Kenny Chesney Continues ‘No Shoes Reef’ Coastal Conservation Efforts

This is an amazing effort that Chesney is leading!

Written by Jeremy Chua
Kenny Chesney Continues ‘No Shoes Reef’ Coastal Conservation Efforts
Photo courtesy of Kenny Chesney

Country superstar Kenny Chesney may be known for his beach-lovin’ songs, but he’s not keeping that love to just his music. Chesney and Coastal Conservation Association have announced the singer’s continued effort to ensure the preservation of marine life via No Shoes Reef (NSF).

Established in 2015, Chesney teamed with the Building Conservation Trust to create artificial reefs in places where degradation undermined healthy reefs, which provide living habitat for many kinds of sea life. Working at a grassroots level with the Coastal Conservation Association, 18 months after submerging their first two structures, Chesney and CCA President Pat Murray heard the fish finders and depth censors go crazy as they floated over the locations on the St. John River.

“The fish were back,” Chesney recalled in excitement. “The reefs were healthy, and the water was becoming what it was originally meant to be. I realized: small things can yield major results, especially within defined communities.”

Chesney’s 2018 Songs for the Saints  album was inspired and formulated after seeing the destruction Hurricane Irma had on St John Island. All proceeds from the album then went to the singer’s Love for Love City Foundation and funded both rescue and rebuilding efforts Hurricane Irma hit.

No Shoes Reefs is par of the Knoxville, Tennessee native’s ongoing grassroots effort in preserving ocean life. Targeting local waters, it focuses on single reefs at the community level.

As part of NSR’s initiative, the “Here And Now” singer continues his affiliation with the Coastal Conservation Association. Other partnerships include Deep, SiliPint and the Reef Ball Foundation, all of which are dedicated to preserving the marine ecosystem for 2020.

“All of our partners are committed to raising awareness of the importance of protecting our oceans, especially the reefs,” Chesney explained in a press release. “It is critical that we maintain the reefs we have, try to establish awareness of how to protect the ocean, educate people about how to make a difference and, when needed, try to help – as the Reef Ball Foundation does – create more opportunities for healthy saltwater life.”

He added, “whether it’s making a donation or buying a shirt that’s made from plastic bottles from Deep, or a cup made from silicone, which is basically sand, from Silipint, you’re reducing the plastics thrown in the ocean and helping create stronger, healthier designed reefs.”

For more information on Chesney’s project, visit www.noshoesreefs.org.