Key Biscayne Citizen Scientist Project

The Key Biscayne Citizen Scientist Project is a community initiative established by the Key Biscayne Community Foundation to monitor and protect the natural resources of Key Biscayne and Virginia Key. It brings residents together with professional scientists, students, and interns to build understanding of local ecosystems, gather observations, and support conservation. The project helps participants learn about the island’s wildlife and habitats, explore them through field activities and interactive maps, contribute photographs and environmental reports, and review observations in a shared GIS database.

Its programs include the Key Challenge, which encourages students to appreciate the island’s natural resources; Water Watch, a volunteer water-quality monitoring program conducted with the UF/IFAS Sea Grant Extension Program; and Reef Restoration, which propagates threatened Caribbean staghorn coral in underwater nurseries in collaboration with the University of Miami’s coral restoration lab. The project also addresses sea-level rise, offers a free public lecture series, and organizes field activities.