Marsha Pardee
March 21, 2004
Summary of Program Coordination Activities
For the
Martin County Artificial Reef Program
River Reefs Project
The Martin County River Reefs Project was initiated in through FIND funding in October 2002. The initial funding aided in the design and permitting of specific sites to be used for deployment of artificial reefs within the Indian River lagoon. The second phase of this project was intended to develop participant programs that would enable participants to build artificial reefs while learning about the Martin County Artificial Reef Program. The Florida Oceanographic Society (FOS) and The Martin county Environmental Studies Center (ESC) agreed to be the two main facilitators of the participant programs. Funding was then needed to procure the necessary equipment and materials for the project.
Now that funding has been secured through FIND and the Martin County Board of Commissioners, the project has been able to move forward. In order to launch the Martin County River Reefs Project the following activities were initiated:
A detailed summary of these activities follows.
Several vendors were contacted for design, pricing and customizing of trailers, with Indian River Trailers in Ft. Pierce offering the best prices and customizing services. The trailer design includes a length of 16ft, with double axle trailer, ramp door, concession window, full access door, roof and access vents, and small access door. The total price for all is $4800 and was completed by February 24. A carpenter (Jamie Calloway) was then hired to outfit the interior with the needed support frameworks for use. This work was completed by February 27, 2004. Additionally Mr. Calloway was hired to construct bases for the Reefball molds. Total billing for this work was $600 (invoiced as $450 and $150). The bases were delivered to the ESC site by March 8, 2004. All equipment and materials were organized, labeled and placed within the trailer and an illustrated packing guide was developed to assist users in maintenance and packing of the trailer.
An itemized list of all equipment needs was developed and taken to the Contractors Department of the Home Depot in Ft. Pierce. All items were located and coded for full pricing and procurement. Items not within this store were ordered and all items set aside for delivery upon the requested date of February 24, 2004. Additionally, a cement mixer was purchased from Harbor Freight in Stuart, Florida and picked by MC Field-ops for delivery to the ESC site on March 8, 2004. All items have been inventoried with sheets developed for checking in / out all equipment and perishables needed for the program. These sheets will be faxed to the Coastal engineer at the completion of each program for accounting and restocking of needed elements.
Reefball Foundations Director Kathy Kirbo was contacted for ordering of the 5 Oyster Molds and 5 Lo-Pro Molds needed to run the participant programs. Larry Beggs, a Reefball Trainer, was also contacted to arrange a training session March 8, 2004 with a another certified Reefball trainer (Harry). Sole source letters were produced for invoicing of these items including 2 days training time.
Graphic Design and Implementation
Graphic Design Artist Brian Sylvester was contacted with regards of producing the artwork needed for the trailer. Brian solicited bids from the graphic production companies to reproduce the artwork in mural format. Meetings were held to review artwork options and design of the graphics. The trailer graphics were applied March 8 and March12, 2004. Similar graphics will be used for interpretive signs at the FOS and ESC facilities, and Indian Riverside Park.
Coordination with Participation Organizations
The two main facilitating organizations are Florida Oceanographic Society (FOS) and the Environmental Studies Center (ESC). Key facilitators within these organizations are Kelly Sylvester and Philip Baldwin (FOS) and John Wakeman (ESC). A calendar for coordination of scheduling dates is being developed to organize logistics and to ensure there is no scheduling conflicts between the two organizations. These organizations will then further coordinate with their various participant groups to establish further programs.
Training Program
A training program for the two facilitating organizations was planned and orchestrated March 8 and 9, 2004. This training session was similar to the one held May, 2003 to train the facilitators that will be working with the participant programs. Five people attended the first afternoon session and a total of 11 people attended the second afternoon session, including 3 from the previous day. Trainees became familiar with the new operatives included with the trailer mechanism, made a total of 8 Lopro and Oyster Balls, as well as participated in a working group session discussing where training program options and information for handouts were discussed.
Two handouts (FACT sheets) were produced to augment the artificial reef participant programs. These materials cover the basic educational facts about reef habitats in general, the use of artificial reefs, and the Martin County Artificial Reef Program and the River Reefs component. The first Fact series was developed as a handout for participants with the second series containing more information on each topic for trainers to assist in fielding additional queries and/or developing further education materials.
In the future we hope to work with the ESC to develop additional FACT sheets containing information specific to the Indian River Lagoon. Pamphlets on the ecological function of the Indian River Lagoon and the role this artificial reef habitat will play are under way and will be made available to both participants in the program and the general public.