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Kelly Montenero - Florida

Montenero is working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Coral Reef Conservation Program in Miami, where she is responsible for coordinating the Southeast Florida Action Network, a citizen science marine incident reporting and response program. She will also lead the development and implementation of a community engagement strategy to increase public awareness of reef resources and manage logistics for a reef tract water quality monitoring project that is being coordinated between FDEP and NOAA.

Kelly's projects include:

• Coordination and promotion of the Southeast Florida Action Network (SEAFAN), a citizen based reporting and response system designed to improve protection and management of southeast Florida’s coral reefs. SEAFAN is a network to which reef users can report signs of trouble for coral reefs, such as coral disease and marine debris, and acts as a conduit of information to partner agencies, to whom reports are directed. Kelly seeks out stakeholder groups in southeast Florida and gives presentations about SEAFAN and how observers can become a part of the network. She also receives and responds to each marine incident report, communicates with the observer, and coordinates a response from partner agencies, universities and nonprofits. She is developing and launching a "pledge program" with the goal of recruiting more observers to make reports to SEAFAN. 
• Organization and support of a water quality monitoring program along the Florida Reef Tract off Miami-Dade and Martin counties, in partnership with NOAA and the Florida DEP Coral Reef Conservation Program. 
• Development of a community engagement citizen science project that will survey biological disturbances along the Florida Reef Tract and adds to knowledge of coral reef conditions. 
• Support for the Coral Reef Management Fellowship at the National Coral Reef Institute.