Guana Tolomato Matanzas Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) Water Quality Manager Katrin Villinger and Volunteer Coordinator Abby Kuhn hosted Pam Shipley, the winner of Friends of GTM’s “Researcher for a Day” fundraiser prize.

Staff from the Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserves (CPAP) hosted some special guests for a tour of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) Nature Center and to view nearby restoration projects.

Just after sunrise on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Reaserche Reserve (GTMNERR) volunteer Jeff Finnan witnessed one of the quiet closing scenes of coastal wildlife’s annual rhythm: the emergence of the final sea turtle nest of the season.

Over the course of six work days in the past four weeks, Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve and Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve staff removed over 200 invasive tilapia from the headsprings of the Silver River. This is a huge accomplishment and almost 1,000 pounds of fish biomass removed! We are sincerely grateful for our team of three staff members and five volunteers for making this program such a success.

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!

Last week, DEP participated in the third annual ReeFLorida Symposium at the Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Frost Science), including leadership from ORCP and the Southeast Region and staff from the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP).

Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve’s alligators have outgrown their tank in the reptile room! Every couple of years, they are exchanged for three babies. Otherwise, they would become too big for the tank. Ranger Zach Lepera and Aquarist Sarah Moulton took the overgrown alligators back to Gatorland in Orlando, and exchanged them for babies that hatched earlier this year.

Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve staff invited the Friends of the Silver Springs State Park’s President out on the Silver and Oklawaha rivers to complete their monthly water quality monitoring. It was a pleasure listening to Barbara teach us about the last of private land ownership along the aquatic preserve and the history of the amusement park ownership and its features over the decades.

Noah Singer, Ecosystem Assessment Specialist, and Robin Sarabia, AP Manager, of the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve, met with representatives from SeaBase and SeaCamp to initiate the beginning stages of a partnership with both the organizations. These organizations host camp and school groups throughout the year to provide marine science-based activities to children of all ages.

Sixth graders from Cornerstone Learning came to the Apalachicola Research Reserve from Tallahassee to do a service project. Their school emphasizes stewardship as well as a community outlook. After a brief overview of the Apalachicola watershed, the students took to the trails to scrub signs and clear brush. They definitely left the trails in much better shape for visitors to enjoy.