Explore life in the shallows of Pine Island Sound
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve staff invite visitors to explore our intriguing estuaries and uncover the secrets of “life in the shallows.” Sign up now for a Mucking About in Pine Island Sound estuary wading trip. The 2010-2011 series of wading trips are scheduled for the following low-tide mornings: Friday, Nov. 5; Friday, Feb. 11, 2011; Saturday, March 19, 2011 and Friday, April 8, 2011, from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m.
The wading trips are offered through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve’s field office and are free of charge because of a Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program sponsorship. The CHNEP is a partnership to protect Florida’s natural environment from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven. Advance registration is required. Call the Aquatic Preserve field office at 941-575-5861 during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday for reservations and directions. The registration deadline is the day preceding the date of the field trip; however, early registration is advised due to space and group size limitations.
Wade out into the shallows of Pine Island Sound for a closer look at the creatures buried beneath the sand, grazing on a seagrass blade, hidden in an oyster shell or swimming near the edge of the shore. This site is ideally suited for wading, snorkeling and exploring the ecology of a southwest Florida estuary at low tides. Observe silversides, sheepshead and needlefish swimming along the shoreline. Try your hand at seining and cast netting. Catch a hermit crab. Examine the pulsating tube feet of a starfish. Observe “living fossil” horseshoe crabs, a present day connection to primeval seas and link to the ancient past. Coastal birds such as osprey, ibis, herons and pelicans may be observed. Learn about mangroves, seagrasses and estuaries… our beautiful, productive bays and harbors where freshwater rivers journey to the sea and mix with the salty waters of the Gulf. Estuaries teem with life and provide habitat for the smallest crabs and shrimp to larger species such as dolphins and sea turtles. Estuaries are often referred to as the “nurseries of the sea” or the “cradles of the ocean” as more than two-thirds of the fish and shellfish commercially harvested in coastal waters spend a part of their life cycles in these protected inshore waters.
Participants will meet at Battey’s Landing on Waterfront Drive in Pineland and are advised to wear a swimsuit, shorts, old tennis shoes or diving booties. Flip-flops and sandals are not appropriate attire as they become stuck in muddy areas and are easily lost. Water, cold drinks, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, towel, dry clothes, snorkeling gear are recommended. For a complete list of wading trips in greater Charlotte Harbor, visit www.CHNEP.org.
Mucking About in Pine Island Sound Estuary Wading Trips
Nov. 5, and Feb. 11, March 19, April 8, 2011
9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Battey’s Landing, Pineland, Pine Island