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 Big Pine Key Library recently traded quiet reading corners for garden soil as local home-school students gathered for a special “Mangrove Propagule” educational event. Hosted by the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserves team, in partnership with the nonprofit Coastlove, students worked on potting their own little mangroves while learning all about their importance in the environment.
On Saturday, May 2nd, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve welcomed nearly 900 community members to the 2026 Rookery Bay Community Day. This family-friendly event was dedicated to celebrating the connection between people and the coastal environment. It was a picture-perfect day filled with smiling kids, families and hands-on fun throughout the Environmental Learning Center grounds.
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.
On May 1-3, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserves (FKAP) partnered with Reef Relief and SeaCamp to host cleanups as part of this year’s I.CARE Trash Derby. The Trash Derby features two days of debris collection, sunrise to sunset, throughout the Florida Keys.
On May 1st, IRLAP conducted their seventh Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Drift Card Study Deployment. The study involves numerous partner organizations deploying wooden “drift cards” from different sites across the IRL on the same out-going tide.
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.
The Apalachicola Reserve collaborated with Florida DEP Waste Reduction and Recycling Education to bring together various environmental partners in an Earth Day celebration located at Riverfront Park in Apalachicola.
On April 16, Stephanie Stinson from the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) participated in the Palm Beach State College Earth Day event. The CRCP team educated students on coral reef conservation efforts local to Palm Beach and throughout the state.