(CelebrityAccess) — No Shoes Reefs, a grassroot non-profit launched by country music icon Kenny Chesney partnered with several Florida conservation organizations to develop a new, 32-acre underwater reef park in Palm Beach, Florida.
Chesney’s No Shoes Reefs and Reef Ball Foundation, donated the thirteen 10,000-pound goliath reef balls that were sunk to provide a foundation for the development of the reef. Each of the 7-foot-by-6-foot spheres was dropped earlier this month in the Delray Dredge Hole.
No Shoes Reefs 4 takes its name from the reef’s four partners — No Shoes Reef, Palm Beach County Reefs, CCA Florida, Reef Ball Foundation, Sandoway Discovery Center, and Building Conservation Trust and Global SubDive.
The artificial reef will provide long-term educational opportunities for the students of Palm Beach County through the Sandoway Discover Center’s ongoing educational programs, and an economic boost for the community through fishing and recreational diving.
“No Shoes Reefs is an extension of how I have tried to live for many, many years,” says Chesney. “Love the water, give back to the water. Many people don’t realize both how fragile and resilient the ocean’s ecosystems are, and I think it’s the small projects that raise awareness on local levels that help people understand the ocean is a living thing. Our partners have been so tireless in terms of raising money, awareness and doing the actual work – and it’s a wonderful way to build the No Shoes Nation community of people who care about the ocean, the beach and our whole way of life.”
