Founder and Executive Director of Families in Nature, Heather Kulken took Flag #29 to study the “Rebel Reef” off the coast of Tela, Honduras. Coral reefs around the world, and especially in the Caribbean, are under assault from heat, pollution, and overfishing. Despite that, Heather is highlighting one coral reef that is beating the odds. Located in a hot bay where banana plantations began polluting a century ago, the Rebel Reef’s coral cover is as much as five times higher than other nearby reefs, and over a dozen species of critically endangered coral are thriving in it. Almost no scientific work has been done to understand why this reef is so rebellious. Heather’s expedition aims to remedy that. 

Leading a team of high school and post-college students, she identified and photographed as many of the 40+ species of coral that flourish in the region and worked to capture and quantify the extreme biodiversity of the bay through a series of Bioblitzes. While one of her students worked with a university and local Honduran scientists to analyze sediment and water samples taken from reef sites around the bay, including a recent chemical spill area, another studied coral reproduction, and others documented the exceptional abundance of sea urchins that are likely keeping the coral healthy. In addition, Heather plans to begin developing a biobank to preserve and replicate one of the most foundational and endangered species of coral in the Caribbean.

Through Families in Nature, Heather combines her experience as a biologist and educator with her passion for nature to train and mentor the next generation of conservationists. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in education from Rice University. She has researched everything from Grackle mating tactics to sea lion feeding behavior, and sustainable fisheries development to climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands.