Danilo Alayon is a fifth-generation “Conch” born and raised in Key West, an avid diver, a self-taught artist and proud grandson of the creator-painter of the island’s famed Southernmost Point buoy.

Danilo has embraced a unique form of artistry: he converts old, nicked and rusty scuba tanks into sustainable and luminously colorful works.

Through his original creations, Danilo draws attention to the Florida Keys’ underwater marine life with brilliant paintings of marlin, whales, dolphins, grouper, sea turtles and coral.

Danilo hails from a large Key West–rooted family that includes a brother and 12 first cousins. As a student in the island city, he was known for winning school art contests.

After high school, Danilo held a variety of jobs that included working at a yacht club kitchen and his family’s plumbing business. Today, he paints during about half of his working time and also tackles landscape design projects.

Now 35 years old, Danilo began painting scuba tanks about five years ago after a client suggested it as a commission. One collector, who doesn’t dive, has purchased five. The artist also paints spearfishing guns, guitars and canvas works.

Inspired by internationally renowned marine life artist Wyland, Danilo has collaborated with Hawaii-based artist Walfrido Garcia on a dive tank project on the Big Island and Maui. Danilo also created a colorful abstract 4-by-7.5-foot painting in the lobby of the Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda, Florida.

“I believe art can be taught, but I also believe you are born with (a talent),” he said. “I’m self-taught, but always learning new things.”

Although he recently purchased property in Port Charlotte, Florida, where some of his family members are relocating, Danilo can be found frequently around town and at Art on Duval Key West at 714 Duval St.

He and wife Ashley have three children: Alina, 14; Danilo, 11; and Austin, 7. In the near future, he hopes to open his own gallery.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Keys and why? 

Danilo Alayon: I was born in Key West in 1987. My home has always been Key West.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you? 

DA: The preservation of our coral reefs. Without them, all life would cease to exist. The coral reefs are also what give the Florida Keys their special beauty.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world? 

DA: My inspiration for creating my artwork is highly influenced by the creation all around us. I also have been inspired to create by spending many hours with my grandfather Danny Acosta, who is a sign painter and who has made his mark in Key West for many years. He is the original creator and painter of the Southernmost Point buoy that every tourist stops to take a picture with. 

KV: How does that passion influence your work? 

DA: When I create new pieces of art, it doesn’t feel like a job. I only paint from personal inspiration, without a deadline, so that the work doesn’t feel forced.

KV: What are some ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with or help to protect the local environment and unique lifestyle? 

DA: I hope that people will fall in love with the marine life and seascape pieces I create and see the beauty this world has to offer. It may move them to recycle more or leave less of a carbon footprint. In one way, I am trying to do this personally by painting old scuba tanks instead of them being trashed into a huge landfill. I create works of art that people can enjoy in their homes for many years.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged or focused on your path? 

DA: My family and the natural world of the Keys help to provide inspiration.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish? 

DA: Change, so that our children grow up and are able to experience the beauty of creation.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys? 

DA: Fishing, diving and spending time with family at the beach.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter? 

DA: Awareness that we all can do a little — and if we all do a little, in turn we will accomplish a lot.

Captain Matthew “Matt” Bellinger grew up in Sandy Springs, Georgia, studied marine science at the University of Tampa, traveled as a divemaster after college and clearly remembers the “aha!” moment that prompted his move to the Florida Keys.

“It was during a dive trip visit to the original Mrs. Mac’s over conch fritters, fresh mahi-mahi and iced tea with lime,” Matt recalled. “I said, ‘I’m going to come to the Keys to live.’”

At age 27, Matt bought Ocean Quest Dive Center in Islamorada. He operated it until 1998, when he sold it to staff.

Today his company Bamboo Charters is known for family fishing charters out of World Wide Sportsman in Islamorada. The company specializes in family trips and fun day adventures as well as backcountry, tarpon and shark fishing excursions — and one targeting redfish, snook and trout.

Matt, who describes himself as “240 pounds of mama’s boy,” grew up in an outdoors-loving family of “water people” with four siblings at least 20 years older. He earned his dive certification in high school as a birthday gift from his parents.

He named Bamboo Charters as an “ode to his mother” after the bamboo forests of his home state. In the Keys, though, Matt is known for conducting onboard education about preservation and conservation of Florida Bay, its “sea grass prairies” and the delicate ecosystems of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

His fleet of three 25-foot Contender Bay Boats and a Parker 25 Center Console can comfortably accommodate families of two adults and four children.

The deep-voiced Matt is also known for his daily radio fishing reports on Sun103.1 and Thunder Country 100.3, two Keys FM stations.

He and wife Ana, an American Airlines flight attendant, live in Islamorada.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Matt Bellinger: I first came to the Keys Thanksgiving weekend 1981. I came to complete my dive certification as an open water diver.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

MB: The wild side of the Florida Keys. The hardwood hammocks, down to mangrove shorelines then continuing out to the reefs, along with the wildlife that inhabit this area because they’re all reliant on each other.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

MB: My parents and two high school science teachers fueled my wonder of the outside world. My father always stressed “Harvest only what you will eat that day and minimize any negative impact on the environment around you.”

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

MB: My love and passion for the marine environment motivate me to educate my clients and imbue them, hopefully, with the same desire to protect this environment.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

MB: I take the approach on my boat that part of my job is to educate, inform and inspire my clients to learn and care more about this unique marine environment here in the Keys — as well as hopefully letting others know what a unique and fragile place this really is.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

MB: Over the years, I’ve come to know individual dolphins and manatees. When I see “Croptop the Dolphin” or “Big Momma the Manatee,” it reinforces the need I feel to motivate people to become involved with and to care for this environment.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

MB: That people should try to minimize their negative impact on the environment around them.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

MB: Snorkeling a mangrove shoreline or reef. On land I like to walk the trails at local state parks in Monroe County.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

MB: At the end of the day, I hope to motivate my clients to be inspired to learn more and care more about the environment here in the Keys and back home. Clients are seeking experiences together; more and more are also seeking education. We all have stewardship within us.

Summerland Key resident Dave Vaughan, founder of the Plant a Million Corals Foundation, is known worldwide for his “Eureka mistake” that led to a revolutionary coral fragmentation technique that enables the rapid growth of coral.

His technique is proving to be a vital tool in restoring and protecting the Florida Keys’ living coral barrier reef.

Dave is the pioneer of “micro-fragmentation” — the fragmenting or cutting of coral into small pieces of polyps. The process stimulates the rapid growth of coral tissue.

Throughout the Keys environmentalists, divers, citizen scientists and other volunteers are racing to replant resilient coral to replenish the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States through Mission: Iconic Reefs. The mission is an unprecedented effort to restore nearly 3 million square feet of the Florida Reef Tract at seven Keys reef sites.

Dave’s Plant a Million Corals’ land-based initiatives include development of transportable coral “nurseries in a box” (a 20-foot refrigerated shipping container) at the 4-acre bayside Summerland Farms. He ships the portable nurseries to exotic islands such as Mo’orea in French Polynesia, the Maldives and Puerto Rico and conducts about a week’s worth of training on-site.

Plant a Million Corals hopes to reduce the cost of replanting of each coral to $1, compared to $10 to $250 per coral currently spent by other nonprofit organizations. Dave’s foundation is funded through private donations and other foundations.

The scientist is also an author. His new book, “The Secret Life of Corals: Sex, War, and Rocks That Don’t Roll,” released in mid-November, is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and locally at Lower Keys Bait & Tackle and the National Key Deer Refuge Nature Center.

Dave, his wife Donna, daughter Dee Dee and son-in-law Jason Smause celebrated the official launch of Plant a Million Corals in early December.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Dave Vaughan: In 1975 I accompanied a research group to visit the (University of Miami’s then existing) Library of Seaweed at Pigeon Key.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

DV: The coral reefs providing protection for our community, food for our families and jobs for our economy. Our light green flats and deep blue ocean, where fishermen share their love of the water, and the mangrove forests keeping our inshore coastline in place all depend on the coral reefs.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

DV: Growing up I was fascinated with Jacques Cousteau and his undersea world. His work motivated me to pursue marine science. While working for Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota, I was inspired by two founders, Eugenie Clark and Sylvia Earle, who influenced me to move to the Keys and help with their coral restoration efforts.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

DV: I came to the Keys to work with coral research, but here I discovered technology used all over the world to grow and restore corals at 25 to 40 times faster than they would normally grow. Our facility, solar powered and off the grid, is developing ways to make coral restoration accessible and affordable to technicians and communities all over the world. It’s a global education, training and production hub for restoration — with a capacity of producing 1 million corals per year within two years.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

DV: Through my commitment to the coral reefs, here and internationally.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

DV: Hope! At my start in coral restoration, we would almost need therapy at the end of meetings because the technology was so slow. When I discovered micro-fragmentation, we realized that with all the stressors on the reef, we now had a tool that would bring that timeline into months and years.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

DV: Being on or in the water! I love to take our solar-powered dingy out on weekends and cruise over the sponge beds in front of our cove.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

DV: Environmental action in coral restoration will also trigger a reverence for the environment. Our kids can see the kind of Florida Keys life that I’ve been able to experience and enjoy.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

DV: Coral reefs are awesome. There is HOPE.

Caitlyn “Caiti” Currie, who captains Key Largo water excursions for Pirates Cove Watersports and for school groups out of MarineLab at the Key Largo Undersea Park, is passionate about keeping the Florida Keys’ aquamarine waters clean.

Through Pirates Cove, located at Reefhouse Resort & Marina, Caiti enjoys captaining boats for and participating in Dive Against Debris trips.

Like many Keys environmentalists, she holds two jobs to be able to do meaningful work that she loves. At MarineLab — a Marine Resources Development Foundation program on Largo Sound at the park housing Jules’ Undersea Lodge — she educates student groups of all ages about Keys ecosystems.

The landlocked native of St. Louis, Missouri, packed her bags for Key Largo about 10 years ago. Previously she had studied marine archaeology at Southeast Missouri State University and conducted educational field research at the Sanisera Archaeology Institute in Menorca, Spain.

Caiti immediately landed a boat mate’s position at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. A couple of years later, she began studying for her captain’s license and earned it at age 25.

Her seven-year stint at Pennekamp ended when the coronavirus pandemic struck, and Pirates Cove offered her a captain’s job.

During her limited spare time, Caiti enjoys her two Labrador–Australian shepherd–mix dogs and performing with the Key Players theatrical troupe.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Caitlyn “Caiti” Currie: In 2013. I realized after college that I hated the cold weather too much, so I wanted to be somewhere it was warm all year round and where there were shipwrecks. I like water, warmth and buried treasure.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

CC: I really like how most everyone down here loves to do some activity on the water. Whether paddling, snorkeling or fishing, everyone likes to get out and enjoy our unique ecosystems. Not only do they enjoy it, they care about it! Our local community really gets involved in helping take care of our reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

CC: Working on snorkel boats, glass-bottom boats and running eco-tours has allowed me to see firsthand how our ecosystems have been affected over the years. I can’t imagine what they looked like 50 to 60 years ago!

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

CC: I try to make sure the companies I work for care about our environment and conditions as much as I do, if not more so.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

CC: Damage to our different ecosystems has encouraged me to educate visitors on how to properly interact with the environment they’re in, so that it can be enjoyed for years to come.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

CC: My peers and co-workers constantly keep me energized about helping to educate others. Where I work, mainly at Pirates Cove Watersports, we do multiple Dive Against Debris trips throughout the year to help clean up the oceans. At MarineLab, we take school groups out to experience the different ecosystems and learn about them in depth.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

CC: The more we educate our visitors, the better our reefs can be in the future as more people realize the impact they can have on our beautiful and unique reefs — just with their everyday habits.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

CC: To encourage others to be appreciative of our environment down here and help us to preserve it.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

CC: I’m not sure if I could pick a favorite activity! It’s a tie between diving and snorkeling.

George Bellenger, who co-founded Key West Eco Tours with wife Carla in 2006, believes that even a five-minute commitment helps to preserve the Florida Keys’ natural backcountry and dense mangrove islands.

The company operates from the Geiger Key Marina fish camp and RV park’s Geiger Key Paddle Hut in the Lower Keys — and prides itself on educating clients about the backcountry and teaching respect for the Keys environment.

On each tour, guides and participants take part in a “5 Minute Project,” spending five minutes removing debris from the water and mangroves.

George landed in Key West after attending the University of Delaware, discovering a subtropical paradise where rent was affordable and residents didn’t need a car.

An avid kayaker, diver, windsurfer and sailor, George worked for Tropical Watersports as an instructor, teaching windsurfing and Hobie sailing at Smathers Beach. Over the years, the watersports enthusiast closely bonded with Key West’s island community and even ran for mayor twice.

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he met future wife Carla, who hails from Alabama, on a random Key West walk in the 1990s.

“She liked my dog JoJo, the wonder dog,” George recalled.

He’s recognized for launching the Havana Challenge, the first permitted regatta since the U.S.-Cuba embargo, with government-authorized sailing from Key West to Havana. His goal was to bring boating enthusiasts from both countries together, bridging cultures through traditional maritime heritage.

George’s adventures in Cuba, where he’s visited about 30 times, were documented in Men’s Journal.

He and Carla each hold U.S. Coast Guard charter captain certifications. And their son, George Robert, is a senior at SUNY Maritime College (Maritime College, State University of New York) and is pursuing a career in nautical operations.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

George Bellenger: A job offer first brought me to Key West around 40 years ago. Even back then, people told me I should have been here 10 years earlier!

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

GB: Initially, the way of life and cast of characters kept me hanging around the Keys until I eventually discovered the unbound natural world on and around the island. Then I was hooked.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

GB: Earth Day, 1971. The Boy Scouts announced a new merit badge, S.O.A.R. (Save our American Resources), to inspire thought and action to protect the environment. Our troop, when I was 11, scoured the Brandywine River’s muddy banks, pulling out mostly tires.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

GB: Every day provides an opportunity to exert a positive influence on the world around us.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

GB: Thirty years ago, I wrote a phonetic Reef Relief awareness talk, highlighting dive safety and equipment protocols in six languages. Reef Relief published and still distributes it. I also initiated and led a Keys citizen response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I’m currently a founding board member of the Crocodile Foundation, dedicated to preservation of the endangered American crocodile. We’re hoping to build nesting boxes away from civilization and relocate nuisance crocs into a preserve abutting Crocodile Lake.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

GB: We collaborate with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Turtle Hospital, Reef Relief and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to mitigate and affect positive change. Caring about future generations keeps me in the game every day. Good news helps. As an example: the terrific work Mote Marine Laboratory is doing replanting corals.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

GB: To inspire future leaders. Saving the planet from environmental degradation is a multigeneration endeavor. Our generation is just “passing the torch.”

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

GB: Don’t give up. Every little bit helps. Together we do make a difference.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

GB: Kayaking, of course!

Marine artist Lisa Lee Herman, owner of Gallery of the Arts Islamorada, is known throughout the Upper Keys for her gyotaku — the ancient Japanese art form for recording a catch.

Lisa greets her gyotaku-seeking clients, and the prized fish they want to preserve, at the dock following their angling excursions. She uses nontoxic inks to painstakingly press the fish on kozo paper, or traditional Japanese mulberry paper, and later details colorful embellishments at her studio-gallery in Tavernier.

She also expresses her creative talents in ways ranging from acrylic painting to teaching piano.

Lisa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in psychology and music. In addition, she studied color photography and abstract painting at Scotland’s Edinburgh College, and studied and performed classical piano throughout Belgium and France.

After college, Lisa moved to Chicago and managed an art materials store — until the cold winters motivated her return to Florida. In late 2016, she opened her Florida Keys gallery.

Today, Lisa’s work can also be seen at Islamorada’s Green Turtle Inn and Kaiyo Grill & Sushi, and through Oct. 3 at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center.

Lisa married Islamorada boat captain Jeff Tharp in a California vineyard in late August. They live in historic Tavernier, and she plans to expand her gallery.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Lisa Lee Herman: My family has been part of Islamorada since the early ‘60s — so since I was born. I was raised in Fort Lauderdale, and we visited our little spot in paradise nearly every weekend.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

LLH: I grew up fishing with my family, so I absolutely have to live near the water. What I love most about the Keys is the community. We’re all here because we share a common love for the ocean. The Keys’ environment is so unique — from the adorable Key deer, all the birds, flowers, insects, all alongside stunning coral reefs.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

LLH: My dad always showed us the coolest reefs to snorkel and the best spots to fish. I learned quickly how to respect the ocean and its creatures. Being able to handle fish, and release them, had me hook, line and sinker!

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

LLH: My passion for the ocean and its influence on my art are 1000% connected. My art is produced mainly from species we get to then enjoy at the dinner table. Celebrating your catch with friends and family is so wonderful; keeping a piece of art made from that fish is really special. 

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

LLH: I’ve always been a friend to all critters on land or at sea. I feel most called to protect and spread the love and knowledge of our increasingly fragile oceans. I contribute time, art and donations to local causes. I bring a small bag every time I walk my dog and try to pick up any little pieces of plastics or trash. I know it’s cliché, but it’s so true: if we all do a little, we can do a lot.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

LLH: The love and support from my family, my husband Jeff, the community and charter boat captains. Gyotaku, a challenging and ever-changing form of art, is never boring! Each species of fish is completely different from the next.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

LLH: My goal is to capture the beauty and uniqueness of each fish onto paper for all to enjoy. That translates to conservation: only take what you need. It breaks my heart to see people limit out, day after day after day, just for the sport of it. Everything in the ocean is connected to us. I want our next generations to see that.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

LLH: Paddleboarding! It’s such a fun and peaceful way to get up close and personal with our natural world without any disturbances.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

LLH: To spread my knowledge and appreciation for this style of art and its origins, and how important our oceans are to each of us. Looking at the fishes preserved in this unique way hopefully strikes a chord in us all to find joy and respect for all species.

Erin Muir, a sixth-generation Upper Keys native, is descended from two founding Florida Keys families — the Albury and Lowe families that settled in the Keys in the 1860s — whose roots run as deep as those of the mangroves lining the island chain’s shoreline.

Erin, Mote Marine Laboratory’s newly named Upper Keys engagement manager, handles outreach and engagement with locals and visitors at Mote’s new land-based coral nursery. Located near Reefhouse Resort & Marina’s conference center in Key Largo, it’s to be unveiled in mid-August.

Mote opened its first satellite land-based coral nursery at Bud ‘N Mary’s Marina in Islamorada in 2021. The two nurseries have a combined capacity of 40,000 coral fragments.

Erin’s knowledge of state and local government and Keys benefactors is extensive. She’s a former state legislative aide to Holly Raschein, now a Monroe County commissioner, and led fundraisers for the Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation.

At Mote, Erin is developing small-group eco-tour packages to include participation in hands-on coral fragging, or propagation, activities.

Mote is in the midst of a 10-year, science-based Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Strategic Initiative. The program uses genetic strains of coral that demonstrate enhanced resiliency to rising water temperatures, increasing seawater acidity and coral disease. The initiative includes multiyear monitoring to assess survival and ecosystem health.

Erin has lived most of her life in the Keys, except for six years at the University of Florida.

She and husband Sam, a Florida Power & Light engineer, also spent 18 months in southern Alabama. Now, with young children Violet and Charlie, they live surrounded by her close-knit family in Tavernier.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Erin Muir: My family emigrated here from the Bahamas in the 1860s to farm limes and tomatoes. We are lucky to call this unique place home.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

EM: Living in a community that has such a great appreciation of our area’s natural beauty and a deep understanding of the need to protect our environment.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world? 

EM: My mom inspired me and decades of students she taught at Key Largo School. She made learning about the delicate balance between our unique and interconnected marine ecosystems engaging and fun — whether it was learning about the shelter red mangroves provide to young fish, seeing what tiny creatures you can shake out of a handful of sargassum or identifying bird species in the Everglades.   

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

EM: It is a source of pride to know that the small part I play with Mote contributes to such positive impacts on our local environment.  

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle? 

EM: I’m focused on helping others to connect with and engage in Mote’s science-based reef restoration efforts in the Upper Keys. I help people understand perils facing our reefs and the hope that Mote’s restoration efforts bring for revitalizing this precious ecosystem.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

EM:  Our children, Violet and Charlie, keep me motivated. My grandfather, who grew up in the Upper Keys, tells us about quality of the reefs and abundance of marine life when he was young. That abundance has declined for my parents’ generation and my own. Changing that course, and making sure my kids get to experience more beautiful and resilient reefs and plentiful fisheries, keeps me focused on my path.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

EM: We recently took the kids to stroll/scoot the Old Seven Mile Bridge out to Pigeon Key. It was exciting to see sharks, rays and other marine life from the bridge. My mom and I got our Keys history fix with our visit to the island. It was a wonderful day!

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish? 

EM: Mote’s coral disease response and restoration initiative will add over 1 million corals back to our local reefs, which will be an incredible accomplishment for all of our scientists, staff, volunteers and supporters.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter? 

EM: Everyone can play a role in helping restore our coral reefs. You don’t have to be a marine biologist or scuba diver. Just channel your passion into action because, whether those actions are small or large, they collectively lead to positive impacts.

Autumn Blum, the founder of Stream2Sea reef-safe skin-, hair- and body-care products, is a part-time Key Largo resident, an avid diver and a cosmetic chemist who developed sunscreen products billed as the world’s only ones proven safe for saltwater and freshwater fish and coral larvae.

Through partnerships with Reef Renewal USA and Virgin Voyages, Autumn launched a “Crazy for Coral” mission to plant 10,000 corals — a project that kicked off on Earth Day, April 22, and runs through July 31. More than 8,100 had been planted by late June.

Newly inducted into the elite Women Divers Hall of Fame, Autumn is hailed as an entrepreneur, clean-ocean advocate, PADI master scuba dive trainer and highly skilled Trimix CCR diver. She’s also the founder of Scuba Girls, a community of more than 25,000 women divers.

After growing up near Sarasota, Florida, Autumn earned an organic chemistry degree at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

At age 23, she worked as an organic chemist and created her first organic skincare line. Twelve years later, it was carried at 3,000 health food stores in a dozen countries.

After selling the company, she took time off to scuba dive.

In 2015, after a dive trip to Palau helped her realize that ingredients in body-care products are toxic to fragile aquatic ecosystems, Autumn founded Stream2Sea in Wauchula, Florida.

Stream2Sea mineral-based sunscreen products have passed the stringent Haereticus Environmental Laboratory’s Protect Land + Sea certification, which tests and proves safety for freshwater and saltwater fish and coral larvae.

Rolling Stone magazine recently named Stream2Sea Sport Sunscreen as its top recommendation among “best reef-safe, eco-friendly sunscreens.”

Autumn’s products include wakame seaweed, aloe vera, tulsi or holy basil, green tea and olive leaf — and they DON’T contain endocrine disruptors or toxic ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Autumn has given presentations in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and to the National Science Academies about the need to ban toxic sunscreens. Stream2Sea, a member of the “1% for the Planet” global environmental organization, donates 1% of revenue back to conservation and restoration projects.

The company is currently developing a deodorant and pet sunscreen.

While Autumn’s Stream2Sea manufacturing plant is located in Florida’s Hardee County, she and husband John spend as much time in Key Largo as possible.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Autumn Blum: My parents took me scuba diving in Key Largo after I got certified at 14.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

AB: The water is central to my life, and this is exemplified in every facet of the Keys environment. Everything about living in the Keys revolves around the water. Choosing to only use products with ingredients safe for our waters is such a simple step.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

AB: I love the laid-back atmosphere of the Florida Keys, and how stress seems to melt away here. But what I love the most about the Keys is the water — and those who work to protect that water.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

AB: My profession follows my passion. I’ve been a cosmetic chemist for more than 20 years, so I was aware of the potential toxicity of chemical sunscreens and body-care products even before researchers documented the damage. When I started Stream2Sea, I knew that we would have to do real aquatic safety testing.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

AB: Through partnerships with conservationists and new ways to help educate people that what we put on our bodies can and does make a difference.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

AB: Knowing that I’m making a difference. It takes a village to effect change in our world, and I love the members of this village! But the clock is ticking for our reefs. That keeps me motivated.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

AB: We all need to protect our coral reefs, taking whatever steps are within our power. Learning about reef-safe sunscreens is a “gateway” to other steps to encourage personal action to promote conservation. Two drops of the wrong product are shown to harm everything in a 20-gallon aquarium — what would that whole bottle do?

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

AB: Learn how to read labels. The terms “reef safe” and “natural” have no real regulations. When purchasing sunscreen, look for a label that reads non-nano titanium dioxide or non-nano zinc oxide. Every drop in the bucket adds up.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

AB: Scuba diving, of course! Lately I have paired that with planting coral and cleaning the nurseries. I’m loving it!

One of nature’s greatest wonders is a living coral barrier reef, and the Florida Keys island chain is home to the only one in the continental United States. The teeming backbone of marine life, running the length of the Keys about 5 miles offshore, is so unique that divers and snorkelers who explore it will never forget the experience.

Keys coral formations are famous for their abundance of fish, from impressive schools of blue-striped grunts to toothy green moray eels. The U.S. government established the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1990 to protect the essential ecosystem.

There is no more versatile marine destination in the world, which means preserving the Florida Keys reef is a top priority for a good reason.

Visitors to the island chain can join residents in playing a significant role as stewards of the reef ecosystem. Environmental enthusiasts interested in aiding in reef restoration in the Keys can join marine scientists with multiple coral restoration organizations to productively give back to the living, dynamic underwater ecosystem. Divers and nondivers alike can get actively involved.

Florida Keys coral restoration entities include Reef Renewal USA, the Coral Restoration Foundation, I.CAREand Mote Marine Laboratory’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration.

Each organization is devoted to overcoming the challenges coral reefs face, developing ever-improving methods to propagate and maintain dozens of important coral species while preserving genetic diversity.

Volunteers at these organizations first learn about environmental impacts on Florida’s reefs in fun, casual-yet-educational workshops that reveal how experts are restoring endangered staghorn, elkhorn and boulder corals. All three are critical reef-building species that have the best chance to propagate and create new habitats within a year or two.

Hands-on activities include “coral fragging,” fragmenting a brood stock of corals into smaller pieces for widespread propagation — then prepping the fragments to be placed on “coral trees” in offshore nurseries for continued growth and eventual outplanting to natural reef locations.

Scuba divers go on working dives to coral nurseries to clean and prepare corals for planting at a restoration site, enabling them to see firsthand the evolution of corals over time.

For many recreational divers, what starts as an interest evolves into a dedicated mission; they get passionately “hooked” on coral restoration, giving back to the oceans that are so essential to life.

Visit any of the organizations’ websites today to learn how to join a coral restoration workshop, or visit fla-keys.com/voluntourism.

In addition to embracing “voluntourism” activities, divers and snorkelers can become stewards of the coral reef by following the reef protection tips here during their Keys vacations.

ONE: Verify weather conditions before going out on the water. Poor visibility, strong winds and wave action can create dangerous conditions at the reef.

TWO: Remember that even the lightest touch with hands, fins or other dive and snorkel equipment can damage sensitive coral polyps — the tiny living animals that create the hard and soft corals of the reef.

THREE: Avoid contact with the ocean bottom; properly weighted divers should practice proper buoyancy control. Sandy areas that appear barren may support new growth if left undisturbed.

FOUR: Snorkelers should wear buoyancy control or snorkel vests to allow gear adjustments without standing on the coral.

FIVE: Remember, it’s illegal to harvest coral in Florida.

SIX: Please don’t feed the fish; it destroys their natural feeding habits.

SEVEN: If you dive or snorkel from your own boat, use the reef mooring buoys instead of anchoring.

EIGHT: When booking a dive or snorkel excursion, look for a professional Blue Star operator. The Blue Star program was established by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to recognize operators who are committed to promoting responsible and sustainable diving and snorkeling practices. Blue Star operators take the extra step to educate you to be a better environmental steward and to interact responsibly with coral reefs in the Keys.

Throughout the island chain, there are opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways and witness the powerful impact eco-conscious people can make by taking action. To find out more, just click here.

Captain Dave Dipre, Marathon-based operational captain with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement, oversees 32 patrol officers and operations from Key Largo to Key West.

Dave’s love of the Florida Keys runs as deep as the 125-mile-long island chain’s waters that he’s charged with protecting.

He even declined a recent job promotion to major — where he would be based in Gainesville, Florida, overseeing the agency’s North Central region of 17 counties — after deciding he just couldn’t leave the Keys.

“I’m more effective as captain in Monroe County,” he said.

The FWC, Florida’s largest state law enforcement agency, protects natural resources including fish, wildlife and the environment. Officers with full police powers and statewide jurisdiction are cross-deputized to enforce federal marine fisheries and state and federal wildlife protection laws.

Dave’s biggest challenge includes the removal of derelict vessels scattered throughout Keys waters. Under his watch, about 3,200 have been removed — 1,600 through cooperative efforts with the Coast Guard and Monroe County, and the other half through private insurers or owners.

FWC violations commonly involve the poaching of protected wildlife, snagging of out-of-season spiny lobster or taking out-of-season, undersized or over-the-bag-limit fish.

Dave grew up in tiny Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, and did Army stints in locations including Fort Riley, Kansas, and Frankfurt, Germany. After leaving the military, he remained in Frankfurt as the Officer’s Club assistant manager.

Upon returning to the U.S., he attended college at the University of Utah. Subsequently he journeyed to the Keys to visit a girlfriend, and in the early 1990s began his law enforcement career as a dispatcher.

Dave met wife Kim, a now-retired FWC lieutenant, through the FWC. Daughter Sophia is a University of Florida student majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management.

To unwind, Dave plays keyboard, piano and sings with his band, dubbed the 79th Street Band after a block party gig on 79th Street in Marathon.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys?

Dave Dipre: In November of 1993. I was 27 years old.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

DD: A balance maintained among the environment, economics and politics. I want to see Keys residents become stewards over their home, and see tourists have a sense of appreciation for what is here.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

DD: A couple of years into my career, I recognized the disrespect some individuals have toward the ocean’s finite marine resources. I saw individuals poaching, polluting, and living their lives without any regard for marine life or the environment. This lack of regard was a strong motivational factor for me.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

DD: As law enforcement, we have an obligation to hold accountable those individuals who criminally offend the resources and the environment. It’s our job to prevent and stop poaching; it’s our job to prevent and stop polluting. We are obligated by our oath and the trust of the people around us. 

KV: What are some of the affiliations and connections that help in your work to protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

DD: Partnerships with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations. However, our most important partners are the residents of the Keys.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

DD: I am blessed to do what I do. My wife and daughter help to keep me focused. My band is another focal point. Even if it’s only a few hours each week and a couple gigs per month, doing music keeps me energized.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

DD: Our work will never stop, so there is always opportunity to make a difference — even if it’s just a small difference.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

DD: Be kind to one another. Be respectful to one another. A few mistakes and a few bad decisions, and your life could quickly be very different. Also when you’re out on the water, if you see something, say something.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

DD: I have the greatest respect for the Conch Republic Marine Army, a very simple organization that just wants a cleaner, healthier Florida Keys. So, they volunteer time, put a little gas in their boats, go out and clean up … everything! They may very well be the model of how we all should care about our Florida Keys.