Coral Reef Fellowship Program gets $200,000 from OIA

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A grant of $200,000 has been awarded by the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to fund the second half of the 2018-2020 national Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program in four US territories.

This highly selective graduate-level program has already placed fellows in American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In announcing the grant, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular and International Affairs,Doug Domenech said, “Interior Secretary Zinke is a strong advocate for sustainably developing and protecting our natural resources.

“Finding that balance is critical in island economies and the Coral Reef Fellows provide important support towards coral reef and natural resource management in each island area,”

The funding provides for the second year of the 2018-2020 program and supplements an earlier grant of $200,000 announced in July 2017.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force members and the All Islands Task Force have identified the Coral Fellows program as one of its highest priorities for funding.

The National Coral Reef Institute of Nova Southeastern University in Florida administers this program.