Quarterly Compass

Where we've been and where we're going...

July 1, 2026

CELEBRATING TEN YEARS WITH A RECORD EVENT

THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 GOLD SPONSORS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND DEDICATION TO OUR OCEAN

Bentley Motors prides itself on using sustainable methods to reach the highest levels of automotive luxury. Thank you for promoting a healthy environment and supporting ANGARI Foundation!

Onshore Construction & Development demonstrates that building homes, building community and building impact are all top priority. Their continued support is helping us provide impactful hands-on learning opportunities!

While Sentient Jet takes to the skies and we take to the sea, our goals for providing the best to those we serve are the same. Sentient Jet offers a complimentary hour of flight time and donation to ANGARI to anyone purchasing 25-Hour Jet Cards.

SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR LAGOON DRIFT EXPERIMENT

ANGARI PROGRAM LEADS PRESENT AT MARINE SCIENCE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Research groups from the University of Florida's "Croc Docs" and Florida International University met R/V ANGARI at Shark River in the Everglades to study local alligator populations. Scientists collected measurements, weight and blood samples from each alligator before tagging and releasing. Long-term research and monitoring of a variety of invasive, threatened, endangered and more abundant species, like American alligators, are important to wildlife management and provide scientific support for Everglades restoration.  

This summer we welcomed University of South Florida's Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls back aboard R/V ANGARI for the 9th time!

Over three research-filled days, 26 campers and OCG mentors boarded R/V ANGARI and participated in a variety of oceanographic sampling and environmental data collection methods, all while learning and developing problem solving, communication, teamwork and leadership skills. Head to the expedition  webpage to read about all the research activities these campers learned.

Researchers from Clemson University expanded the Childress Lab’s long-term marine science research efforts in the Florida Keys as they surveyed 14 sites along the Florida Keys Reef Tract.

The researchers are using transect surveys, photomosaics, underwater video surveys and reef monitoring structures to investigate how coral reef restoration influences cryptobenthic biodiversity, specifically targeting sites under the NOAA led Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative. This partner-driven initiative aims to restore structure, function and resiliency to nearly three million square feet of Florida’s Coral Reef over the next two decades.

Learn more about this work and Mission: Iconic Reefs on the expedition webpage.

Our final Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks expedition of the spring semester was with a group of students and educators from Palm Beach Day Academy!

Participants spent an exciting day conducting shark research offshore Palm Beach, Florida with scientists from Florida International University. Students worked side-by-side with the scientists to take samples from each shark caught, which included two tiger sharks, a bull shark and a small Atlantic sharpnose shark, which set the record for the smallest shark we've ever caught!

Ahead of her busy summer schedule, R/V ANGARI visited the Safe Harbor Rybovich yard in Riviera Beach to be hauled for maintenance and upgrades.

Work completed included installation of a new bow thruster, new antifouling paint on the hull and props, a newly painted boot stripe and the usual out of water maintenance tasks.

This Spring we visited over 600 students at Belvedere Elementary School, Palm Beach Day Academy, The Benjamin School, Somerset Academy Boca, Palm Springs Community Middle School and Independence Middle School to talk about ocean currents, marine debris and Lagoon Drift. Participating students decorated eco-friendly drift cards and investigated Lagoon Drift data using our Lagoon Drift Interactive Dashboard and Map.

Thank you to the Great Charity Challenge for supporting this Lagoon Drift experiment.

The City of West Palm Beach invited our Community Outreach Programs and Education Manager Laura Jessop to speak to city employees as part of the city's education development series.

Attendees learned why Lagoon Drift is important, what the data collected from the study shows and how we can use it to further educate ourselves and our community about our local waterways and the importance of a healthy environment.

Thank you to the Great Charity Challenge for supporting this Lagoon Drift experiment.

With the support from the ANGARI team, Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks Lead Scientist Will Sample ran a school lesson he created to a group of students at Emerald Cove Middle School.

Aligned with Florida education standards, the lesson introduces trophic dynamics, food chains, food webs and the critical role that sharks play in marine ecosystems. Students applied their learning to a competitive and strategic game featuring different food chains in and around the Lake Worth Lagoon. The final lesson will be available for free via the ANGARI webpage this fall. 

We had yet another engaging spring of Ocean Expert Exchange webinars with our partners at the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute. Our sincerest thanks to our featured speakers and the 1,200+ individuals who tuned in to our three livestream events!

Topics covered were diverse — from finned to feathered friends and nature documentary filmmaking! Recordings of our past webinars, as well as registration pages for our upcoming fall series, are available on our OEE webpage. Mark your calendars!

The ANGARI outreach team had the pleasure of once again attending the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens' Earth Day event. We got the chance to engage with students from Melaleuca Elementary School, Galaxy E3 Elementary School and The Foundations School/Center for Creative Education. During this event, students tested out our watershed model and learned how watershed dynamics can relate to where marine debris moves.

Thank you to the Great Charity Challenge for supporting this Lagoon Drift educational programming.

THAT'S A WRAP ON ABBA'S SPRING INTERNSHIP

Abba Brudney concluded their spring internship at ANGARI with an amazing project analyzing and comparing GPS-enabled drifter and drift card movements and behaviors.

Their internship consisted of a variety of field tests in the Lake Worth Lagoon before deploying the GPS-enabled drifters as part of our May Lagoon Drift experiment. Read all about Abba's project and their internship experience at ANGARI in their intern blog.