Take some time to think about your daily 86,400 seconds; Where is your time being used? If you don’t like what you see.. change it. which brings us to this months action of the month; Be mindful of where you allocate your time. No one wants to end up regretting their decisions at the end of their life. So, work hard, but play harder. Spend time with friends, family, loved ones. Go on that adventure. Learn that new skill. Have courage to do the things you want to do and don’t wait until ‘X’ happens to allow yourself to live. And whilst we are on the topic of mindfulness.. Reef Check Australia is the charity partner with a fabulous group called the Flow State Experience who run PRANAFEST- a 3 day wellness festival on the Sunshine Coast, (this year June 2-5). This event is full of amazing experiences designed to encourage connection back to yourself, to nature, and to the world around you. In short; its all about mindfulness. Living in the moment, and doing it surrounded by forest and water, and an array of experiences (yoga, dance, ice baths, breathwork, storytelling, star gazing, relaxing). So if you are looking for an opportunity to delve deeply into mindfulness.. we highly recommend checking it out! And for all our Reef Check Australia friends we have a SUPER SPECIAL discount code just for all of you… Head on over to Humanitix and enter REEFCHECKPRANA for your exclusive discount code!! The point is to start small. Understand where your 86,400 seconds of time and energy goes, and tweak it if it’s not right. Make a plan to meditate, to be present and watch how quickly your resilience grows.   News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland La Balsa Park, Survey Dive Remembering the clearest water we had on our clean up dive, the Reef Check Australia team was excited to jump in and check out the site, and see how much it might have changed since our last reef health monitoring survey here. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring La Balsa as a reef health monitoring site in 2018 due to a growing interest in the area. Plenty of critters utilise this area as a nursery, and due to its location, the substrate and animals that live there change semi regularly. The water was certainly clear, with the substrate consisting of lots of rock with turf algae, sand, a few bryozoans, a macro algae called Padina, and several large solitary ascidians. We were lucky enough to spot two cleaner shrimp, two Drupella snails, and a collector urchin amongst plenty of fishing line along the transect (removed once counted, and if safe to do so). We also spotted several flatworms which we have never spotted in the area before. They are not new to the Sunshine Coast, but new to this area. Interestingly, we did not find any other flatworm or nudibranch along the transect area. We did however find a set of small turtle remains. Thankyou to Scuba World for the tanks and to our volunteer Kade Chambers who completed his first Reef Check Australia survey dive after completing his training late last year. We hope it’s the first of many! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant.   Moreton Bay - St Helena - Survey Dives Despite heavy rains in the lead up, Moreton Bay put on a show for our team, showing just how gorgeous the on-water conditions can be, meaning this tiny but mighty Reef Check Australia team was able to get out and conduct a summer reef health survey at Saint Helena Island, to document any changes to the reef in the area. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Saint Helena Island since 2017, as part of a partnership with Port of Brisbane to monitor the effects of activities in the Bay. These locations are monitored twice a year (summer and winter) to detect any seasonal changes. St Helena Island is located 5km from the mouth of the Brisbane River. The island itself has an interesting history. From 1867 it operated as a high security colonial prison, operating for 65 years as a self sufficient set up, complete with lime kiln, sugar refinery, a sugar cane plantation, and almost no native vegetation due to its removal early on. Reef Check Australia has two long term monitoring sites around the island. Ray of Sunshine, is towards the south east, and has a greater density of hard corals than Palindrome which is near the jetty, and has a patchy reef full of both hard and soft corals. Both sites were quite green underwater, although it was clearer at Ray of Sunshine than Palindrome. Ray of Sunshine has plenty of hard coral colonies, although on this particular occasion, there was a high number of bleached hard corals recorded. High silt loading was also recorded (over an inch deep!), as well as plenty of macro algae, although at this site it appeared to have more Padina than Sargassum. Palindrome had a high level of silt and purple filamentous nutrient indicator algae covering almost every surface. The macroalgae Sargassum also took up large areas of the site, offering refuge to a variety of marine creatures including a wobbegong, Drupella snails and a lobster.  A small amount of marine debris was recorded; mostly glass bottles. We look forward to heading out again in a few months to continue monitoring any changes that might occur as a part of this long term monitoring program. Thankyou to Go Dive Brisbane for getting us to our reef health monitoring site. We appreciate that many of the sites we visit are not regularly on the tourist circuit, although we believe they should be! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program.   Ray of Sunshine - Site Photo Palindrome - Soft Coral Peel Island - Land Based Clean Up The Reef Check Australia team headed out to Peel Island, Moreton Bay at the end of March to conduct a beach clean-up along Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island, Moreton Bay. Peel Island is a small, heritage-listed island and national park located in Moreton Bay, just 4km from the mainland at Cleveland. The island is known for its natural beauty and wildlife enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and is accessed only by boat or watercraft. Before European settlement, Peel Island was known to the local Quandamooka people as Teerk Roo Ra (Place of Many Shells). In the mid-19th century, Peel Island was used as a quarantine station for Brisbane. Incoming ships would stop at the island, disembark passengers for a quarantine period and be fumigated and scrubbed down before heading into Brisbane. At the start of the 20th century it was used as an asylum for vagrants, and then a sisal farm. Between 1907 and 1959 the island was a leper colony. Hundreds of people who contracted the disease were sent to the island. As the only intact example of a multiracial lazaret in Australia it is now a protected heritage site. In 2007, the island was declared as Teerk Roo Ra National Park and Conservation Park. Just over 8.5kgs of lightweight rubbish was collected in two hours from an 800m stretch of beach. Debris collected included paint lids, lots of plastic food packaging, pegs and alcohol containers. An additional 50kg of debris was also recorded and reported to local authorities to assist with removal, made up of metal sheets, wooden pallets, piles of rubbish bags including camping equipment, and building supplies. Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up. Take away your own rubbish when you leave and together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.    Amity Point, Stradbroke Island, Survey Dive With a forecast for potential heavy rain falls and storms leading up to the weekend of the survey, the team was watching the weather with eagle eyes and baited breath for the final call on if the survey would go ahead.  Safety is out number one priority for all our volunteers, so decisions are not made lightly when we choose to proceed or cancel. Contrary to the initial forecast, the team was greeted by perfect conditions at Amity Point. Light easterly winds, fine, sunny weather and 8m – 10m of underwater visibility! Amity Point is located on the northwest end of North Stradbroke Island, and is frequented by vast numbers of fishers, boaters and divers all year round. The site sits adjacent to a busy boat ramp and artificial rock wall near a popular camping and fishing ground. Whilst there is limited hard and soft coral, the site hosts extensive marine life including unusual creatures like cuttlefish and ghost pipefish. Our team consisted of 5 RCA members – including divers and a surface watch. We completed a reef health monitoring survey at Site 2. This site was set up in 2016 after we had conducted a clean-up, and recognised just how diverse this site is, and the importance of monitoring it long term. Plenty of wobbegong sharks were sighted on the transect plus dozens of diadema sea urchins, an octopus, banded coral shrimp and plenty of anemones with fish. Turf algae covered the site, and we found no nutrient indicator algae; a great sign. This site has an unexpected abundance of life but is heavily impacted by recreational fishing activities. Thanks to all the volunteers and organisers who made this trip a success! Reef Check acknowledges the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea and country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. Great Barrier Reef Hook Island Underwater and Land Based Clean Up  After postponing due to a forecast of strong winds over the easter weekend, our team was able to get out to Hook Island 2 days later in absolutely beautiful conditions. Our aim was to conduct an underwater and beach clean up at Luncheon Bay as part of Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s ReefClean project. Our team of divers and snorkellers were happy to find no rubbish underwater impacting the stunning reef in this location, despite the large number of boats in the area. Once we went ashore however, we did find a few items of plastic, including a foreign bleach bottle and the always present, single thong. The majority of the debris was weathered and thus likely to have been in the ocean for some time. Thanks to John at Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for making this happen so quickly after the postponement and getting us to site and Aquadive for supplying the tanks. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue Foundation through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.  ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef. Cowboys Community Corner and Toyota Hilux Kick Recently our organisation was delighted to host a stall in the Community Corner at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium for the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys match against the Gold Coast Titans. We were even more delighted to be given the opportunity to try to win some money for our organisation in the Cowboys Toyota Hilux Kick. This involves having one person be present for an interview in front of the stadium full of people and another person to kick a footy through the goal posts into the back of a “Toyota Hilux”. For each kick that makes it, $100 is donated to the organisation, up to a maximum of $1000. Luckily for us, we had two awesome volunteers who stepped up to the challenge. Our kicker nailed 9 goals within the allocated 60 seconds and the crowd learnt a little about who Reef Check Australia are, and what we do. To see our volunteers in action head to: Toyota Hilux Kick Round 4 We would like to thank the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys for this opportunity and our volunteers, Chris Hopper for doing the interview and Jordan Ivey for being an incredible kicker. We also acknowledge the Bindal and Wulgurukaba People, the traditional custodians of the land on which this event took place, and their elders past, present and emerging. Attendance at this event was made possible by support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program.   Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Here are a couple of books that we have come across that sound interesting. If you do happen to read them - send us a line and let us know! Sound of the Sea by Cynthia Barnett: A history of seashells and the animals that make them. The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey. Join Susan as she takes us on a journey through deep-sea exploration and the importance of this environment to our future. (Release due August 1).   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Have you ever seen a Sea Spider? Sea spiders are strange creatures, and the gangly lancer sea spider is one of the strangest of all Read in: Discover Wildlife What is marine cloud brightening? Check it out at: Great Barrier Reef Foundation   What are sea urchins? Check out this guide to the fascinating and strange, if somewhat prickly, creature that inhabits to sea floor.  Discover Wildlife - Sea Urchins Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  2 May | Coast to Coral - Microbes and Coral Larval Settlement - register on our website, 6 May | Nurture Fest - an entertainment packed, alcohol free, family festival at Lake Kawana - Buy your tickets here 6 May | Underwater and Beach Clean Up - Alma Bay - Magnetic Island - contact [email protected] for details. 7 May | Underwater and Beach Clean Up - Nelly Bay - Magnetic Island - contact [email protected] for details. 4 June | EcoFiesta Cairns - Come visit our team - see here for more details 4 June | LEAF - Griffith Uni Campus Meadowbook - click here for more details If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Our teams have been out and about doing clean-ups and surveys, hosting stalls and attending functions, we have so much news to report so read on. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Learn Something New News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Learn Something New! When was the last time you learnt something new? Today? Yesterday? A year ago? With time seeming to speed up more and more each day, its easy to think about learning a new skill and then pushing it to the side when something more urgent comes along. But isn’t your continual growth urgent as well?  Just like a plant, if you aren’t growing.. you’re dying. And we want to make sure you have the nutrients; the skills and knowhow to take on the world. True growth is incremental, tiny bit by tiny bit. So we want to help you reach your life goals with our Action of the Month for April:  Learn Something New. The original quote “When you stop growing you start dying” (William S. Burroughs) might sound a little dire, but it’s also very true!  It’s hard to know where to start sometimes, but starting anything today is better than putting it off until tomorrow. Maybe you have always wanted to scuba dive (we know plenty of people who can help with that!), or want to start dancing, or do martial arts. Or maybe you want to become a tour guide, or learn how to start a bee hive in your backyard. The options are endless; it's your growth, your ‘bucket list’ of skills. So grab a notebook, write down all the things you want to learn, and pick one. Any one; and just start. And if its related to marine critters, reef health monitoring or community engagement amongst others; get in touch! We can help! Alternatively, start searching, sign up for a course, try out something new, and step by step, new habit by habit, all the things you learn and experience build your character and help you grow. News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland La Balsa Park, Underwater clean-up With the water the clearest we have almost ever seen at La Balsa, the Reef Check Australia team was excited to jump in and check out the site, and remove as much debris as possible as a part of the extended efforts of the Clean Up for the Hatchlings event. Plenty of critters inhabit the area, and although it has changed over time with the amount of sand increased in parts, the area is still frequented by juvenile turtles, plenty of small fish (it is a nursery after all) and this year, lots of flatworms. As the team entered the water, a small snapper was spotted caught on a line, which was tangled around the algae covered rocks. The line was quickly cut, and the snapper swam off to land nearby and follow the divers along the transect area.  A reminder that when fishing, to try and remove as much of the line as possible. Approximately 6kg of fishing debris, plastic, lures, cans and bottles were removed from the site, at around 4-5m depth, just days after the snorkel team removed over 10kg from the shallower areas. Thankyou to Scuba World for supplying the tanks at short notice. When the weather and conditions are this great, we have to take advantage of them! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant.   Bulcock Beach - Underwater Clean up Summer conditions are are full swing at the moment, with beautiful sunny days interspersed with wind and rain, meaning when conditions are as amazing as they were last month, the team takes action! A small dedicated team conducted an underwater cleanup at Bulcock Beach last month. An interesting site for many reasons, The Boardwalk at Bulcock Beach was surveyed for the first time in 2018 after an underwater clean up at the location recorded a variety of fish species, invertebrate species and benthic diversity; showcasing the site as a nursery for many species. Bulcock Beach is a popular coastal recreation area located to the south of Caloundra, and a popular recreational fishing site. The Reef Check Australia reef health monitoring site sits along a rock wall slope in approximately 4-5m depth. It is usually characterised by rock, razer clams, ascidians and sand. The site is also a nursery for a variety of fish species in the area. However this location sits inside the Caloundra bar, initially the only opening from Pumicestone passage to the open ocean. A few months ago a breakthrough occurred on Bribie island, creating a new opening, and completely changing the areas access. We knew it would be an interesting spot to go back to visit after all these changes, so the team was excited to go and check it out. The site has changed substantially, with everything being covered in a thick layer of silt. A few ascidians can be found scattered amongst bivalve covered rock, and plenty of fish species were located including several stonefish, a lionfish and a tiny scorpionfish. Plenty of debris was also recorded, however due to the increase in siltation resulting in decreased visibility only a small amount was removed. A total of 6kg consisting of glass bottles, soft plastic, a fishing rod and plenty of fishing lures and fishing line was removed. This site has long been identified as a marine debris hotspot, and as conditions improve, we aim to revisit the site. Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.   Mud Island, Surveys Moreton Bay put on a show for our surveyors, showing just how gorgeous the on-water conditions can be! Despite heavy rains over the preceding few weeks, the day was beautiful and calm on the surface. Below the water, conditions were a little green, but clear enough to allow the Reef Check Australia team to safely monitor key sites for reef health, this time we headed to Mud Island; Rubble Patch and Coral Galore to document any changes since our last survey in Winter; 6 months ago. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Mud Island since 2017, as part of a partnership with Port of Brisbane to monitor the effects of activities in the Bay. These locations are monitored twice a year (summer and winter) to detect any seasonal changes that might be occurring. At Coral Galore a moderate amount of silt covered the site, limiting visibility in some areas. An array of bivalves including some of the biggest razor clams we have ever seen, and cockle shells were found, along with several Drupella snails (a coral eating snail). Of interest, none of the Drupella snails were found on coral. A species of butterflyfish never recorded at this site (by us) was also found (an Eastern Talma; Chelmonops truncatus) amongst a variety of other butterfly fish (such as the beaked butterflyfish; Chelmon rostratrus). Nudibranchs and flatworms were found amongst the hard and soft coral. The site had a high amount of Nutrient Indicator Algae (NIA); mostly Lobophora, and seasonal macroalgae; Sargassum and Padina. The site is still full of life (always a great sign!) despite the recent rains. At Rubble Patch silt also covered this site, although slightly less than Coral Galore. The silt and large amounts of macro algae (predominately Sargassum) led to limited visibility in some areas on the survey. Several Drupella snails (a coral eating snail), also not sitting on any live coral were recorded. Caleurpa patches (a green algae) were recorded along with a tiny flatworm and even tinier nudibranch. We look forward to heading out again in a few months to continue monitoring any changes that might occur as a part of this long term monitoring program. Thankyou to Go Dive Brisbane for getting us to our reef health monitoring site. We appreciate that many of the sites we visit are not regularly on the tourist circuit, although we believe they should be! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Bangamba (Mud island), Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program. Soft coral at Coral Galore Drupella Snail Main Beach, Stradbroke Island, Clean Up Australia Day The beginning of March brings about Clean Up Australia Day! For south-east Queensland, volunteers headed over to Minjerribah west of Brisbane to tackle the marine debris hidden along the long eastern beach. The coast spreads 38km long, and hosts a diverse geomorphological landscape. From fresh "baby dunes" to blow-outs connected into swamps, the dynamic ecosystem stands as a special gem even in the world class beaches of Queensland. Unfortunately, the proximity of Logan River and the rate of urbanisation in the region means this sandy island is extreme prone to marine debris standings from every corner. We decided to target the southern tip of the island, which is home to a minefield of small new sand dunes within a sandy Cape. A total of 196 pieces was collected along approximately 2km of beach by Reef Check Australia, totalling 10.85kg. Rubbish was picked up along Naree budjong Djara National Park, which spans a large portion of the island and is managed by the Quandamooka people in partnership with Queensland Wildlife & Parks Service. A mixture of fresh and weathered plastic was found on site, meaning debris has stranded here from local sources as well as pieces that have travelled far in the ocean. A combination of oceanic currents and wind driving pelagic marine debris out of the deep sea are the reason for this combination of sources of plastic. The beach holds significant cultural history to the traditional owners in this region, with the Quandamooka people using the beach to travel, hunt & live. Ensuring the beach remains plastic free is one way you can ensure everyone enjoys the great outdoors for time to come. Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check acknowledges the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea and country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. Great Barrier Reef Clean Up Australia Day - Bowen Our small team was up early to catch the sunrise and complete a beach clean up along Queens Beach in Bowen for Clean Up Australia Day. We covered roughly 1.2km of beach searching the last high tide line and the base of the dunes for litter. Although we collected 5.5kg of rubbish, the number of small pieces of plastic was relatively low at only 95 items. We also collected 23 pieces of polystyrene, along with an assortment of various items, including aluminium cans, fast food packaging and bottle caps. The 2 discarded/lost crab pots we found up in the dunes close to the river mouth made up the bulk of the weight. We were also pleasantly surprised to find low counts of plastics amongst the large piles of organic material that has washed up on the beach. A big thanks to the volunteers who helped out, and for those who stopped to ask about helping out at the next event. This clean up was conducted on the traditional lands of the Birri, Jangga, Juru, Gia and Ngara People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This clean up was funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Clean Up Australia Day - Whitsundays By Deb Duggan, Reef Ambassador It was an absolutely beautiful day and a huge number of people turned out around Airlie Beach to do their part for Clean Up Australia Day. After a quick registration at Coral Sea Marina, groups headed off in all different directions, including out on the water, along the foreshore, in the carparks and along the rock wall of the marina. I found myself focusing more on the smaller items and leaving some of the bigger stuff for the families and kids to find, although I did drag someone’s old bedding which was tangled in the mangroves (swag, blanket and clothes). Items collected included toy soldiers, a large number of ‘soya sauce fish’ and in particular the caps on their own, bottles, cans, food wrappers, parts of boat wrecks left over from past storms, thongs and crocs. Approximately 75 people attended the event on the day (with an additional 30 from Whitsunday Escape out at sea that day as well!). Including the litter collected from the islands, approximately 350kg of litter was collected from the event in total; an amazing result! Despite there still being a lot of rubbish here at the gateway to the Whitsundays; the community spirit was amazing to see and the enthusiasm of everyone involved will hopefully lead to more people being aware of the importance of keeping our streets and beaches clean. Thankyou to everyone for coming together and lending a hand. It was a great event to be a part of and have so many groups and individuals come together to help.  Thanks to Coral Sea Marina for organising the event, for Tangaroa Blue and Red Cat for helping with the sorting. It takes all hands on deck to make a difference, and it was great to see such a high community spirit at work! Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays region, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Ocean Film Festival - Proserpine Our team of ambassadors headed off to the Proserpine Entertainment Centre for the Ocean Film Festival. Although we felt like we were talking to the converted, many of the large crowd were not aware of Reef Check Australia and what we did. Our new (and old) ambassadors enlightened the public on our activities, how they could find out what were up to and how to get involved. The lead ambassador was called upon to give a short talk on who Reef Check Australia are, for those people who did not have time to make it to our stand and also became the random number generator for the amazing prizes on offer. We were so busy talking to people once the doors opened we forgot to take photos :). Thanks to Deb, Emily and Terry for helping out and a big thanks to Adventure Reels for inviting us to be apart of this amazing event. This event was conducted on the traditional lands of the Gia People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. Our attendance at this event was funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Recommended by one of our amazing team leaders. The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen. This book examines evolution and extinction and how isolated islands makes them areas of evolutionary adaptation, think the giant tortoises of the Galapagos, but also areas of extinction.   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean In the heart of Sydney the world's first shark breeding program is nibbling success. Nestled deep amongst Sydney's soaring blue and grey glass skyscrapers next to the roaring Western Distributor, hundreds of shark eggs are being laid. Read in: 9 News There's Now 171 Trillion Bits Of Plastic Pollution In World's OceansNice work, humans! Read Now in IFL Science   How sharks equipped with cameras solved an aquatic mysterySeagrass is vital for storing carbon and slowing climate change. With the help of nature’s best divers, scientists have found a patch the size of Portugal. Read in National Geographic: Photo by Michael Worden on Unsplash Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  4 April | Coast to Coral - Using the Reef for Climate Change engagement - register on our website, 6 May | Nurture Fest - an entertainment packed, alcohol free, family festival at Lake Kawana - Buy your tickets here 6 May | Underwater and Beach Clean Up - Alma Bay - Magnetic Island - contact [email protected] for details. 7 May | Underwater and Beach Clean Up - Nelly Bay - Magnetic Island - contact [email protected] for details. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia    

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Summer is officially over and Autumn is upon us. Historically the cooler months bringing lighter winds and cleaner seas, so we have our fingers crossed that the weather will be favourable as we have so many activities to get done. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Take Action for the Planet News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Take Action for the Planet Image by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash Last month saw us participate in the Sunshine Coasts LARGEST clean up event, amongst weekly clean ups above and below the water along the length of the Queensland coastline. The month of March hosts the official Clean Up Australia Day (Sunday 5 March 2023), which is a great opportunity for everyone to get involved in a massive communal effort to keep Australia clean, but this month we want to encourage you to get involved in clean-up activities each and every day. March is also host to Earth Hour (Saturday March 25th), whereby the idea is to switch off your lights, and other electrical devices and reflect on the incredible benefits nature provides for all of us. This year the theme is "TimeOutForNature" and people around the world are being encouraged to take action and do more. Australia's environmental challenges go beyond just one day, and it’s the collective efforts of everyone doing small actions, increased over time that result in real changes with long term impacts. So March’s Action of the Month is to TAKE ACTION FOR THE PLANET. Be it planting a native tree in your backyard, picking up rubbish on your morning walk, join a local clean up event or organise your own lights out for Earth Hour, or Adopt a Reef and support reef health monitoring, there's no action too simple to take "TimeOutForNature", and to Take Action for the Planet. “Our actions today, as individuals and the global community, have the power to transform what the world will look like for generations to come - the time to act against climate change is now.” – Siddarth Das, Chief Executive of Earth Hour Global News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Allie Cove Noosa, Beach clean-up The summer heat is in full swing, with tourism blossoming across the Sunshine Coast region, especially in Noosa. One of the main attractions found in the area is the iconic Noosa National Park, a large headland littered with embayment’s, rocky shorelines, and beautiful beaches. One of these hidden bays, Allie Cove, is found hidden in between the Sunshine Beach entrance into the national park and Alexandria Bay. It is a 30-40 minute hike from Sunshine Beach, up a small mountain and down an enchanting, steep rocky trail into a small rocky beach. One of the reasons this small beach is so beautiful is one of the reasons it needed a clean, although its 40 minutes from suburbia its isolated and rugged terrain can create perfect conditions for trapping marine debris. A total of 2.563kg over 130 items of marine debris was remove from the Rocky shoreline. The majority of items were found along the highest strandline, buried by rocky rubble and pandanus leaves over time which suggests heavy storms pushed items towards the back end of the enclosed cove, somewhere most visitors don’t think to clean. We hit sampled the beach a few hours after high tide, and there was still plenty of items littered within the intertidal zone, hidden in between small boulders and rocks making the clean a game of hide and seek attempting to find as much as possible while we were there. Rocky shores can act as a marine debris trap, allowing large waves to transport marine debris onto the beach, only to settle within a small crack in between rocks and become stuck there. A normal sandy beach would allow another large wave to pick the item up and possibly continue transporting it to a different location, but rocks are a natural sieve for our anthropogenic rubbish which makes these beaches an unfortunate victim for larger amounts of rubbish settling on them. Remember, every little bit counts. If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up. Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Noosa and Sunshine Coast region, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.   Clean Up for Hatchlings - Snorkel Clean up The sun was up and so was our dedicated team of volunteer snorkellers ready and rearing for a clean up snorkel as a part of the Clean Up for the Hatchlings event early February. With the water at La Balsa being the clearest it has been in a long time, and a warm 28 degrees, 14 snorkellers watched over by our dedicated Surface Watchers cleaned up approximately 700m of rocky coastline. This area also forms one of Reef Check Australia’s long term reef health monitoring sites and is interesting due to the constant changes in the river. Despite this, it is often teeming with marine life, including juvenile turtles, making it an important area to clean up regularly. This year, the snorkel clean up team collected just over 10kg of debris; made up almost exclusively of fishing line, fishing nets, lures, sinkers, plastic bags and plastic bottles. This attributed to a total of 280kg of rubbish picked up from across 18 sites, with over 560 children joining in for the event.  Its always great to see so many come out to support these events, and to showcase how amazing our local areas are! Remember- every bit counts, so if you see it, pick it up; regardless of the day! Big shoutout to each and every person who joined in the days activities. And to our surface watches Iain and Christa Salmond; just as important!  And to Jojo Schultz for the epic photos.  Thankyou! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant.   Clean Up for the Hatchlings - Land Based clean up Clean up for the hatchlings (CU4TH) is the largest marine debris clean-up event the Sunshine Coast region currently has, which saw over 235kg of rubbish cleaned from Sunshine Beach to Caloundra in ONE morning, with over 500 volunteers participating! The event was created just like all other great ideas; with friends chatting over coffee. They wanted to merge conservation efforts that hundreds of volunteers do along the coastline every day, and so they decided on an event that brought together several non-profit organisations, local governments, and local communities. The purpose of the annual clean-up is to ensure that the endangered Loggerhead turtles that have nested on our beaches for their whole lives can continue to do so without too much influence from marine debris on our shared sandy shores. It also raises awareness surrounding the anthropogenic impact’s we are causing towards our native endangered animals, while providing an opportunity for anyone and everyone to participate in conservation efforts to mitigating these problems. We engaged hundreds of inquisitive locals at our Reef Check Australia stall, talking to them about the wonderful animals that live below the surface right off our coastline, as well as what they can do in their everyday lives to reduce their impact on our planet. We had a large amount of interest towards new Reef Ambassadors as well as survey divers, demonstrating events like this possess the ability towards educating communities about conservation in a fun and innovative way! Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnership grant. Bulcock Beach Reef Health Survey The sun is out and with conditions looking good, the Reef Check Australia teams are out in full force. A small dedicated team headed out to Bulcock beach boardwalk to complete an annual reef health monitoring survey. The Boardwalk at Bulcock Beach was surveyed for the first time in 2018 after an underwater clean up at the location recorded a variety of fish species, invertebrate species and benthic diversity; showcasing the site as a nursery for many species. Bulcock Beach is a popular coastal recreation area located to the south of Caloundra, and a popular recreational fishing site. The Reef Check Australia reef health monitoring site sits along a rock wall slope in approximately 4-5m depth. It is usually characterised by rock, razer clams, ascidians and sand. The site is also a nursery for a variety of fish species in the area. However this location sits inside the Caloundra bar, initially the only northern opening from Pumicestone passage to the open ocean at the top end of Bribie. A few months ago a breakthrough occurred on Bribie island, creating a new opening, and changing the areas environment; water movement, access and general characteristics of the area, clearly seen in images supplied by Blueys Photography as attached. We knew it would be an interesting spot to go back to visit after all these changes, so the team was excited to go and check it out. The site has changed substantially, with everything being covered in a thick layer of silt. A few ascidians can be found scattered amongst bivalve covered rock, and plenty of fish species were located including butterflyfish, bream, several stonefish, a lionfish and a tiny scorpionfish. Several collector urchins and a single Drupella snail was recorded amongst the heavy silt, and debris including leaves, plastic and fishing line. This area is an important nursery group for many species, and it was sad to see the area covered in such heavy siltation(over an inch deep in most areas); enough to cloud vision with even small movements. It is an interesting area, and we will continue to keep an eye on it through regular clean-ups before attempting to revisit the site for more monitoring. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Sunshine Coast Council’s environment Levy Partnership Grant. Thankyou to SCUBAworld for the tanks.  Drone photos showcasing the changes in the area by Blueys Photography. Great Barrier Reef In-water Surveyor Training Having recently completed the theory component of the RCA Reef Health Surveyor course, two of our keen surveyor trainees Bel and Joan jumped in the water with GBR Coordinator Jenni for in-water training, exams and practice surveys. Surveyors must achieve 85% on theory exams covering Substrate (what's on the seafloor), Invertebrates (target species of crustaceans, sea cucumbers, urchins), and Impacts (bleaching, disease, scarring from drupella and crown of thorns predation, damage from anchors/storm/humans and trash). Then they must achieve 95% during in-water practical exams to ensure the validity of data collected. Our surveyor trainees scored well, meaning you can expect to see them out and about in the water surveying very soon! Thanks to our team of volunteers who gave up their weekend to do exams (if even they were in-water!) and James and Maren who kept an eye out for us as surface watch. Thanks also to Pleasure Divers for always being so easy to hire tanks and equipment for our team. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. These activities were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Wulgurukaba, Bindal and Manbarra People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. Offshore Townville - Lodestone Reef Our small but mighty team braved the choppy seas and made the long trek out to Lodestone Reef, east of Magnetic Island to undertake our reef health surveys. Fortunately the worst of the rains had passed, the sun was shining on the reef and the visibility was amazing. Our team surveyed two sites, completing Reef Check Australia Reef Health Surveys, Coralwatch and Eye on the Reef Rapid Monitoring Surveys. The corals were observed to be healthy with very little damage, disease or bleaching. Both sites had great diversity and abundance of fish, with a few target species recorded, along with a Reef Shark. We also recorded giant clams, anemones and target sea cucumbers. Thanks to Reef Ecologic for getting us to site and Adrenalin Dive for supplying the tanks. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Wulgurukaba, Bindal and Manbarra People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. Offshore Townsville Surveys are part of Reef Ecologic’s Integrated Coral Reef Citizen Science 2.0 Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation Beach Clean Up - Kings Beach Bowen A team including locals and visitors enjoyed the beautiful morning sunshine and cleaned the length of Kings Beach in Bowen. Not much debris was found on the latest high tide line, but the team collected 6kgs of rubbish from the base of the dunes. The haul included 65 pieces of broken hard plastic and 52 pieces of broken glass, along with 21 pieces of polystyrene. The dunes on this stretch of beach have suffered a lot of erosion following recent rough conditions and the team observed an area that appeared to be a historic dumping ground, with items poking out of the sand dune. They were only able to remove the most obvious items of debris, (glass bottles and metal cans) as removal caused the sand to erode even more. We have marked this area for a follow up inspection. A big thanks to the volunteers who helped out. This clean up was conducted on the traditional lands of the Birri, Jangga, Juru, Gia and Ngara People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This clean up was funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.   Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Recommended by one of our amazing volunteers - The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert - argues that the Earth is in the midst of a modern, man-made, sixth extinction. They look at different examples of mass extinction and one of them is on the GBR!   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean How a spiky menace is hitching a ride on the ocean current surfed by Nemo's dad Every year an ocean current supercharged by climate change brings a destructive, spiky species south from New South Wales to the rocky reefs of eastern Tasmania. The long-spined sea urchin is bad news for Tasmanian sea life as the species can quickly nibble swaying kelp forests to bald rocks, forming underwater moonscapes known as urchin barrens. Seaweed is important food and habitat for the animals of a rocky reef, so when urchins create a barren it's akin to clear-felling a vibrant rainforest. Read in ABC News:   Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Sunday 5 March  | Clean Up Australia Day - Minjerribah - register on the Clean Up Australia Day website. Sunday 5 March | Clean Up Australia Day - Queens Beach Bowen - register on the Clean Up Australia Day website. Sunday 12 March| Moreton Bay Kids Fest - Pine Rivers, come say hi to our team. Sunday 12 March | Your Mates Brewery, Warana - raffles. Come along and enjoy a tasty beverage and snack, buy some raffle tickets and be in the draw for some amazing prizes with proceeds to support Reef Check. Tuesday 14 March | Coast to Coral - Leaf to Reef - the Biodiversity of Lady Elliot Island. Register on our website. Plus there are so many other events on in March, here are just a few.. Ocean Film Festival - numerous dates and locations. Check their website for details. International Women's Day - 8 March International Day of Action for Rivers - 14 March Global Recycling Day - 18 March Earth Hour - 25 March If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia  

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Our teams have started off the year with a few activities but have oh so many lined up in the next few months. We have a few beach clean-ups happening that everyone can get involved in, so if you are looking for something to do, check out our calendar on the website. In this newsletter we bring you some more highlights from the end of last year. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Time for Love! News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Time for Love! Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash Last month we decided to casually sliiiide into the new year. Now that we have taken a cool, calm and delicate approach to the start of 2023, we believe its time to ramp it up a bit. February is the month of love, women in STEMM and lattes… Kicking off with International women and girls in STEMM day AND International Latte day on February 11th followed closely by Valentine’s Day on February 14th. So for this month, lets celebrate the things we love; like science, the big blue ocean and delicious lattes. So lets turn up the love, gratitude and appreciation for the awesome humans and gorgeous environment around us this month. By the way - February also has International Polar Bear Day, World NGO Day, World Play your Ukele Day, amongst others! News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Stradbroke Island - Main Beach clean-up On 26th December 2022, Reef Check Australia held a 'Clean Up for Christmas' beach clean-up at Main Beach, North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah). Despite the weather, a small team of two collected two full bags of plastic. Despite large amounts of wind in the lead up to this event, it was great to less than expected amounts of rubbish and large items washed/blown up on the beach. Unfortunately, hundreds of microplastics were found hidden in the sand. With a small team of two, we managed to find over 100 pieces of plastic under the size of 2cm in just a few hours!!! Items consisted of plastic lids, bottles, coffee cups, lollipop sticks, plastic cutlery and a myriad of soft, single use plastic items as well as plastic remnants. All data was documented through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative database. Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Science Community Sustainability Action Grant.   Sustainable Urban Seascapes Moreton Bay Workshop Reef Check Australia snuck off to the always gorgeous Stradbroke Island late last year to join scientists and community members from all over South East Queensland to meet, greet and learn at the Sustainable Urban Seascapes Moreton Bay (SUSMB) Workshop at the Moreton Bay Research Station. The event was an opportunity to workshop with collaborators and external stakeholders, to showcase the work conducted under the SUSMB project and discuss future research ideas and priorities, build new collaborations and explore proposals for future work. With so many exciting projects in the pipeline for both Reef Check Australia, and our partners, its exciting to hear how our research can contribute to the ongoing monitoring and well being of Moreton Bay. Stay tuned to hear more! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Science Community Sustainability Action Grant.   SEQ Surveyor Training Taking full advantage of the sunny weather and uncrowded conditions, the Reef Check Australia team headed out to Mudjimba Island in December to finish off some in water reef health surveyor training for our new SCUBA surveyors. Four new reef health surveyors completed their training, with help from Blue Tortuga allowing us to get to the site and take our time in the water, to make sure we all felt comfortable with identification skills, buoyancy, and task loading. We are excited to see the next batch of local surveyors complete their training and cant wait to see them all out in the water for surveys next time! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project has received funding support from the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Great Barrier Reef Whitsundays - Boats4Coral Project The Whitsundays region is a marine paradise and global icon, attracting almost half of all visitors to the Great Barrier Reef. Home to the Ngaro people for millenia, the Whitsundays have deeply significant cultural value and meaning. Around the world, reefs are under pressure from factors such as pollution, development, climate change and heavy human use of ocean environments. Climate change has been identified as the greatest threat to the future of coral reefs around the world. And Australian reefs are no exception. In the face of climate change, the Whitsundays, adjoining reefs and supporting ecosystems need help to recover from recurring major stressors like poor water quality and the impact of cyclones. In 2020, an initiative was set up to encourage collaboration between local Reef community, including Traditional Owners, Reef managers and tourism operators, and scientists to research and establish ways to take local action for Whitsundays reefs. Reef Check Australia have been involved in the Boats4Coral Program led by Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Southern Cross University (SCU) since 2020. The program is advancing coral larval reseeding as a routine, safe, sustainable and effective way for local community members to carry out reef restoration. This year, we were lucky enough to join once again. Each year new lessons are learned, with less scientists involved and more locals, and citizen scientists. Here are a few photos captured of the program in action. Once the coral planula are ready to settle, they are transported to site, and delicately redeployed onto the reef. This year, redeployment occurred at Black Island, right over the top of an existing Reef Check Australia reef health monitoring site, which will enable us to detect any changes in coral cover over time. Reef Check Australia Acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Offshore Townville - John Brewer Reef Last December our team ducked out with Adrenaline Dive to complete a set of reef health surveys at the deeper of our sites based at John Brewer Reef next to the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) installed in 2020. This particular site we have been monitoring since 2017 but have been monitoring other sites at John Brewer since 2004! Adjacent to MOUA, this is one of our favourite sites to survey. Visibility in this area is usually high and the coral coverage here is excellent with layers upon layers of plating and branching Acropora coral. These shallower sites seem to have escaped much damage from the coral eating crown of thorns starfish (COTS) with around 40-50% hard coral coverage over the last 5 years. This time we do not observe of COTS or COTS damage unlike previous years. We also noted at this particular point in time 3 x the abundance of target fish species compared to only 2 years ago were observed. Now is a great time to go out check out what a healthy and abundant reef looks like, and only within a couple of hours of Townsville. The biggest thankyou to Paul, Nick and the team at Adrenaline Dive for transporting and supporting our surveys in this region and of course our volunteer surveyors Taleatha and Joan. Congratulations also to Taleatha for completing her fish survey training during this trip! These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Wulgurukaba, Bindal and Manbarra People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. Offshore Townsville Surveys were part of Reef Ecologic’s Integrated Coral Reef Citizen Science 2.0 Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Magnetic Island - Alma Bay - Surveys What better way to spend the Christmas/New Year’s break than with some surveys! On the 30th of December Reef Check Australia visited Magnetic Island to conduct an end of year survey at the always popular Alma Bay. Alma Bay is a small bay protected from fishing activities, located on the exposed side of Magnetic Island. Its is commonly used recreationally by beach goers and locals, and was initially set up as a Reef Check Australia reef health monitoring site in 2004. Minimal bleaching was recorded during this survey. Some unknown corals scars were present, however overall, the reef appeared healthy with plenty of juvenile foliose corals over the rocks. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program, and the Integrated Coral Reef Citizen Science 2.0 Program funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Manbarra and Bwgcolman people of Palm Island, and the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People of the Townsville and Magnetic Island region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Collaborative Clean Up - Whitsundays in late November 2022, Reef check Australia joined forces for an amazing day out on the water with volunteers from local tour operators, AIMS and three Ngaro Traditional Owners, to clean up 2 identified marine debris hotspots, exchange ideas and information about this gorgeous sea country, learn from each other, and immerse ourselves in the beauty of this gorgeous region. A total of 32.2kg of debris was removed from Waites Bay, consisting of more than 2,840 pieces of hard plastic, glowsticks, bottle lids (398), lollipop sticks, plastic cutlery , balloons, foam, plastic bottles, foam buoys, toothbrushes (11) and over 8kg of rope. The area was covered is small bits of plastic amongst the pumicestone. Despite a team cleaning up for over 2 hours, there is still plenty of debris left, and is certainly a spot to watch due to its south facing location.The team then went to Peters Bay, a Reef Check Australia reef health monitoring site, where 19kg of debris was removed by 8 individuals in just over an hour. 657 hard plastic pieces, 110 plastic lids, 44 plastic bottles were removed along with rope, more toothbrushes, rope, shoes, lollipop sticks and soft plastics. The team headed back past Black Island (the Boats4coral larval redeployment site and Reef Islands Initiative Coral Nurture Program site) and Langford Island to eat, chat and plan the next adventure before heading home for a hard earned rest. A massive shout out to everyone who donated their time and energy to this project. It really illustrates the power of collaboration. Thankyou to Whitsundays Paradise Explorer for the support and for getting us to these sites. Thankyou to Ngaro Traditional Owners Owen, Eric and Kinny for their assistance, for their insights and their ongoing support of such projects. Remember, every little bit counts. If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up. Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays region, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. Recommended by one of our amazing volunteers - Deep by James Nestor is amazing! It’s about freediving, marine research and ocean exploration. One for the little ocean crusaders: The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. These unlikely friends go on an amazing journey and it's up to the snail to save the day when the whale gets beached.   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Have you seen a spotted handfish? Scientists have managed to successfully breed this critically endangered fish from Tasmania. Read now in Apple news Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Saturday 4 February  | Clean Up for the Hatchlings, Sunshine Coast. The snorkel is full but there are still a few spots available on select beaches, so get in quick. Awesome prizes up for grabs from Sealife, Bouldmove, Elixiba and Pranafest. Saturday 11 February | Beach Clean Up - Bowen, Kings Beach South. Meet at 7.30am at the carpark below Flagstaff Hill. Email [email protected] so we know you are coming. Sunday 5 March | Clean Up Australia Day Beach Clean Up - Stradbroke Island Who is keen to have a spectacular day on Minjerribah and help clean up our local beaches? The plan is to meet at Meet at the top of the stairs leading to South Gorge on Kennedy Drive, Point Lookout. Check out https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/fundraisers/emmameyer or our website for more details. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia1/377 Montague RdWest End, QLD 4101Australia

Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}  Happy New Year from the Team at Reef Check Australia. We hope you enjoyed the festive season as much as we did. Although we were on a short break, some of the team still managed to squeeze in a couple of surveys, but here we bring you some of the activities that we completed last year but could not fit in previous emails. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Slide slowly and deliberately into the new year. News from the Field Brain Food Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Slide slowly and deliberately into the new year! January 2023. Lets start off on the right foot; and slip slowly but purposefully into the new year gracefully. We love making waves. We believe that as individuals we create ripples, and when together these ripples create waves. But 2022 took a really heavy toll on many of us, and so it is with this in mind that instead of screaming our announcement and intentions to the world as 2023 kicks off, our Action of the Month is to allocate time to reflect on your successes from the past year, and the areas that challenged you, and make the necessary adjustments for this brand new sparkling year. It's not about massive changes, but instead subtly shifting to what works best for you, and gently sliding into this new year, cool calm and collected. As a good friend once chanted on a 4-day hike up a very steep climb; ‘just be cool, like a cucumber in the fridge’. So be like the cucumber in the fridge. Be cool. And take your entry back into your work life the same way you eat an elephant*; one small bite at a time. * We did not, do not, nor recommend eating any elephants. News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website! South East Queensland Narrowneck Artificial Reef Health Survey Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Narrowneck Artificial Reef since 2007, as part of a partnership with City of Gold Coast to monitor the health of reefs in the area, and the growth of this artificial reef structure. Narrowneck reef (sometimes called “Gold Coast Reef”) is an artificial reef that was constructed in 1999. At 70,000 cubic meters, it holds the title for the largest multi-purpose reef ever constructed. The reef was designed primarily as a shoreline stabilisation structure. Creating better surfing waves was a secondary concern. However, it’s generally accepted that it did improve the quality of surf during its earlier years by improving the shape and frequency of rideable waves. Due to degradation, the reef was refurbished in 2017 and 2018, providing improved shoreline stabilisation and an increase in waves. However anecdotal information suggests the reef is seldom surfed. The site supports a large variety of algae with sponges and ascidians. Unfortunately the limited visibility and strong surge made photography very difficult and we were unable to obtain good quality photographs at this site for this year. Reef Check Acknowledge and pay respects to the people of the Yugambeh language region of the Gold Coast and all their descendants both past and present. We also acknowledge the many Aboriginal people from other regions as well as Torres Strait and South Sea Islander people who now live in the local area and have made an important contribution to the community. This survey was made possible by grant funding from the City of Gold Coast Catchment and Citizen Science Grant   Great Barrier Reef Hook Island Clean Up The Reef Check Australia team headed out to Hook Island off the Whitsundays to conduct our annual underwater and beach clean up as part of Tangaroa Blue's Reef Clean project. At this site we have previously found small amounts of debris, however this time we were pleasantly surprised to find a total of just 13 items of debris amongst the rocks and rubbles along the beach. The dive team also took to the water to conduct an underwater clean up, finding only a minimal amount of debris during their dive. A massive shout out to Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for taking us out to this location, and our dedicated team of old and new volunteers for all your efforts! Reef Check Australia Acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.  ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef. Luncheon Bay - Hook Island Surveys The GBR Reef Check survey team have busy completing surveys at numerous reefs on Ngaro Country around the Whitsunday region. One of our first stops was Luncheon Bay on Hook Island, a north-east facing bay which was severely affected by Cyclone Debbie in 2017. Prior to the cyclone, coral cover was over 50%, consisting near-equally of hard and soft corals. Following the devastation of Cyclone Debbie, coral cover has been less than 15%, with the rest of the substrate consisting of sand, rubble and rock. The area is starting to recover, with many coral recruits, particularly Acropora, observed throughout the site. Whilst minimal anthropogenic impacts were observed on any corals, natural predation damage was high with the majority of the tips of branching coral being bitten off by fish! A massive shout out to Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for taking us out to this location, Aqua dive for suppling tanks, and our amazing team of old and new volunteers for your dedication and hard work! This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. We acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.    Hayman Island - Surveys Reef Check Australia has been conducting reef health surveys in the reefs found around the Whitsundays for more than 20 years. Whilst this region has some amazing sites with an abundance of coral, others aren’t so healthy due to the impact of Cyclone Debbie in 2017. The reef in Blue Pearl Bay on the western side of Hayman Island is one of these areas affected by cyclone Debbie. Prior to cyclone Debbie, live coral accounted for more than 50% of the substrate cover, however following the cyclone this was reduced to below 5% live coral cover in some areas. One of our survey sites is seeing this area starting to recover with coral cover slowly increasing and is currently at 30%, however the other site still only has less than 5% live coral cover. However, there are other signs of life, with many juvenile giant clams living amongst the dead coral and rock. Unfortunately even with the current 26 degree waters, we did observe some coral bleaching, in particular this Pocillopora which was completely bleached. A massive shout out to Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for taking us out to this location and all your assistance of making our day run smoothly, Aquadive for providing dive gear and tanks for hire, and our dedicated team of old and new volunteers for all your efforts! This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Reef Check Acknowledge the Ngaro people of the Whitsundays as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Heron Island Beach Clean Up Reef Check Australia completed a beach cleanup as part of our annual expedition to Heron Island for Tangaroa Blue's Reefclean project. We have been visiting this site for over 10 years and have been working with UQ's Heron Island Research Station and the Heron Island Resort to identify and reduce debris on the island which is a green sea turtle and noddy tern and shearwater bird nesting site. After a presentation about reef ecosystem health and marine debris, a few brave souls braved the wind and wet and joined Reef Check Australia in collecting 2.45kg of debris on our island wide beach clean-up equating to 329 items, less than previous years. After speaking with community leaders from both institutions on the island we learnt that regular cleanups are now part of staff and volunteer duties which says a lot about how positive action leads to more positive action! Huge thankyou to Heron Island Research Station and the Heron Island Resort for the continued support and our volunteers for all your efforts! Reef Check Australia Acknowledge the Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang, Bailai and Taribelang Bunda peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through Reefclean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef. Brain Food Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share. If you are a regular reader of Dive Log magazine you will have come across numerous articles written by Mike Scotland. Mike has put together this book which is an educational course on invertebrate marine life supported by 299 colour photos. For more information or to purchase a copy email [email protected] or [email protected]   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean What can we learn from fish ear bones? Read now in ABC news Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Saturday 4 February  | Clean Up for the Hatchlings, Sunshine Coast. Register on the Sunshine Coast Council website for the land based clean up or email [email protected] if you want to join in the snorkel. Sunday 5 March | Clean Up Australia Day Beach Clean Up - Straddie Who is keen to have a spectacular day on Minjerribah and help clean up our local beaches? The plan is to meet at Meet at the top of the stairs leading to South Gorge on Kennedy Drive, Point Lookout. Check out https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/fundraisers/emmameyer or our website for more details. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2022 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia1/377 Montague RdWest End, QLD 4101Australia