St. Croix, VI – May 24, 2011– Come to Rhythms at Rainbow Beach on Sunday May 29^th from 1-10pm for REEF JAM, the biggest celebration of coral reef and the marine environment in the V.I.! Reef Jam is hosting its fourth annual event to “encourage marine conservation and stewardship through community education and outreach.”  For only $5, attendees get to listen to live music from Romanza, Kurt Schindler and Jahnee Red Locks & da Tree a We.   There will be tons of raffles throughout the day, as well as a whole line-up of FREE reef-related activities for the whole family in the Reeftivity Zone.

“We have something for every age,” says Project Manager, Melanie L. Feltmate.  “From fish, squid and lionfish dissections, to snorkel clinics (gear included) and Stand-Up Paddle Board races.”  Reef Jam teamed up with St. Croix Environmental Association for a fun new activity called Reef Rap.  High School students from all over St. Croix have written songs about the reef, and will compete on stage to win fabulous prizes.  “If you aren’t in the competition, you can still write a song in the Reef Rap workshop, and perform on stage,” says Feltmate.  Reef Jam also teamed up with the CRABBS dive club to have a lionfish tournament.  “Lionfish are a serious threat to the reefs and our livelihood,” says Feltmate.  For $10, lionfish hunters who catch the largest and the smallest lionfish can win a plethora of prizes.

Janelle Schindler and her husband Kurt founded Reef Jam in 2008 during International Year of the Reef.  “Living on an island, every single one of us is affected by the health of our reefs,” Says Schindler.  “This event is to celebrate the incredible resource that surrounds us and gives us life.”  All funds raised at the event go back to the St. Croix community in the form of Mini-Grants.  “The Reef Jam 2010 Mini-Grant winners will be on hand to show what great things they have been doing for the reef with the money raised last year.”

Reef Jam 2011 is sponsored by HOVENSA, Bellows International, Heineken, Spencer Ocean Services, Ye Cottage Feed Shop, H&H Tire, Rhythms at Rainbow Beach, Kurt & Janelle Schindler, Melanie L. Feltmate, and receives fiduciary services from the Virgin Islands Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. (V.I. RC&D). Information about Reef Jam including schedule of events, rules for contests, and application forms for Mini-Grants can be found at www.ReefJam.com, on our Facebook page or by contacting Project Managers Janelle Schindler at 340-643-6095 or Melanie L. Feltmate at ReefJamSTX@gmail.com.

Click the link below for rules and information
Lion Fish Tournament

Sign up at any St Croix dive shop to have a chance at the great prizes for the Lionfish Tournament!

Sunday Beach Day –  2 Sunday brunches and unlimited tanks and weights to dive the Davis Bay Wall – donated by Sweet Bottom Dive Center and Carambola Beach Resort
$50 Gift Certificate – donated by Sonya, Ltd.
2 Family Day Passes to Coral World on St. Thomas – donated by Coral World
2 Tank Fill Gift Certificates – donated by Cane Bay Dive Shop
2 Tank Boat Dive – donated by N2theBlue Dive Shop
Lionfish Equipment – 1 large catch net, 2 small catch nets, 1 slurp gun, 1 spear gun – donated by N2theBlue Dive Shop

***Remember, their spines are poisonous, so BE CAREFUL!!!

Quick Lionfish Facts from Reef.org

Invasion history

• Two visually identical species of lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic via the US aquarium trade beginning in 1980’s
• Lionfish invaded range is NC to South America including the Gulf of Mexico
• Lionfish have established throughout most of the Caribbean in less than 3 years (first reports outside of the Bahamas in 2007)

Biology

• Lionfish may live longer than 15 years reaching sizes exceeding 47cm (~20 in.)
• Lionfish inhabit all marine habitat types and depths (shoreline to  over 600’)
• Lionfish possess venomous spines capable of deterring predators and inflicting serious stings and reactions in humans
• Lionfish become sexually mature in less than 1-year and spawn in pairs
• In the Caribbean a single female lionfish can spawn over ~2 million eggs/year
• Reproduction occurs throughout the year about every 4 days
• Lionfish eggs are held together in a gelatinous mass and are dispersed at the ocean’s surface by currents, where their larval duration is ~30 days

Ecology

• Lionfish can reach densities over 200 adults per acre
• Lionfish are generalist carnivores that consume >56 species of fish and many invertebrate species, with prey exceeding half the lionfish’s body size
• Many lionfish prey are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important
• Lionfish populations can consume > 2.1 kg (4.5 lb) of prey/ hectare/day
• On heavily invaded sites, lionfish have reduced their fish prey by up to 90% and continue to consume native fishes at unsustainable rates
• Native predators exhibit avoidance for lionfish
• Lionfish have very few parasites compared to native species
• Lionfish exhibit site fidelity

Control

• Lionfish are edible and considered a delicacy
  ***NOTE: Recent studies have shown that lionfish may have ciguatera, so please take caution until more conclusive studies come out
• Local removal efforts can significantly reduce lionfish densities

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is a fun and easy way to learn a sport that originated in Hawaii. With a growing community in the USVI and the need for additional sustainable recreational activities, The Friends of the St. Croix East End Marine Park, a network of volunteers and supporters dedicated to the protection & preservation of OUR Marine Park, decided to organize the 1^st Annual Stand Up Paddle Board Race this Fall and are very excited to bring Stand Up Paddle Boarding to Reef Jam.

Teres Veho is one of the few operators on island that offer Stand Up Paddle Board Experiences. You can see them at Sand Castles on the beach, around the Pier, Altoona Lagoon etc. They offer lessons, daily rentals, SUP Fitness, customized SUP Safaris and SUP Parties for kids/adults.

Come to Reef Jam, Celebrate the Reef by trying out a fun yet sustainable activity and get more info on upcoming SUP events on St. Croix.

SUP schedule at Reef Jam:

1:00 – 1:30 – SUP Demonstrations

1:30 – 2:30  – SUP Lessons

3:00 – 4:00 – Adult Race

4:00 – 4:30 – Kids Team Building fun course – 10 & under

4:30 – 5:00 – Kids Team Building fun course – 15& under

*Sign up is required due to limited number of boards.

*Kids will be required to take a short lesson prior to getting on the board.

Reef Jam’s line-up of musical guests will include:
1-2:30 – Romanza, a spicy Latin trio
3:00 –6:30 – Kurt Schindler, island vibes meets alternative rock
7-10 – Jahnee Red Locks and Da Tree ah We, unique funky reggae

St. Croix Environmental Association will be organizing TONS of FREE GAMES AND ACTIVITIES for kids and families in the Reeftivity Zone including
- FREE snorkel clinic (gear provided!)
- Fish dissections
- Turtle games
- Reef Rap – come to the Reeftivity Zone to learn how to write a rap about the coral reef, and then perform it on stage!!!

New things to look out for this year:
- Stand Up Paddle Board lessons and races (come learn a crazy cool sustainable recreation activity! – sponsored by the STX East End Marine Park)
- Lionfish Tournament (help get these voracious invaders out of our waters and win cool prizes! – sponsored by the CRABBS Dive Club)
- Tilapia being served at the Reef Jam grill (a delicious alternative to reef fish! – sponsored by UVI)
- Reef Rap - (watch your friends compete in a ra

p-off about the reef for cool prizes – sponsored by Hertz Rent-A-Car and the Buccaneer)
- Recycled Totes (get your official Reef Jam tote that used to be a plastic bottle! – sponsored by OnebyOne and 4imprint)

This GUARANTEES to be the biggest and best Reef Jam yet, so
STAY TUNED TO FACEBOOK AND OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!

***no coolers please

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and supporters!

Reef Jam would like to thank our sponsors, donors and volunteers.  We appreciate all your support!

Reef Jam SPONSORS

HOVENSA LLC.

H & H Tire and Battery

Spencer Ocean Services

V.I. Resource Conservation and Development Council

Rhythms at Rainbow Beach

Heineken

Bellows International

Kurt and Janelle Schindler

Melanie L. Feltmate

Dive Experience

Cape Air

St.CroixTourism.com

Cottage Feed

Reef Rap Sponsors

St. Croix Environmental Association

The Buccaneer

Hertz

SCUBA

Lionfish Derby Sponsors

CRABBS Dive Club

N2 the Blue Dive Shop

Super Hot Webmaster

Marjo Aho

Outstanding Volunteers

Jennifer Russell

Lynnea Roberts

Luke Bugel

Scott Atkinson

Charmin Springer

Videographers

Dive HDV

www.divehdv.com

Community Groups

St. Croix Environmental Association

Coral Conservation Corps

National Park Service

The Nature Conservancy

VI Energy Office

St. Croix East End Marine Park

Stand Up Paddle VI

Recycling Association of the VI

VI Conservation Society

CRABBS Dive Club

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Volunteers

Adrian Rogers

Anna Frankel

AnnMarie Gibbs

Ashley Hunt

Barbara Troutman

Bethany Bradford

Brandon Rausch

Celeste Fahie

Connor Mashburn

Crista Baker

Darlene Flobeck

Darrell Mestier

Derek Shupe

Don Cox

Ellen Roecker

Ellen Sanpere

Holly Schaeferle

Ian Lundgren

Jamie McCullough

Jamie Schrimpf

Jan Hart

Jenn Travis

Jennifer Almeida

Jim Davison

Joe Hazi

John Henderson

Jolie Anderson

Joya Joseph

Julie Wright

Kelcie Troutman

Kieran Isidore

Kim Lucas

Kimberly Edwards

Laura Foster

Leslie Cramer

Linda Hoose

Luke Bugel

Lynnea Roberts

Marcia Taylor

Margot Marianee Bashman

Marisol Rodriquez

Marjo Aho

Matt Ridgway

Melissa Acevedo

Miki Boulin

Nancy Graff

Nicole Dunton

Noah Sacks

Norm Gusstafson

Oshun Asaro

Pat O’Laughlin

Paul Vrabcek

Rick Coats

Rishi Khull

Robert Georgopul

Ryan Reilly

Sam Halvorson

Savannah Holden

Scott Atkinson

Scott Coffiell

Sequoyah Schindler

Sharon Grimes

Shorav Kaushik

Sky Schindler

Steve Grimes

Sue Foster

Tucker Brown

Vanessa Forbes

Will Coles

Zak Orr

Reef Rap Participants

Rheyanna Lewis

Natasha Ceballos

Omari Chancellor

Lynette Cassius

Meriano Jacobs

Nathalia Stedman

Gloria Morales

Shenique Jeremiah

Carisma Bishop

Makera Christopher

Awquen Irish

Casim Phipps

Che Wilson

Omari Rollin

Carlos Perez

Angelica Diaz

Khalan Mitchell

Ruben Olaverri

Amara Lopez

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and supporters!

In the middle of a tilapia dissection - COOL!

1:00 – 2:00 – Reef Rap Workshop - Come sing songs about the ocean and create your own. Fun for all ages!

2:00 – 3:00 – Squid & Tilapia dissections - Who said “Gross!” and “Cool!” can’t be in the same statement? We’ll look at the inards of these marine creatures and learn fascinating details about their body structures

3:00 – 4:00 – Snorkel clinic for school-aged children to adult – Beginners to experienced welcome – gear, instruction and lifeguard provided

4:00 – 5:00 – Games: Symbiosis Tag & Sediment Trap – Come see what these active games are all about!

5:00 – 5:45 – Turtle Time. Learn about St. Croix’s sea turtles – Promises to be fun….you never know what this presenter has up his sleeve!

5:45 – 6:00 – Beach clean-up

The poster is in Adobe pdf format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat reader on your computer, you can download it for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Reef Rap Poster 2011

The sponsors of SEA’s Coral Conservation Corps program, The Buccaneer and Hertz Rental Car of St. Croix, have generously funded this event. Lynnea Roberts, SEA’s education coordinator, and Melanie Feltmate, Reef Jam project manager, will be in schools during the month of February to teach students about the state of our coral reefs, facilitate discussion about how students can be proactive citizens to protect the reef, and promote the competition. Contestants will rap or sing an original song about protecting our coral reef.

There are three categories eligible for fabulous prizes: Lyrics, Performance, and Buck Island, which is in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Buck Island Reef National Monument.

Prizes: Category: Lyrics

• 1st Place Discover SCUBA dive experience T-shirts, with winner’s lyrics printed on them Reusable Reef Jam cups $524 value
• 2nd Place Kayak tour and lunch Reusable Reef Jam cups $204 value

Category: Performance

• 1st Place Private boat snorkel trip & lunch for contestants and friends (maximum of 10 passengers) Reusable Reef Jam cups $684 value
• 2nd Place Jet ski experience Reusable Reef Jam cups $364 value

Category: Buck Island Reef National Monument

• Best Performance Trip to Buck Island Reef National Monument – day in the park (hike, snorkel, beach swim, and picnic) Buck Island 50th Anniversary t-shirt & poster Honorary guest performers at the Buck Island Reef National Monument 50th Anniversary celebration (December 2011, Location TBA)
• Best Lyrics Buck Island 50th Anniversary t-shirt & poster

To find the rules and guidelines for the ReefRap contest click here.

To read everything we post about about ReefRap go here.

ReefRap is generously sponsored by the Buccaneer Hotel and Hertz Rent a Car.

E-mail lyrics and entry form to stxccc@hotmail.com

You may download the ReefRap entry form by clicking here.

Please note that you may NOT make significant changes to your lyrics after submitting them. Teams that do so may be disqualified.

• Up to 4 students can be on a Reef Rap team
• Performance should be between 2 and 4 minutes

Content:

• Your team’s Reef Rap must be about the importance of coral reefs, the living things that depend on them, and how we can protect the coral reef.

Music:

• If you use a song by another artist – make sure you sing to an instrumental version of the song.
• You may play musical instruments during your performance.
• You may sing a cappella (no music).

Lyrics:

• Lyrics must be original.
• You must include at least 5 words or concepts from the following  ‘key words’ list. : 

Coral Reef, Green, turtle, Food chain or food web, Ecosystem, Preserve, Elkhorn coral, Seagrass, Conservation, Staghorn coral, Abundant, Threatened, Climate change or Global warming, Turtle grass, Pollution, Runoff or Nonpoint source pollution, Parrot fish, Endangered, Over fishing (take too many), Zooxanthellae, Habitat, Biodiversity, Precious, Protect or Protection, Rainforest of the ocean, Leatherback turtle, Ocean Mangrove, Hawksbill turtle, Trash, Boat anchor, Fragile, Ancient, Careful or take care,Vibrant or colorful, Tropical, Coral bleaching, Sediment, Poach (to take illegally), Symbiosis or symbiotic relationship

Buck Island Reef Rap Category

Songs must include the words:

• Buck Island, 5oth Anniversary (or similar – 50 years, 50^th birthday)

And have at least five of these words or concepts

Coral or coral reef, Elkhorn coral, Our Virgin Island natural treasures,

Marine conservation, Hiking, Our beautiful Caribbean island,

Picnicking, Snorkeling, Our threatened island marine resources,

Park rangers, Boating, Traditional fishing/sustainable fishing,

Beaching, Sea turtles, How to keep our island ocean healthy,

To find information and inspiration to your lyrics and to learn more about reefs you can check out these resources:

http://www.coral.org/resources/about_coral_reefs

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcorals/

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/threats/

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/conservation/

http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/MediaDetail.php?MediaID=547&MediaTypeID=2

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/threats/fishing/

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/threats/pollution/welcome.html

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/threats/climate/welcome.html

http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/

http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/coral_index.cfm

Ways to protect coral reefs

http://www.suite101.com/content/10-easy-ways-to-help-protect-coral-reefs-a299891

http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/25list.html

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbN161yBBGA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZwslWYJPU

About Buck Island Reef National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/buis/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/buis/naturescience/animals.htm

http://www.nps.gov/buis/naturescience/naturalfeaturesandecosystems.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Island_Reef_National_Monument

http://www.stjohntraveler.com/attractions/national-park-underwater-trail.php