Getting your feet wet: the Florida Master Naturalist Program Coastal Systems Course
“When one tugs at a single string in nature, he finds that it is attached to the rest of the world.”
John Muir
About the program:
When leading the group in field trips, Cindy Bear, coordinator of programs and services at the Randell Research Center in Pineland, asks participants to use their “fuzzy eyes” to identify what is different. Noticing particular characteristics of organisms and how various plant and animal species successfully adapt to environmental conditions are key elements within the Florida Master Naturalist Program. The FMNP is a statewide nature conservation effort led by Dr. Marty Main of the University of Florida.
Bear explains that when identifying and observing plants and animals, it is important to view the gestalt or unified whole so that patterns, similarities and differences can inform both the identification and the understanding of organisms and their particular adaptations.
Her most recent Coastal Systems course held at the Randell Research Center began with an estuary wading trip into Pine Island Sound where participants immediately got their feet wet and teamed up to use dip nets and buckets to collect and observe live specimens. Bear, a long-time environmental education resource teacher, skillfully involves participants in hands-on learning while sharing her enthusiasm and appreciation of plant and animal diversity and interdependence while pointing out the impact of habitat loss and human intervention. Pine Island Sound and the Charlotte Harbor Watershed are home to a great diversity of semitropical plant and animal life. On this day, the group was able to collect, observe and release a variety of vertebrates and invertebrates (animals with and without backbones) that included sea stars, tunicates (also known as sea squirts), a type of marine worm, a hermit crab, pipefish (related to seahorses), a live sponge and pin fish.
Bear explained that conditions such as turbidity (water clarity impacting sunlight needed by sea grasses), daily changes of the tides, predation and salinity levels impact which of the animals can adapt and survive based on their specific needs.
On a later trip to Matanzas Preserve on Fort Myers Beach, she led the group on a majestic walk through a maritime forest, which provided the perfect opportunity to observe differences in mangrove species; red with their prop roots, black with relatively shiny leaves that extrude salt and white with more rounded leaves. Mangroves play a significant ecological role as habitat for endangered and threatened species and species of special concern. In addition, mangroves serve as storm buffers and provide basic food chain resources as well as nurseries for fish and crustaceans.
That same day, the group was led by Keith Laakkonen, Fort Myers Beach Environmental Services Coordinator, to observe characteristics and behaviors of shorebirds and beach nesting birds. Least terns are currently mating and laying eggs in protected areas on Fort Myers Beach. Critical Wildlife Areas are located at the south end of town and are closed off by twine and marked with flagging tape. Shorebirds, marine turtles and their nests and eggs are protected by state and federal law. Postings alert visitors to nesting habitats for the least terns (considered a threatened species), snowy plovers (endangered) and Wilson’s plover-shorebirds that make Fort Myers Beach their home during the summer. Concerns about the nesting areas include visitors unintentionally stepping on eggs or hatchlings as well as human activity that could cause parents to become alarmed and leave their chicks unprotected. Laakkonen invited the island group to consider volunteering a few hours per week by setting up a post near these nesting areas to share with visitors why these protected areas are essential to bird survival rates.
For more information, contact Laakkonen at Keith@FtMyersBeachFL.gov
The overall mission of the Florida Master Naturalist Program is to promote awareness, understanding and respect of Florida’s natural world among Florida’s citizens and visitors. FMNP training is also beneficial to persons interested in learning more about Florida’s environment or wishing to increase their knowledge for use in education programs as volunteers, employees, ecotourism guides, and others. For more information, see www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu
“Florida’s coastal habitats are simultaneously fragile and resilient and they are home to a unique variety of plants and animals with fascinating life histories and connections that create links between them that extend to people. It is my hope that students of the FMNP Coastal class gain a deeper appreciation for those relationships because they have increased their knowledge through direct experience provided in class, through sharing with others outside class, and through the friendships we develop during our weeks together.” Cindy Bear
Look for Future FMNP training sessions to be held at Randell Research Center this coming fall. Bear teaches both the Coastal Systems and Uplands Systems modules.
About the participants:
Seventeen participants are enrolled in the current Coastal course; their varied personal and professional backgrounds enrich the learning experience with opportunities to interact and discuss how each will endeavor to foster principles of sustainability, connectivity, and biodiversity. There are many ways that knowledge from the course can be taken forward to help others respect Florida’s natural world as a community to which we all belong.
* Timothy Wright is self-employed in web development and internet sales.
“I hope to use my knowledge from this class to have a more positive impact on the environment through my own choices. I also plan to educate my family and friends to do the same, and I will explore volunteer opportunities and business ventures to effect positive change.
* Angela Leavens is a middle school science teacher at Six Mile Cypress Charter School in Fort Myers.
“I hope to bring the knowledge back to my students to develop middle school field trips and to expand our outdoor classroom using native plants.”
* Robin Brocious, certified horticultural professional, is garden center manager at “In the Garden” within the RS Walsh Landscaping Garden Center on Sanibel Island. She plans to use the information she received on our coastal environment to share with her customers.
* Holly Swartz’s most current position was Lee County Assistant Manager where her role evolved to Environmental Policy Director. She has been involved in public policy for over 20 years and wants to learn more about how to better communicate the importance of science and environmental issues to policy makers.
Other participants include Linda Reddish, longtime Pine Island resident and certified Master Gardener; Annette Bowen, family nurse practitioner; Dennis Romig, sea turtle nest volunteer at Cayo Costa State Park; Margaret Bergsten, interested new Florida resident; Gabriele Solterra, retired RN and artist; Cesar Sanchez, retired and current ECHO volunteer; John Minnick, retired USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service; Patrick Kessing; kayak instructor and volunteer for CROW and Peace River Wildlife Hospital; Tim Conatser, boat captain; Jim Rediske, retired US Army and funeral director; and Beth Crosby, faculty Western Governors University.