Four students from Yale University, Nico Theunissen, Isabella Chiaravalloti, Mingyu Zhang and Rocco D'Ascanio, recently visited Rookery Bay Research Reserve to study the Fruit Farm Creek mangrove restoration site. Guided by Research Coordinator Nerea Ubierna and Stewardship Coordinator Jared Franklin, the team explored both the land and surrounding waters to better understand how the restored mangroves are functioning.
On March 18, a group of 20 students from Miami University (Ohio) traveled from Jacksonville Zoo to the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) as part of their Regional Ecology class. Training and Engagement Program Coordinator Anita Grove and Apalachicola Riverkeeper Cameron Baxley met with the group to discuss the Apalachicola River and Bay and its watershed.
The staff of Oklawaha River AP had an amazing turnout this weekend at Silver Springs State Park’s annual two-day Springs Fest. Over 1,000 guests visited ORAP staff in the Discovery Center to touch and learn about native and invasive species found in their local springs. The turtles were the star of the show as always.
Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves (NWFLAP) staff recently planted a living shoreline project with the help of local students from Washington High School. These students are part of our Grasses to Classes program where they learn about living shorelines and care for three different species of salt marsh plants throughout the school year.
Staff of Rainbow Springs Aquatic Preserve recently removed ten sneaky tilapia in the headsprings of the Rainbow River. Two tilapia were observed at the beginning of the year, and it appears a few more had joined the party. It takes patience, stealth, and great eyesight to single out individual tilapia among the submerged and emergent vegetation. Early detection and rapid response is key to preventing invasive species from establishing.
On this wonderful adventure our education team took a local group of high schoolers from EdCorp out to St George Island State Park. There they investigated Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) and natural oyster ecosystems. The goal for the students was to be able to identify what species are living inside or on top of oysters and what is the “big deal” about oysters. Looking for and counting spat numbers on the oysters was a big hit.
The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, or SEFCRI, is a collaborative partnership of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private partners, scientists and reef stakeholders working together to identify and implement priority actions that reduce key threats to southeast Florida’s coral reef ecosystem. SEF
Rookery Bay Volunteer Orlando Hidalgo recently captured special moments of a bald eagle mother caring for her juvenile in the nest and in flight. The young eagle was observed being fed and preened by its parent and later shadowing her in the air to learn hunting and survival skills. Juvenile bald eagles look dramatically different from the iconic white-headed adults.
Rookery Bay’s popular Lunch & Learn series continued its successful streak last week. The Environmental Learning Center auditorium was a full house for “Living with Bears in Southwest Florida.” This second program in the 2026 Birds, Bears and Bees series featured Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Bear Biologist Chris Boyce.
Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve participated in the Tall Timbers Red Hills Fire and Nature Festival, where locals and visitors enjoyed the outdoors, learned about the benefits of prescribed fire for native wildlife and watched a live burn demonstration.
Attending with us this year were some of our invertebrate friends collected from Lake Jackson's waters.