Building Hope, One Coral at a Time: Sea Base Scouts Lead the Charge in Ocean Recovery
By Carole Firth, National Office of Development
Updated July 22, 2025
Sowing Seeds of Hope: Sea Base’s Coral Restoration Legacy
For decades, Sea Base High Adventure has offered young people unparalleled opportunities to explore and appreciate the wonders of the marine environment. More than just adventure, Sea Base has evolved into a crucial hub for conservation, seamlessly integrating hands-on environmental action into its programs. Here, young Scouts are transformed into budding ocean stewards, actively participating in the vital restoration of Florida’s reef, the third largest in the world. Rooted in the core Scout ethos of leaving every place better than they found it, Sea Base embarked on a groundbreaking conservation initiative in 2019: the establishment of a dedicated coral restoration program at the Brinton Environmental Center (BEC). This program, operating within one of the few land-based coral nurseries in the Florida Keys, focuses on cultivating and then planting hard corals, the very foundation and essential backbone of the reef ecosystem.
This ambitious endeavor has seen remarkable growth since its inception. What began with a modest broodstock of just 200 corals has blossomed into a thriving nursery that can now house over 15,000 corals. Today, Sea Base welcomes thousands of young people each year, providing them with invaluable hands-on experience in many aspects of coral husbandry, from the delicate process of micro-fragmentation to the crucial act of outplanting. This unwavering dedication to conservation transcends being merely an educational exercise; instead, it represents a vital and proactive effort to restore these fragile ecosystems, which are disappearing at an alarming rate.
A Testament to Resilience: Sea Base’s Impact on Reef Recovery
The effectiveness and real-world impact of the Sea Base Coral Restoration Program were dramatically highlighted in a recent article published in the 2025 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary magazine. This article detailed how, during the unprecedented heatwave of the summer of 2023 that caused widespread coral mortality, the corals nurtured by Sea Base at the BEC not only survived but thrived. The program’s contributions stand as a powerful testament to its effectiveness and the careful husbandry practices employed. As Dr. Abigail Clark, National Assistant Director of STEM Programs for Scouting America, observed, “Seeing them doing so well gave me tremendous encouragement and hope that we’re on the right track.”
This remarkable resilience directly underscores the critical role Sea Base plays in broader reef recovery initiatives, most notably NOAA’s Mission: Iconic Reefs. This ambitious program aims to restore seven key reefs in the Florida Keys to 25% coral coverage, enabling them to reproduce naturally. To achieve this significant goal, the effort will involve planting over 500,000 corals and restoring nearly 3 million square feet of reef. The “reskinning” technique utilized by Sea Base, coupled with the careful selection of hardy coral genotypes, is proving to be a powerful and promising tool in these larger reef recovery endeavors.
Expanding Horizons: Future Growth & Support
Building upon this demonstrated success, the Sea Base Capital plan is strategically focused on expanding its reach by serving even more young people and replicating the highly successful coral restoration program model established at the Brinton Environmental Center at Sea Base Islamorada. This plan will double the number of corals grown and outplanted each year, increasing from 15,000 corals to 20,000 corals grown at the Brinton Environmental Center and launching a new coral nursery at Sea Base Islamorada to grow 20,000 corals.
This significant growth is made possible through the generous support of dedicated donors and valuable partnerships. Earlier this month, Sea Base proudly christened the “Spike CRV” (Coral Reef Vessel), a state-of-the-art 45-foot catamaran power boat that will serve as both a “floating classroom,” providing an immersive learning environment, and a crucial platform for the efficient planting of coral. This invaluable vessel was generously donated by Mike and Gayle Yoh in memory of Mike’s father, Spike Yoh, a dedicated conservationist and Scouter who served as the Sea Base Committee Chair with distinction from 2005 to 2009. Furthermore, this May, largely through the dedicated campaign efforts of the Sea Base Committee, Sea Base Islamorada will proudly dedicate its first new facility in three decades, the Sea Base Sailing Dorm.
Building a Legacy: Empowering Future
Ocean Stewards
With 85% of teens deeply concerned about our planet’s future, Sea Base stands as the only program uniquely empowering young Scout scientists to make a real difference. Through hands-on experiences like coral restoration—vital for the world’s third largest reef tract, participants directly contribute to conservation. They learn how reefs are essential for food, shoreline protection, medicine, and more. Sea Base ignites a lifelong passion for protecting our planet, proving that direct action fuels lasting change.
Reference
Atwell, S. (2024-2025). Scout’s Honor. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 2024-2025, 36-39. https://issuu.com/keysweekly/docs/sanctuary_foundation
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