Situated in the heart of the Lower Keys and only 24 miles from Key West, Mote Marine Laboratory's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (IC2R3) is a fully equipped marine science facility dedicated to marine research and education in the Florida Keys. The facility is located with easy access to the variety of nearby habitats, including reefs, sea-grass meadows, near-shore hard-bottom, mangrove forests and unique terrestrial communities, most within the protection of National Wildlife Refuges and NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.