Last week the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve stewardship team worked in partnership with Florida Audubon, FWC shorebird biologists, and FWC botanists to tackle invasives plants on the St. George. Island Causeway in preparation for shorebird nesting season. This ongoing project aims to treat vegetation encroaching on shorebird nesting habitat on the Critical Wildlife Area island in the Apalachicola Bay.

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.

Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve (EBAP) staff often find interesting flora and fauna while out in the field. This week was no exception. Commonly known as a lightning whelk, Sinistrofulgur perversum, is a type of mollusk or marine snail that can be found throughout Estero Bay. This snail creates a shell that spirals in the opposite direction of other locally found marine snails. Interestingly, it is one of the few left-handed snail species!

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) research staff successfully completed winter trawl sampling! Trawling is conducted quarterly at nine sites throughout the Apalachicola Bay system. Fish and benthic invertebrates are identified to species level and the first twenty of each species are measured, while all are counted. Organisms are returned to the water as soon as possible after being processed to minimize mortality.

Since 1994, the Rainbow River Conservation, Inc. and Rainbow Springs Aquatic Preserve staff have been maintaining over 50 wood duck boxes on the Rainbow River. Old wood shavings, down feathers, unhatched eggs, insects and other squatters are removed each December. The boxes are refreshed with cedar wood shavings, and Irish Spring bar soap is applied to the inside of the lid and the bottom of the box to deter predators.

Rookery Bay’s Coastal Training and Engagement Team recently hosted another well-received session in the Reserve’s new Wildlife Interaction Workshop Series. This time the focus was placed on the mammals that call Collier County home. Participants explored the lives and behaviors of local species, from panthers and bats to dolphins and manatees. They also learned practical ways to protect these animals and the habitats they depend on.

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!