A group of Rookery Bay staff members recently joined Resource Management Specialist Steve Bertone for a tour of the Shell Island Road area of the Reserve to learn about the fascinating cultural history hidden in the uplands.
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve (CHAP) staff recently made it over the halfway mark for sea grass fixed monitored sites. With more than 30 of the 50 transects monitored, the crew is making great headway this monitoring season.
Staff from Audubon Florida, Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries joined Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves (CHAP) staff for the Pine Island Sound rookery monitoring last week. The direct mission of the day was to look at one specific rookery that has more than 80 tricolored herons (TRHE) nesting on it.
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves staff lent a hand to the Southwest Florida Water Management District regulatory staff and their consultant during a site inspection of the Gasparilla Island Causeway Shore Protection Project. Staff documented seagrass coverage within the project area including Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass).
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves staff were busy in the field conducting monthly rookery surveys. Wading and diving bird rookeries were monitored for active nesting across all five aquatic preserves managed through the CHAP office.
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves staff completed a one-year post planting survey on two hurricane impacted islands where they planted mangroves last spring. The two islands have had mixed results of success. The southern island showed a 76% survival rate and the northern island had a survival rate of only 40%.
The Tuesday before the Thanksgiving break, a local FWC law enforcement captain, lieutenants and officers joined Charlotte Harbor AP staff for a debris and fishing line clean up on one of the established Critical Wildlife Areas in Pine Island Sound.
CHAP staff, along with the help from regional coordinating offices Estero Bay AP and Cedar Point Environmental Park, hosted the biannual volunteer training. Known as the Quality Assurance (QA) training, it serves as a refresher for samplers as well as offers time to condition instruments, sample for accuracy from the same waterbody and give program updates.
CHAP staff conducted their monthly Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) monitoring in Pine Island Sound AP and were happy to see the wading and diving bird nesting starting again. Staff observed great blue herons nesting on both CWAs as well as over 1,100 American white pelicans using one of the CWAs as a roosting/resting area!
Charlotte Harbor AP and Estero Bay Aquatic Preserves staff showcased their displays and outreach items at the annual Ft. Myers Boat Show. They teamed up with Clean Boating staff and members of the Friends of Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves and the Estero Bay Buddies to spread awareness of the local aquatic preserves and how to protect them.