(Jun 28, 2007) Think of Reef Balls as prefabs for
fish: structures made of specially formulated
marine-friendly concrete in an
assortment of sizes, ranging from six to
5,000 pounds, with holes and tunnels
throughout. To attract tenants, living
coral is transplanted onto the Reef Balls,
which are then strategically placed in
good neighborhoods. Let nature take
its course and soon you have an ongoing
block party of happy marine inhabitants
enjoying their new homes.
To get the "balls" rolling, the Nature
Foundation enlisted the help of the Reef
Ball Development Group and received
funding assistance from the Dutch
Recovery Fund through the St. Maarten
Tourist Bureau. Local volunteers helped
install the first 150 Reef Balls south of
Little Bay, close to the Carib Cargo shipwreck.
A second project, Goliath, is
underway to try and restore the beach at
Sonesta Maho using much larger Reef
Balls that weigh up to one ton. The
foundation will also participate in a reef
monitoring project with the international
organization Reef Check.Mother
Nature can always use a helping hand.
For more information, or if you’d
like to create more housewarmings for
ocean inhabitants, contact the Nature
Foundation of St.Maarten at 542-0267,
info@naturefoundationsxm.org or visit
www.naturefoundationsxm.org
