You all loved our prior introductions to Julie, Heather, and Tiff so we wanted to keep that momentum moving forward by highlighting even more of our amazing team. Everyone say hi to Antal and Alejandrina. 

Antal and Alejandrina were among the first to dive in Tela and recognize the rich ecosystem of #TheRebelReef. They quickly worked to established Tela as the first Honduran Marine Protected Area and built an aquarium, @tela_marine, through which thousands of people discover the rare underwater biodiversity just steps from the beach. Tela Marine also serves as co-Administrator of the Tela Bay Marine Protected Area.

The work that these two have done has forged a path forward in the long term protection of #TheRebelReef and we are so thankful to have both of them as a part of the Tela Coral team.

Stay tuned for even more introductions! 

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Did you know that corals have an organism that lives within their tissues? 

The symbiotic relationship that corals have with a tiny algae (called zooxanthellae) is quite fascinating. These algae provide the corals with food and oxygen, and in return, the corals provide them with a safe place to live. The alga also gives corals the vibrant colors that we love to see while divining (or snorkeling) on a reef. Overall, it’s a win-win situation! 

However, when corals are exposed to stressful conditions, such as high temperatures, pollution, or changes in the water’s chemistry, they expel the zooxanthellae. Without them, the coral loses its color and turns white, hence the term “bleaching.” Corals can not live very long in this state but coral bleaching doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the reef. If the stressor is removed in time, the zooxanthellae can come back and the corals can recover.

Here on #TheRebelReef we sometimes see bleaching but the corals consistently recover and even during other mass bleaching events throughout the Caribbean we often see little to no stress on the corals within Tela Bay. These observations of resilience fill us with hope for the future of our reefs and serve as a reminder of how truly unique #TheRebelReef is. 

#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela ...

Twenty five thousand dollars... and we owe it all to YOU!!!

Confronted with the urgency of facing corals during record heat, Tela Coral launched an emergency campaign earlier this year to build a genetic bank to protect the unusually healthy coral on #TheRebelReef. And the coral loving community responded. 

Thanks to generous gifts from around the world and in donations both large and as small as $5, we here at Tela Coral are beyond thrilled to have raised $25,000 for construction of a genetic bank facility. Elkhorn coral will be the initial focus of our gene bank as this species used to dominate the Caribbean (and are expected to soon be extinct in Florida) but still flourish in Tela. 

By bringing fragments of corals into aquarium tanks that assure the coral’s health, they become a genetic bank through which we can begin to understand what makes the corals in Tela so special. And, with luck, we can share those lessons with other places and communities.

A huge shout out to all who donated and who continue to support #TheRebelReef. 

#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela ...

Our work here at @telacoral consists of three major pillars; science, media, and community empowerment. Each plays it’s respective role within the long term success of our mission and we wanted to share a little more on what each means to us!

Science - We facilitate scientific work and dream of establishing a permanent science program in Tela. We’ve already raised funds for to begin building a genetic bank, a stereomicroscope with a video camera, and an underwater drill. Our expeditions have begun establishing baseline scientific information including water quality, temperature, and sediment samples.

Media - Unless people are informed about Tela’s corals, they remain vulnerable. One of our priorities is to engage individuals with the skills and equipment to capture these stories through film, photography, sound, and more, documenting the events on #TheRebelReef. We’re thrilled to have attracted the attention of media outlets both in Honduras and in the United States. Our efforts have also brought new attention from top-tier research institutions. 

Community Empowerment - We’ve been thrilled to mentor a young aquarist from @tela_marine, supporting her work to share her stories at an international meeting. We’ve also had the privilege of partnering with @familiesinnature to bring students to Tela to participate in scientific research.

These three pillers factor into our daily operations and have allowed us to forge forward in our efforts to protect #TheRebelReef! 

#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela ...