We traded our usual meeting space for something a little more ocean-inspired this week! We started the day with great conversation and boxed lunches. Thank you to Ethos Preservation for graciously hosting us in their offices and courtyard. After lunch, we walked over to the Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center for a tour of their exhibits.
The Discovery Center allows visitors to explore one of the largest live-bottom reefs in the Southeast without even getting wet! Sarah, our tour guide, took us through each panel in the exhibit which highlighted marine biodiversity, conservation efforts, and the importance of protecting these ecosystems for future generations. Sarah shared that there are over 1200 species who live on the reef with 200 different types of fish. Two thirds of the reef is open to the public with the remaining being used for research. An interesting fact we learned is that hundreds of black tip sharks congregate at the reef on the same day every year. She also spoke about how the North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species. To learn more about the North Atlantic right whale and the AIS stations that are being utilized to help save them, please click on the following link https://graysreeffoundation.org/ais-beacon/