Volunteers are the heart and soul of Rookery Bay Research Reserve, contributing their time and talent to help connect people with the Reserve’s coastal environment. Every few months Volunteer Coordinator Donna Young hosts an informational orientation to welcome a new group interested in volunteering. At the last one, seasoned volunteer Beth Thompson took the lead at the Environmental Learning Center Estuary Encounter touch tank.
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).
Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves recently had Matthew Treskovich complete his Eagle Scout Project on BC-48. Matthew and his troop installed two of the new table kits and two fire rings on one of the local spoil islands. They also cleared some trails and replaced the educational sign that was full of holes.
On June 6, the Coral Reef Conservation Program team and Friends of Our Florida Reefs cohosted the 15th Annual Southeast Florida Reef Cleanup. Joined by six dive operators and 100 enthusiastic divers, the teams removed human made debris from the reefs of the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve. Divers removed 361 pounds of debris from 12 dive sites. The debris items co
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.
On May 26, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve staff partnered with Marine Academy of Science and Technology public high school to co-host an end-of-year field trip to Sandspur Island in northern Biscayne Bay.
In May, Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserve finished spring field work for the Collaborative Science to Assess Restoration Success (CSTARS) grant project subaward received from the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) in 2024 to monitor the extent, species, and transitions of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within the Pensacola Bay watershed.
Adults interested in Florida’s wildlife, coastal environments and conservation can now register for the next Florida Master Naturalist Program Coastal Systems Module offered by Rookery Bay Research Reserve and expert partners. This hybrid course combines online instruction with an optional hands-on field experience. The online component allows people to join the program from all over Florida.
DEP Coral Protection and Restoration Program’s Restoration Projects Coordinator, Katie Gretter, participated in a multi-day, hands-on Coral Spawning and Propagation Course hosted by Nova Southeastern University. The course, developed and supported through Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery (FCR3) Initiative, aims to train the next generation of coral restoration specia
Staff from the Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves region coordinated with Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Pensacola, and Wildlife Graphics to install a new informational sign at Project GreenShores Site 2, highlighting the living shoreline project.