Marine Biology Trip to Florida
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This trip was planned entirely by one of JCLC's students, Allie Warner. Allie worked on the details of the budget and itinerary for almost a year. We were finally on our way on Feb 21, 2012.
The purpose of this trip was to gain a deep understanding of the marine world and the issues that threaten this fragile ecosystem. Before we left for the trip, the students studied marine habitats, organisms, and species migration (particularly green and loggerhead sea turtles, and manatees).
We took off for Florida on February 21, 2012. We spent the first two nights in northern Florida camping at Rainbow Springs National Park. Our first day we chartered a boat for Crystal River to go manatee diving. Our captain, also a naturalist, spoke with us about manatee's (a relative of elephants) natural history and endangered status in FL. We learned that manatees migrate between Crystal River and the Gulf of Mexico tolerating both salt and fresh water environments. They move to Crystal River in the winter months where water is a constant 72 degrees from the natural springs. Manatees can also be found in the Florida Bay and parts of the Everglades dependent on the season. The captain shared with students the concerns about the Florida manatee population. Their endangered status is due mostly to collisions with boats. The motors chop up the manatees either killing them or leaving deep scars. Many organizations and state lawmakers have collaborated in efforts to bring the manatee numbers back up. There are large fines and prison time associated with killing or harassing manatees in FL.
After spending some time in the rainy, cool weather of northern FL, we packed up our camping gear and headed south for the remainder of the trip. On our way south we stopped at the University of Florida, Ft. Lauderdale branch to meet with sea turtle biologist Kristen Hart. The students questioned Kristen on her job, research, interests, adventures, and more. Their favorite part was when Kristen demonstrated how to trap and tag a sea turtle. She literally jumps off the side of a boat, lands on the back of a sea turtle twice her size and manages to pull it into the boat to be tagged. She then releases it back into the ocean and from then on is able to track it's movements to better understand what these animals need in way of protection. There are 7 sea turtle species in the world, and all 7 are highly endangered. She explained that ocean front hotel, street and restaurant lights confuse young sea turtles causing their death before they even reach the ocean. Commercial fishing nets are also a problem, as sea turtles become bycatch, get tangled, and drown. Experts like Kristen Hart research sea turtles to order to gain a better understanding of what they need to get their numbers back up to a healthy status.
After meeting with Kristen we went even further south to the Everglades. We hopped aboard an airboat to get a deeper, closer look at the Everglades. Airboats are boats that have an airplane propeller outside of the water so that it can skim across the shallow water, mud, and grasses of the everglades without braking the blades or gunking them up with seaweed (which would happen with a standard motor). Our guide explained that the Everglades is a water system in Florida that takes up a large portion of the state. There is a very slight decline in elevation from Lake Okeechobee in central FL where the water starts, to the south tip of Florida. Therefore, water very slowly moves south and eventually meets with the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. This makes Florida's Everglades ecosystem one of he most unique systems in the world. It is habitat for hundreds of species of wading and nesting birds, alligators, fish, manatees, and white tailed deer, all of which the students were able to observe first hand. Our tour guide explained that the natural flow of water from north to south has been significantly altered over the years to avoid flooding in large cities like Miami. Unfortunately rerouting a natural ecosystem left the state with quite the mess, an expensive mess at that. The states water supply is entirely dependent on the everglades staying full and healthy. Hundreds of species rely on this ecosystem to eat, sleep, mate, nest and more, some of which are species Florida cannot afford to lose, as they create jobs and food for Florida citizens. Unique cultural traditions would be lost, like leisurely air boating fishing, bird watching and more. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and other local agencies are working on a restoration plan, which is an 11 billion dollar project. This might explain why this plan has been in the works for over a decade. This was a great learning experience for the students in addition to the opportunity to HOLD a live alligator. Look for pictures below.
The last days and nights were spent in the Florida keys where the students spent some time in mangrove habitats, checked out the mud flats and observed tidal activity. They visited John Pennekamp National Park and Bahia Honda State National Park, both known for great snorkeling. We were scheduled to take a boat from Bahia Honda 5 miles off shore to snorkel coral reef. The captain called us a few minutes before our appointment canceling the snorkeling adventure due to high wind advisories. We went all the way to Florida and didn't snorkel coral reef! Luckily our students are resourceful and understanding. Instead we spent the day at Bahia Honda State park snorkeling right off the beach.
All of my students enjoyed shark fishing most of all. Our JCLC students were the first people to shark fish this season! We caught a total of 15 sharks as a group, mostly lemon sharks and one spinner shark. Our captain was bombarded with questions from the get go. He was patient, informative, and taught us a about shark fishing technique, shark history in Florida, threats to sharks, and more. I got off of the boat with a whole new perspective on sharks. I came into this experience fearful and misinformed. I finished this experience with a new found respect for these majestic creatures, as did the students.
Overall this trip went off without a hitch. There were very few set backs, which I believe is due to the depth of planning by Allie. She not only planned the itinerary, but checked and double checked all of our reservations to make sure everything fell in to place, and they did! This was one of the best trips I have ever taken with students. Thank you Allie, Annette, Andrei, Billy and Brandon for a great trip!
Sara Segar
Advisor and Life Science Instructor
[email protected]
The purpose of this trip was to gain a deep understanding of the marine world and the issues that threaten this fragile ecosystem. Before we left for the trip, the students studied marine habitats, organisms, and species migration (particularly green and loggerhead sea turtles, and manatees).
We took off for Florida on February 21, 2012. We spent the first two nights in northern Florida camping at Rainbow Springs National Park. Our first day we chartered a boat for Crystal River to go manatee diving. Our captain, also a naturalist, spoke with us about manatee's (a relative of elephants) natural history and endangered status in FL. We learned that manatees migrate between Crystal River and the Gulf of Mexico tolerating both salt and fresh water environments. They move to Crystal River in the winter months where water is a constant 72 degrees from the natural springs. Manatees can also be found in the Florida Bay and parts of the Everglades dependent on the season. The captain shared with students the concerns about the Florida manatee population. Their endangered status is due mostly to collisions with boats. The motors chop up the manatees either killing them or leaving deep scars. Many organizations and state lawmakers have collaborated in efforts to bring the manatee numbers back up. There are large fines and prison time associated with killing or harassing manatees in FL.
After spending some time in the rainy, cool weather of northern FL, we packed up our camping gear and headed south for the remainder of the trip. On our way south we stopped at the University of Florida, Ft. Lauderdale branch to meet with sea turtle biologist Kristen Hart. The students questioned Kristen on her job, research, interests, adventures, and more. Their favorite part was when Kristen demonstrated how to trap and tag a sea turtle. She literally jumps off the side of a boat, lands on the back of a sea turtle twice her size and manages to pull it into the boat to be tagged. She then releases it back into the ocean and from then on is able to track it's movements to better understand what these animals need in way of protection. There are 7 sea turtle species in the world, and all 7 are highly endangered. She explained that ocean front hotel, street and restaurant lights confuse young sea turtles causing their death before they even reach the ocean. Commercial fishing nets are also a problem, as sea turtles become bycatch, get tangled, and drown. Experts like Kristen Hart research sea turtles to order to gain a better understanding of what they need to get their numbers back up to a healthy status.
After meeting with Kristen we went even further south to the Everglades. We hopped aboard an airboat to get a deeper, closer look at the Everglades. Airboats are boats that have an airplane propeller outside of the water so that it can skim across the shallow water, mud, and grasses of the everglades without braking the blades or gunking them up with seaweed (which would happen with a standard motor). Our guide explained that the Everglades is a water system in Florida that takes up a large portion of the state. There is a very slight decline in elevation from Lake Okeechobee in central FL where the water starts, to the south tip of Florida. Therefore, water very slowly moves south and eventually meets with the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. This makes Florida's Everglades ecosystem one of he most unique systems in the world. It is habitat for hundreds of species of wading and nesting birds, alligators, fish, manatees, and white tailed deer, all of which the students were able to observe first hand. Our tour guide explained that the natural flow of water from north to south has been significantly altered over the years to avoid flooding in large cities like Miami. Unfortunately rerouting a natural ecosystem left the state with quite the mess, an expensive mess at that. The states water supply is entirely dependent on the everglades staying full and healthy. Hundreds of species rely on this ecosystem to eat, sleep, mate, nest and more, some of which are species Florida cannot afford to lose, as they create jobs and food for Florida citizens. Unique cultural traditions would be lost, like leisurely air boating fishing, bird watching and more. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and other local agencies are working on a restoration plan, which is an 11 billion dollar project. This might explain why this plan has been in the works for over a decade. This was a great learning experience for the students in addition to the opportunity to HOLD a live alligator. Look for pictures below.
The last days and nights were spent in the Florida keys where the students spent some time in mangrove habitats, checked out the mud flats and observed tidal activity. They visited John Pennekamp National Park and Bahia Honda State National Park, both known for great snorkeling. We were scheduled to take a boat from Bahia Honda 5 miles off shore to snorkel coral reef. The captain called us a few minutes before our appointment canceling the snorkeling adventure due to high wind advisories. We went all the way to Florida and didn't snorkel coral reef! Luckily our students are resourceful and understanding. Instead we spent the day at Bahia Honda State park snorkeling right off the beach.
All of my students enjoyed shark fishing most of all. Our JCLC students were the first people to shark fish this season! We caught a total of 15 sharks as a group, mostly lemon sharks and one spinner shark. Our captain was bombarded with questions from the get go. He was patient, informative, and taught us a about shark fishing technique, shark history in Florida, threats to sharks, and more. I got off of the boat with a whole new perspective on sharks. I came into this experience fearful and misinformed. I finished this experience with a new found respect for these majestic creatures, as did the students.
Overall this trip went off without a hitch. There were very few set backs, which I believe is due to the depth of planning by Allie. She not only planned the itinerary, but checked and double checked all of our reservations to make sure everything fell in to place, and they did! This was one of the best trips I have ever taken with students. Thank you Allie, Annette, Andrei, Billy and Brandon for a great trip!
Sara Segar
Advisor and Life Science Instructor
[email protected]