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Reef Ball Reef Restoration Coalition 150 Executive Center Drive Suite B-127 Greenville, SC USA 29615
Contact: Barbara Petersen Marketing Director (864) 675-9740 - (800) 831-5731
RESTORING CORAL REEFS WITH REEF BALLS ON YOUR VACATION
Greenville, SC - April 6, 1999 - Jerry Barber of Sunbelt Capital and Joyce Moore of Wanderlust Adventure Travel, have formed a new company, Reef Ball Reef Restoration Coalition. The Coalition was formed to take travelers who love the oceans to places all over the world build and deploy modular artificial reefs in areas where reefs are damaged or where there are no reefs at all.
What is a Reef Ball Reef ? It is an artificial reef that imitates a natural reef, made of concrete balls fu11 of "Swiss Cheese" holes with a surface texture that enhances the settlement of marine life. These Reef Balls are made on the beach by pouring concrete into a fiberglass mold containing a polyform buoy surroumded by various sized balls to make holes. Once the concrete is dry, the Reef Balls can be rolled into the water and floated into place for a snorkeling reef, or towed by a small boat to any location and deployed by deflating the rubber buoy inside. "It's a volunteer vacation, helping the oceans and enjoying an adventure in an exotic location", said Mrs. Moore. No special skills are required, though much interest is from divers and snorkelers.
The Reef Ball Coalition's goal is to have every team member take part in a worthwhile project while enjoying their vacation—helping restore the fragile coral reefs throughout the world. Participants purchase vacations, which would include the cost of building and deploying the reefs, along with a typical vacation package of accommodations, excursions and various amenities. Project emphasis is on education, with participants enjoying hands-on marine ecology fieldwork, including studying reef fish and monitoring coral health.
The Coalition has attracted much interest from the educational community, seeking to find ways to enhance research through on-site observation, living classrooms and teacher training.
The Reef Ball Coalition presently has sites selected in the Turks and Caicos, Dominica, St Lucia and St. Kitts for summer and fall of 1999. Additional sites are pending in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Belize, and St. Martin.
Joyce Moore, Project Director for RBC, is a travel industry veteran. She has owned and managed a travel agency for 25 years, while traveling, organizing and escorting groups to every continent on the globe. Mrs. Moore said, "It will certainly be exciting to not only contribute to the economy of these destinations, but to the environment as well. Everyone wins-the islands, the volunteers, and best of all, the oceans!"
You can find them at www.reefballcoalition.org. This site will enable clients to book vacations online and provide them with all project host locations, field study programs, schedules, and prices. Mrs. Moore can be reached at reefballcoalition@innova.net with any questions or comments.