Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve staff had a very busy week of invasive fish removal and river maintenance. The team removed 75 invasive tilapia and 2 plecos over two days from the Silver River with the help of Silver Springs State Park kayak volunteers on safety patrol. In total this month, 50 plecos and 189 tilapia have been removed.
Staff from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve (WRAP) recently assisted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Manatee Research and Rescue Team in the successful rescue of an injured manatee from the St. Johns River.
The tiniest of tiny baby gecko recently made an unexpected appearance inside the Rookery Bay Administrative Building. The little hatchling was so young it still had a little piece of eggshell attached to its foot when staff found it roaming around inside.
Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve staff recently joined Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff for the first documented release of the water hyacinth leafhopper (Megamelus scutellaris), a federally approved biological control agent used to help manage invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) populations on the Wekiva River.
The training and engagement team at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve have finished distributing educational items ahead of sea turtle nesting season, which began earlier this month. Staff member Svetlana Vikhlyantseva visited several vacation rental companies with properties on St. George Island to provide items that help visitors and rental occupants understand more about the local coastal ecosystem.
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.
Rainbow Springs Aquatic Preserve assisted Eckerd College’s Herpetology Club with their 26th year of turtle population and health assessment research on the Rainbow River. Within two hours, students collected 103 turtles including 43 loggerhead musk, 4 common musk, 39 Suwannee cooters, 8 Florida cooters, 6 Florida redbellies, and 3 Florida softshell turtles.
Spring in Southwest Florida means the return of one of nature’s most remarkable events … nesting season for shorebirds and sea turtles. Beginning April 1, beaches throughout the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve become critical nesting habitat for shorebirds such as Black Skimmers, Least Terns, Wilson’s Plovers and Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
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.
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.