KENNY CHESNEY’S RISING TIDE
No Shoes Reefs is Featured in Coastal Conservation Association’s Mag
Two-Page Spread Highlights Eight-Time Entertainer of the Year’s Commitment
& Efforts to Protect the Health of Coastal Waters
(Somewhere on the Water) – While it’s been a quiet time for No Shoes Nation, Kenny Chesney has invested some of the time leading up to prep for the finally-launching Here And Now 2022 Tour in his various other projects. No Shoes Reefs, which has been integral in various projects in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland and Connecticut, has been expanding its reach to support other organizations sharing its vision and efforts.
For Chesney, who’s quietly helped steward the growth and implementation of reef balls to spur the growth of habitats friendly to sea life, the work – and accompanying support of his passionate No Shoes Nation – is its own reward. Not something done for attention, strengthening the ecosystem in tangible ways was always the end game.
The Coastal Conservation Association has other ideas. In their direct-to-members magazine TIDE, they dedicated two pages to the man the LA Times crowned “The People’s Superstar.” The piece documents several of No Shoes Reef’s initiatives, sharing photos and explaining some of the process behind the various means to regenerate water life in torpid waters.
“I don’t do this for anything more than to give back,” Chesney explains. “Because of what the ocean has given me, it’s the least I can do. Because so many in No Shoes Nation share that love with me, it’s a way they can give back – and also an entryway for those who want to get involved. Beyond the actual projects, No Shoes Reefs is about raising awareness – and it’s about being a place to share knowledge that isn’t always easy to find on your own.”
Originally 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.
Starting with that moment on the St. John River, TIDE traces the evolution of Chesney’s dynamic charity outreach. Putting faces and the equipment used to create these regenerative miracles forward, the publication takes dry concepts and adds an element of humanity and action to work that happens largely underwater.
The piece also provides access to some of the SPF-protection t-shirts that carry No Shoes Reefs images. As the insider’s shirt for members of No Shoes Nation, finding these items isn’t as simple as buying something at the merch stand at one of Chesney’s shows.
With the ongoing grassroots effort dedicated to the health of the ocean, making a difference in the environment remains a priority for the songwriter/superstar. Targeting local waters, No Shoes Reefs focuses on single reefs at the community level.
“We don’t always realize how a small thing can have a major impact,” Chesney says. “Knowledge makes a difference. Local efforts are critical. I’m honored to be recognized by TIDE, and ready for the next wave of projects that are already coming together.”
For more information, visit www.noshoesreefs.org and www.KennyChesney.com.
