By Daily Press staff
Nick Fash, educator at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, next month will join a team of researchers in Belize to study environmental and anthropogenic impacts on coral growth along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.
This Aug. 6-19, he will join a team of researchers in the Sapodilla Cayes, Belize, studying environmental and anthropogenic impacts on coral growth along the reef.
Through a scholarship provided by the Helen and Peter Bing Foundation and the Earthwatch Institute, Fash will be working with Dr. James Crabbe from the University of Luton, England. The expedition will be with the Belize Conservation Research Initiative, and the team will be documenting how the effects of hurricanes, pollution and global warming are changing one of Earth’s most precious resources, the coral reefs. The information will be used to help resource managers better combat adverse forces and plan ahead to keep reefs in a healthy state. Earthwatch this year will sponsor more than 155 research projects in 48 countries and 16 U.S. states, supporting scientific field research related to sustainable development conducted by leading scientists in a broad range of disciplines, from habitat management to healthcare.
Fash will present his findings from the Belize expedition in public forums in the fall. Visit www.earthwatch.org or call 800-776-0188 to learn more about how to get involved with Earthwatch expeditions.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 13, 2006. Read the original PDF.