As part of the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee’s Ocean to Everglades environmental initiative in 2020, Frost Science teamed up with the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science’s Rescue a Reef program, FORCE BLUE and NFL Green to outplant 100 staghorn corals in waters adjacent to Rainbow Reef, in honor of the 100th season of the NFL.
This original initiative was then expanded on the next year into 100 Yards of Hope, with the goal of reestablishing a larger area of reef. All partners, with the addition of The Florida Aquarium and SECORE International, worked together to outplant over 1,000 staghorn coral fragments, thousands of mountainous star coral larvae, and 55 Elkhorn corals to commemorate the 55th Super Bowl.
Even though Florida did not host a Super Bowl in 2022, we expanded upon this initiative by continuing to restore the site including introducing long-spined sea urchins. These urchins are a beneficial herbivore for reefs and will graze on algae that can hinder coral settlement. By increasing their population at the site, we hope to improve their ability to spawn and reproduce in order to restore their population.
This partnership, which began in June 2019, continues to bring together military veterans, university students, environmentalists, corporate leaders and local volunteers in conservation efforts and will result in a major restoration of reef area directly off Key Biscayne.
