Cozumel Marine Park (COPRENAT) / The Money Bar (Comer Realty Investments) Phase II
After the initial phase where 32 Reef Balls were placed, Owners of the Money Bar worked with Reef Ball Mexico to make a donation to increase the number of units, to provide a place for training/deployments and to extend the snorkeling area to in front of their property where snorkelers to the park generally end their snorkels for showers and shade. Reef Ball Mexico contacted the Marine Park that was already planning to do additional Reef Balls too and together they worked out a way to combining the building and deploying so that everyone got more units that originally budgeted. Since this larger project attracted attention from the Reef Ball Foundation's Coral Team, Reef Ball Mexico and Reef Ball Foundation worked out funding to offer the project international expert training to the Cozumel Marine Park staff for asexual coral reproduction and planting from the Reef Ball Foundation's Coral Team. Reef Ball Mexico provided hotel and food for the international experts and Coral Team volunteers and the experts volunteered their time. During the project, the Reef Ball Coral Team certified park staff from both Cozumel and Cancun Marine Parks as well as other local and international volunteers to Level II Coral Propagation & Planting Speciallists. Because both projects share the same geographical location and were performed at the same time we have group this project photos as a single project. However, we would like to offer our special thanks to The Marine Park, The Money Bar (Comer Reality), Reef Ball Mexico & Reef Ball Coral Team which all contributed fully with their respective project roles.
The Money Bar sponsored 1/2 of the Reef Balls deployed in Phase II. (21 of 42 units). 16 where place in front of the restaurant and the other 5 were used to connect the Marine Park project to these units biologically so that marine life could use the entire ecosystem seamlessly. Endangered Acropora Palmata coral fragments were planted on all of these newly laid reef balls (in preference to the Phase I Reef Balls) because new Reef Balls don't have as much growth on them and don't attract coralivous [coral eating] snails as much and therefore give the new corals a better chance to grow. If you visit The Money Bar or the adjacent Marine park and you notice snails directly on any elkhorn corals with a white mark on the coral around the snail please remove the snail from the coral but don't touch the coral itself. Drop the snail in the sand as far from the corals as possible. You may notice the park marine biologists doing this in the future and if so please thank them for their efforts.
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