The strength of the Volunteer Action Plan of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary management Plan is its committment to partnerships. The program was established through a partnership with a non-governmetnal organization, The Nature Conservancy, whihc continues to day with teh organization playing a coordinating role. Partnerships with the State of Florida, academic institutions and other non-gevernmental organizations have dramatically expanded the work begun by Sanctuary staff. With limited staffing and financial resources the Sanctuary has accomplished phenomenal success becasue of the committmnet of residents and visitors in seeing conservation work get done.

Volunteer Projects:

• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Adopt-A-Reef, Coral Reef Classroom, Team O.C.E.A.N., Submerged Cultrual Resource Inventory, and various other projects.
• State of Florida, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Queen Conch Restoration Project, Lobster Watch.
• Old Dominion University: Spotted Lobster Population Study, Lobster Watch.
• Florida State Univesity: Lobster Watch.
• Mote Marine Laboratory Center for Tropical Research: Marine Ecosystem Event Response Assessment (MEERA).
• University of North Carolina Wilmington: Coral Spawning Research.
• Dolphon Ecology Project: Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphon Study.
• Reef Environmental education Foudnation (R.E.E.F.): R.E.E.F. Fish Counts, The Great American Fish Count.
• The Nature Conservency: Florida Bay Watch, Sea Stewards.