Public Outreach Grant Projects: List, Descriptions and Reports

 

Public outreach grants are considered once a year for no more than $3,000 for each award.

This page provides brief descriptions of each application that was funded as well as links to reports that were produced. Additional details (dates and awards) about each project are provided on a separate web page.

 

KEY

Public Outreach Grant projects supported by the CHNEP are listed on this page as are links to brief project descriptions and PDF files, if reports have been completed. The projects are listed by year funded. A few projects have been supported more than once. These projects are described only once under the first year of support received. If a project received funding more than once the project title ends with a plus sign (+) to indicate the first year of support for that project. All links to the project description will go to the first year the project received an award. Project titles that end with an asterisk (*) indicate that the project has been previously supported. There are a few projects that were initiated with a grant but that the Program now supports on a regular basis. These are marked with an exclamation point (!).

 

Click on any header or project title to learn more about that project. Reports that are available as PDF files can be found both at the project title and the project description.

 

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2007 (with FY08 funds)

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2006 (with FY07 funds)

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2006 (with FY06 funds)

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2005

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2004

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2003
Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2002

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2001

Submitted to CHNEP but supported by an anonymous donor.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2000

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1999

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1998

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1997

 

 

 

Project Descriptions

 

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1997

Myakka Connectivity Project: Final Report

Myakka Conservancy

    In the Myakka River Basin Connectivity Project, the Myakka Conservancy researched and mapped a composite picture of planned and proposed public infrastructure and major land use changes for the Myakka River basin. The Myakka Conservancy then initiated a coordinated planning effort among stakeholders to locate and build new public infrastructure in a way that reduces or eliminates unnecessary fragmentation of ecosystems and ranches in the Myakka River basin. The effort revealed trends contrary to the maintenance of large, interconnected ranches and natural areas. There are at present no plans for easements or buffers along the river between Flatford Swamp and the Myakka River State Park. Phosphate mining and the development of rural lands into subdivisions pose special challenges in the Manatee County portion of the valley. Additional subdivision of land is occurring, or may soon occur, along the Myakka River south of Laurel Road. Highway improvements in southern Sarasota County and Charlotte County will increase access to previously undeveloped lands. Finally, economic pressures are causing grazing lands to be converted to more intensive agricultural uses.

This project unearthed information about proposed projects within the Myakka River basin that could fragment the land and involved the identification, collection, interpretation, and mapping of natural resources and future project data. The geographic and information inventory included mapping and database development of natural features, land and cover, and existing and proposed projects. Persons, agencies, and organizations having information concerning the Myakka River basin were contacted and meetings were held in June and November 1997 to brief landowners and discuss findings. Appropriate information was reviewed, verified, and assembled into a Geographical Information System database (ARC/INFO 7.0.4) that can be updated.

Charlotte Harbor Conference: Proceedings

Mote Marine Laboratory

    A public conference and technical symposium was held March 15-16, 1997. The conference sought to present a “big picture” understanding of the region’s geography, natural history, human experience, and management challenges. The technical symposium combined invited and contributed papers to review the status and trends of resources bearing on the goals and priority problems identified by the NEP Management Conference.

 

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1998

 

Keep the Estuary Clean: Estuary Study Curriculum Guide, Report

Hardee County Outdoor Classroom

    Hardee County Outdoor Classroom coordinated and conducted a public educational campaign to reduce water quality degradation of the Peace River and the Charlotte Harbor estuary. The Outdoor Classroom enlisted 100 fifth grade students from Bowling Green, Wauchula and Zolfo Springs to participate in one of three field trips to the Charlotte Harbor estuary. The value of the field trips to the students was so great that teachers obtained funding from another agency (Southwest Florida Water Management District) to give the rest of the fifth grade students the opportunity to travel to Charlotte Harbor and conduct water quality tests. Their experiences and knowledge were immediately put to use in an art contest and creation of antipollution signs, which were placed at public accesses to the Peace River in Hardee County. These turned the students into teachers of others in the community.

Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program for Charlotte Harbor

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center and the Charlotte County Cooperative Extension Service

    The Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center partnered with the Charlotte County Cooperative Extension Service to provide an aggressive and enhanced Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program (FYN) for the Charlotte Harbor proper area. Community workshops, lectures, meetings, and field demonstration events were offered in order to promote participation in the FYN Program, and to educate the public about the CHNEP itself. Each time, FYN preliminary surveys were completed by those in attendance, and CHNEP materials were given to participants. This project doubled the impact of each event in this way, and involved members of the public by demonstrating numerous ways in which they become empowered to make a difference in the health of their watershed. The Program was evaluated through the use of events’ rosters, pre- and post-event surveys and post-event evaluation activities. Participants learned a great deal and were able to do more after they were shown and offered hands-on activities to learn about native plants as opposed to being simply provided with publications and lectures.

History of the Upper Peace River Watershed

Fort Meade High School

    The Peace River is a 36-mile river that meanders through the four counties of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, and Polk. Since the river flows to the Gulf of Mexico, it had historically been used as a major waterway to the inland counties and has been vital to the development of the central portion of Florida. Environmental science students at Fort Meade High School learned about the significance of the Peace River from Cantor Brown, a renowned local historian, and then conducted their own research of historical information. After learning about the past, they collected data at four locations on the Peace River: boat ramp at Fort Meade, Homeland (between IMC Park and Fort Meade), Pioneer Park at Zolfo Springs, and Payne’s Creek State Park at Wauchula. They observed and collected data on the width, depth, volume, velocity, turbidity, odor, and water quality of the river and the flora and fauna at these locations. The students then analyzed and summarized their findings in reports and compiled their findings for the public as a video.

Estuaries For Kids’ Sake: Guide and Report

Myakka River Elementary School

    Lemon Bay and the estuaries that flow into it provide a source of recreation for children and young adults that live in the Venice, Englewood, and Port Charlotte areas. As these students grow into adults, they continue to work, live, and play within its special habitats. All too often those who live in this region are unaware of how fragile these habitats are and what their part is in keeping them healthy. This project is a continuation and enhancement of the vision that through cooperative education among different age groups of students (primary, at risk intermediate, and high school), children will gain a new understanding of the place in which they live, the water quality and fish and wildlife habitat loss found there, and spread the word to others that the environment can survive and thrive. The project involved 125 Myakka River Elementary first grade students and 30 Lemon Bay High School students. This project enlarged the working group to two classes of “at risk” fourth and fifth graders who will produce education curriculum materials that will be disseminated to classrooms in both Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. These materials will reach a minimum of 1,500 students. This Program helped children of all ages learn more about the fragile natural environment they live in.

Keeping the Peace Water Conservation: Curriculum

Port Charlotte Middle School

    The Port Charlotte Middle School student community is comprised of children who are environmentally sensitive, eager to learn, and interested in their community. Some of the students are native Floridians and some are students who have recently moved to the community. Most of the students are relatively unaware of the history, problems, and issues of the Charlotte Harbor area. This project was meant to inform, enlighten, and motivate students to have a vested interest in their immediate surroundings, including the Peace River and the Charlotte Harbor watershed. Their proximity to the Peace River allowed them the opportunity to view and experience, first hand, the many facets of the river and estuary system. This project brought students together to learn about the natural environment that surrounds them. The project’s interdisciplinary unit of study involved the history of the Charlotte Harbor area, the importance of clean water, the value of water systems, and the technology and scientific data that are needed to measure, research, and maintain a healthy water supply.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 1999

 

Estuary Awareness and Education Project: Resource Guide

Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University

    Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. One means to ensure the long-term understanding and protection of estuarine systems is through education and awareness. The Florida Center for Environmental Studies Education and Outreach Program conducted a one-day teacher workshop on February 21, 2000 to provide science teachers with a chance to explore estuarine ecosystems. The workshop, Estuarine Aquatic Ecology, incorporated water quality testing and analysis with invertebrate and seagrass sampling and identification techniques. Twenty secondary science teachers and 10 nontraditional agency educators from the greater Charlotte Harbor study area participated in a four-hour pontoon-boat trip through San Carlos Bay in the tidal Caloosahatchee River watershed. They learned about the delicate balance of water quality, seagrasses, and invertebrates comprising the ecology of the estuary.Teachers who participated received a resource guide, laminated identification keys, and water quality monitoring kits. As a result of the workshop, teachers now have the background and resources available to conduct a series of estuarine lessons, which incorporate the field techniques and analysis methods learned in the workshop. Ultimately, teachers can select a site in the estuary for long-term monitoring of water quality as well as seagrass and invertebrate communities and use the estuary as a living laboratory for student field studies. The estuary resource guide and laminated seagrass identification keys are available on the Internet from the CES website at www.ces.fau.edu.

A Study of Old Mill Pond

Fort Meade High School

    The Old Mill Pond in the upper Peace River watershed is located approximately 50 feet from the east bank of the Peace River in Fort Meade. This waterbody was once connected to the Peace River by a natural channel. Approximately ten years ago, the pond was dammed, the original shape of the pond was altered, and natural drainage into the Peace River decreased. Environmental science students at the Fort Meade High School investigated the effect of damming on the water quality and macroinvertebrate communities in both the pond and the river. The students conducted an in-depth water quality study of the pond, where the stream enters the Peace River and the Peace River itself. To learn about reclamation, the students visited scrub and wetland areas that had been reclaimed by two local companies, IMC and USAgrichem. This project created an outdoor classroom to help students better understand the hydrology, water quality, and ecological connections of the Peace River watershed. The students determined the feasibility of returning the pond to a more natural state, which they will do by removing an exotic plant, Hydrilla, from the pond.

Watershed Education Workshop

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    Educators from Polk and Hardee counties – where the Peace River originates – spent a day learning about the Charlotte Harbor estuary. The Peace River watershed is a 2,300 square mile system originating in Polk County. The river flows southwest for 105 miles through Hardee, DeSoto and Charlotte counties to Charlotte Harbor. The field trip was a wonderful way for our up-river neighbors to experience the various ecosystems found within the lower Charlotte Harbor area. It was also great to network with the many knowledgeable people who are so involved in the preservation and conservation of our watershed. The time on the bus to and from Bartow to Charlotte Harbor was spent networking – learning from each other. A total of 24 educators participated, representing schools, cities, counties, state, nonprofit organizations and industry. Once at the harbor, they took part in hands-on capture and release of aquatic organisms in Charlotte Harbor estuary during an educational boat ride provided by Grande Tours. They toured CHEC’s two environmental centers and received a full notebook of educational resources. By the end of the day they had learned a great deal about what happens to the water that flows from the Peace River.

Lake Hancock Monitoring and Education

George Jenkins High School

Lake Hancock is a 4,500-acre lake near Bartow that is known for poor water quality. This lake discharges to the Peace River, a primary drinking water resource in southwest Florida. Students from the George Jenkins High School in Lakeland conducted monthly water quality monitoring (dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, pH, temperature, total nitrates, phosphates, carbon and turbidity), soil monitoring (nitrates and phosphates), and invertebrate and sediment sampling in and around Lake Hancock. The students then developed a water quality index from these data. Students also participated in two canoe trips on the Peace River to compare their findings from the lake to their analysis of the river. Students then designed and presented a demonstration for students at Valleyview, Sikes and Highlands City Elementary Schools on the topic of pollution and how to better care for Lake Hancock and the Peace River. The teacher anticipates making this project a yearly tradition because it was so successful in providing the students hands-on experiences and giving them an opportunity to teach younger students.

Treasures of the Sea

Town of Fort Myers Beach Marine Resources Task Force-Education

    The Town of Fort Myers Beach provided environmental education field trips called Treasures of the Sea. These successful easy-paced beach and mangrove forest walks teach residents and visitors the importance of habitat preservation, conservation, restoration, and environmental stewardship. Beach identification walks provided information about the importance and value of preserving habitat and treasures in the wrack line. A walk into the Matanzas Pass Wilderness Preserve gave participants the sense of how pristine the island once was and urgent need for action to maintain natural resources for future generations. Experiencing the aquatic preserve gave meaning to the expression, “the cradle of the ocean,” when participants learned the importance of the estuary. A quarter-fold brochure with facts of local flora and fauna was given to each participant as well as other material to promote restoration, conservation and preservation. From July 1999 through May 2000 this project provided 60 three-hour tours to groups of 15 to 20 people. Each tour included two hours in the field and one hour of video and discussion. Approximately 407 adults and many children’s groups participated, discovering the importance of being part of the pollution solution and protecting habitat. One in four who participated are people who do normally participate in environmental education opportunities. The walks were also offered every Tuesday and Thursday, weather permitting, from November 2000 to April 2001. The walks will resume November 2001.

Upper Peace River Education Strategy: Final Report

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    The Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC) researched the demographics and other community features of the upper Peace River watershed, including effective avenues of communication for public outreach and environmental education. CHEC assimilated research findings and developed a strategy for public outreach and environmental education in the upper Peace River watershed, including potential methods of increasing public participation in future environmental education events and community issues. In essence, CHEC paved the road for a “refreshing” of environmental education, recreation, and public involvement in the upper Peace River watershed by networking existing cooperators into a regional force with a method for addressing issues such as water conservation, habitat preservation, water quality, and sustainable development.

Boater’s Guide to Charlotte Harbor

Charlotte County Cooperative Extension Service

    The Charlotte County Cooperative Extension Service developed an attractive, user-friendly boater’s guide to Charlotte Harbor that combines graphics and text to educate the users of the natural resource – boaters – about the fishery habitat and seagrasses. The guide covers Charlotte Harbor, including Lemon Bay in the north to Pine Island Sound in the south, the Peace River to Fort Ogden (Route 761) and the Myakka River to North Port (SR 41). It lists boat ramps, marinas, anchorages, and restaurants and provides information on manatee protection, boater safety zones, navigational symbols and markers, boater safety requirements, and safe boating tips. The 22 x 22.5 inch guide folds to 4.5 x 8.5 inches. This free guide can be picked up at many locations throughout Charlotte County, including marinas, bait and tackle shops, public boat ramps, Chambers of Commerce, tourist contact stations, libraries, realtors offices, the Cooperative Extension Office, and tag offices. The guide is also available at select sites in other counties, including the CHNEP office. If you would like to distribute copies, call the Extension Office at 941/639-6255.

Knowing Our Ecosystems

4-H Sharks Club of Charlotte County

    The 4-H Sharks Club of Charlotte County provided educational workshops and free classroom instruction concerning the Charlotte Harbor watershed to provide instructors and teachers of science with material that will help them teach marine education. The focus was on children, ages eight and up, because the 4-H material is suitable to this age group. The 4-H Sharks Club also trained its leaders, the parents of students, and members to be part of a teaching staff providing estuary instruction to the public. The programs were offered to all Charlotte County Schools, both public and private, either during school hours or after school. The goal of the project is to lay the groundwork in marine science so that the 4-H School Enrichment Program in Charlotte County can continue the program after the grant period. For instruction in identification, a color plant and animal booklet was created containing some of the species found in the watershed. Members of the 4-H Club took thousands of pictures of plant and animal species to illustrate a species identification booklet.

Seagrass Education in Lemon Bay and Beneath the Crest of a Wave: A Seagrass Adventure

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    The Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center offered small-group “get wet” wading trips into the shallow seagrasses of Lemon Bay for 125 citizens of the Englewood area. After a brief land-side introduction to marine life, the group entered the hip-deep waters of Lemon Bay. Scooping seine nets through the seagrass beds, a multitude of marine creatures were captured, discussed and released unharmed. The wading trips taught people about the value of seagrasses, their habitat and their inhabitants, and the CHNEP goals for restoration and preservation of these important resources. Beginning in May 1999, wading events were offered on the last Wednesday of each month for 12 months, participants and the general public received additional information, and the seagrass reference section at the Cedar Point Environmental Center library in Englewood was expanded. The groups were kept small (15 participants maximum) to minimize potential damage to the seagrass beds. Additional continuing education took place by distribution of seagrass information at the Center, and by allowing the public to use the books in the library. This 2001 program provided citizens near Lemon Bay with opportunities to learn about seagrasses - their value, habitat, and inhabitants -- at 5 three-hour workshops.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2000

 

Peace River Basin Agricultural Education Initiative

Central Florida Resource Conservation and Development Council

    A portable, educational display of the natural resources and issues specific to the Peace River Basin was created. The display will highlight the benefits of conservation practices currently being applied on agriculture lands and will encourage others to utilize these practices. The display will be used at functions such as the Farm Bureau’s annual meetings, Farm-City Days, county fairs, and other basin-wide events. The Central Florida Resource Conservation and Development Council is working in conjunction with Polk, Hardee, and DeSoto Soil and Water Conservation Districts to prepare and use this display.

Calusa Land Trust Junior Ranger Program

Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island, Inc.

    Exotic vegetation is invading Pine Island at a rate faster than it is being eradicated. The Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island, Inc. (CLT) has developed a Stewardship/Ranger Program to, among other things, safely and effectively eliminate exotic invasive species from CLT preserves on Pine Island. With support provided by this project, new nature trail signs were placed to identify vegetation and a Junior Ranger Program was created to prepare students and accompanying adults to act as restorers of fish and wildlife habitats. The Junior Ranger Program will include three phases: an instructional learning Program, a hands-on Program to learn about the natural environment of pine flatwoods, coastal strands, scrubby flatwoods, oak scrub and mahogany hammocks, and a hands-on phase to learn about the tools and chemicals used to eradicate invasive exotics.

Charlotte Harbor User Education Project

Florida Sea Grant/Charlotte County Cooperative Extension Service

    People who use our water resources, including boaters, anglers, swimmers, and others, often unintentionally have a negative impact on aquatic plants and animals. By providing more and better information at water access points, well-intentioned users’ impact on the natural resources may be decreased. Funds for this project purchased, installed, and maintained weatherproof outdoor display boards at 15 public launching ramps, fishing piers, and beaches in Charlotte County. The Cooperative Extension Service, Charlotte County Parks and Recreation and Charlotte County Aquatic Preserves will provide the information for the displays and maintain them.

Lakeside Education Displays

Lakes Education/Action Drive

    The Peace River, the major tributary to Charlotte Harbor, has its headwaters in Polk County. While the people are enjoying the recreational and aesthetic opportunities of the lake, they can become more aware of the interconnection of the lakes in the Upper Peace River watershed with the entire Charlotte Harbor watershed. The display also includes information on lake ecosystems and watersheds, water quality issues, and information on pollution. The project initiated in 2000 helped create a lakeside education displays at public parks on Lakes Bonny and Morton in Polk County. The projects initiated in 2005 helped create lakeside educational displays at public parks on Lake Howard (Winter Haven, Polk County) and Lake Hollingsworth (Lakeland, Polk County). The project initiated in 2006 helped create lakeside educational displayst at Lake Parker Park.

Marine Cleanup aka Monofilament Madness

Keep Lee County Beautiful

    Fishing line and debris are unsightly, and they harm the environment. Since 1982 volunteers in Lee County have picked up debris found in waterways and mangroves during an annual marine cleanup. In 1999, more than 8,500 pounds of debris, mostly fishing line, cigarette butts, cans, glass and plastic bottles, bags, and cups, were collected. This project supported the cleanup held on November 29, 2000. The collection sites included Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral and Fish-Tale Marina and Mid-Island Marina in Fort Myers Beach. The 421 volunteers collected 16,000 pounds of marine debris. Media coverage continues to help raise awareness about this preventable litter problem and the threatening circumstances it poses for marine life. Marine Cleanup is one example of volunteers taking direct, immediate action to help restore the health of our waterways, providing immediate tangible results.

Courtland Waterway - Restoration 2000

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc.

    CHEC, along with the Cooperative Extension Service and Environmental Services in Charlotte County, offered 12 lectures and four demonstration workshops on the devastating effects of hydrological alterations. Participants learned about hydrologic alterations, water quality, and simple solutions that can be implemented in their own yards and communities. Once restoration is complete, the site will provide acceptable habitat for Florida’s native wading bird species in a man-made waterway. A permanent outdoor educational display and an outdoor lecture site were planned for Courtland Waterway but due to vandalism, educational signage will be displayed at CHEC’s Alligator Creek site in Punta Gorda.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2001

 

Don’t Dump It!

Caloosahatchee River Citizen’s Association

    Ordinary citizens can protect our water resources. This nonprofit organization will help by providing information to both children and adults about the problems associated with dumping wastes into the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries. Citizens will be encouraged to adopt storm drains in their neighborhood by placing permanent placards near each drain as a reminder to others to “don’t dump it.”

The Extinction of Experience

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    CHEC, with Charlotte High School and the Peace River Audubon Society, will develop a backyard habitat that will educate and demonstrate to the public how to provide a place in their backyards for native wildlife and plants. By creating these small habitats, homeowners can maintain a bond between people and nature that will in turn foster a sense of stewardship for the land and the natural world.

Estuary Education through Art: Guidance Document, Teachers Guide

Peace River Center for Writers

    The River of Words National Environmental Poetry and Poster Contest for Students was created by Robert Hass, U.S. Poet Laureate on the belief that writing and creating art about a watershed requires students to closely observe and interpret the natural environment. Such observation and interpretation in turn will inspire students to preserve and conserve. The Arts and Humanities Council of Charlotte County has successfully held local contests. This project will develop a guidebook to help others in the Charlotte Harbor watershed to plan, conduct and conclude successful local River of Words contests.

Pick Preserve Bird Blind

The Sanibel School

    This project will build a bird blind at Pick Preserve on Sanibel Island. The Preserve is part of a conservation corridor that has been restored and includes an educational trail and a teaching shelter. Pick Preserve is located directly across the road from the Sanibel Elementary and Middle School which makes it ideal for expansion of classroom learning into the outdoors. The bird blind is one aspect of a three-year project that is providing hands-on learning for students to foster respect for themselves and the environment. The project will also promote social and personal competencies through self-exploration and leadership opportunities.

Fire on the Buffer

Friends of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves, Inc.

    Fire is a naturally occurring force that has been misunderstood since the Smokey the Bear campaigns of the 1960s. This project will create a display providing information about fire ecology, the use of prescribed fire as a resource management practice, and the benefits of prescribed fire to wildlife. The display will be on exhibit throughout the Charlotte Harbor watershed in libraries, government buildings, colleges, nature and environmental education centers, at public meetings and elsewhere.

San Marino Brazilian Pepper Removal

San Marino Volunteers

    Brazilian pepper is an invasive exotic tree that has proliferated along the waterways of Charlotte County, causing the death of underlying native grasses and plants. Volunteers will remove about 2,400 square yards of this exotic from vacant lots in Harbour Heights, located on Charlotte Harbor. The removal of the trees will allow native plants to again flourish. The plants will help prevent erosion and filter runoff. This in turn will reduce the silt in the water, improving seagrass beds and fish habitat. The volunteers will also provide a report of their project to encourage others to take action. In just nine months, the San Marino Volunteers cleared Brazilian pepper trees from 14.5 lots with only 9.5 lots left.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2002

 

Upper Peace River Educational and Interpretive Kayak Programs

City of Fort Meade Leisure Services

    The City of Fort Meade in Polk County is now able to offer free or low-cost educational and interpretive kayak programs on the upper Peace River. Six kayaks will be acquired as well as a kiosk and outdoor message center with the support of this grant. The kayaks will be used during biweekly paddling trips, summer camps, river cleanups, fossil-hunting trips, kayaking courses and on demand.

Sailing Through the Environment of Charlotte Harbor

LA Ainger Middle School, Rotonda West

    Seventh grade students in Englewood (Charlotte County) will participate in one of six environmental field trips on Charlotte Harbor as a result of this grant. Each of the 240 students, including special needs children, will be able to enjoy being out on the water of Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay – some for the first time – while they collect and analyze data.

Grandmothers Garden

Susan Henry

    This project restores 2.8-acres in the heart of Bartow from a defunct park and stormwater catchbasin into a demonstration garden creating an urban wildlife refuge and restoring a neighborhood park in a Community Redevelopment District while using environmentally responsible plants and management techniques.

Keep our Creeks Clean

J. Colin English Elementary School

    Fifth grade students become scientific analysts and stewards of Yellow Fever Creek, Powell Creek, Daltry’s Creek and Billy’s Creek. They will map, sample, test, collect and analyze data gathered on these creeks that flow to the Calooshatchee and that are known for their high levels of pollution. They will then become educators – preparing the fourth grade students to continue the work the next year and sharing their knowledge in presentations to the community. This is the second year of support from the NEP.

Southwest Florida Amphibian Monitoring Network

CREW Land and Water Trust

    Amphibians are an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem – and frog populations are in decline throughout the world. The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program developed guidelines that were implemented in southwest Florida during the summer of 2000. People voluntarily began monitoring routes – 25 volunteers on 7 routes in the first year and 40 volunteers on 14 routes the next year. This grant will provide teams with the data collecting equipment to identify the exact location using GPS and record temperature and wind speed at each location.

Manatee Park Outdoor Classroom Project Florida Native Plants and Habitats: An Outdoor Classroom at Manatee Park

Lee County Parks and Recreation & Florida Native Plant Society Coccoloba Chapter

    Six of Florida’s flora and fauna habitats, a large native butterfly garden and a south Florida oak grove have been developed at Manatee Park as a result of a partnership between the Park and the local chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. The state-of-the-art outdoor classroom is used by fifth grade students throughout Lee County as part of their environmental education curriculum, by students at Florida Gulf Coast University, for workshops that teach homeowners and landscapers how to use and maintain native plants, and to 100,000 visitors who annually enjoy the guided and self-guided tours. Two grants each added two educational interpretive habitat panels on oak/rosemary scrub, pine flatwoods, freshwater wetlands and oak/pine hammock.

Aquatic Nuisance Species Surveillance and Education Network

Southwest Florida Watershed Council

    Aquatic nuisance species pose threats to water resources. This project will increase public awareness of these non-native species and potential threats to the water resources of southwest Florida through a public information poster and a web-based surveillance network. This network will track the occurrence, distribution and relative abundance of the nuisance species throughout southwest Florida, including all of the NEP study area, and will be an important sentinel for the early detection of potentially harmful species and, where feasible, the coordination of eradication efforts.

Experience Estero Bay

Estero Bay Buddies

    If people don’t know or understand an issue, how can they appreciate, respect and care about it? This project will develop outreach and interpretive materials focused on the Estero Bay Aquatic and State Buffer Preserves. The materials to be prepared include a slide show, trail guide and interpretive signs. In addition, at least three volunteer workdays will be scheduled to remove exotic species and cleanup trash.

Gopher Tortoise Habitat Restoration

Estero Bay Buddies

    Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), found throughout the NEP study area, are protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a Species of Special Concern. The population statewide is estimated to have decreased by 30 percent in recent years. Habitat restoration efforts focused on the gopher tortoise benefit the entire sandy upland habitat ecosystem since the animals burrows provide shelter for more than 360 species of animals. Approximately 173 tortoises were counted in 1997 on the Estero Bay Scrub, 1,245 acres added to the Estero Bay Buffer Preserve in February 2000. A prescribed fire will be conducted on the property, which according to the Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative, will increase the average carrying capacity of an acre from two or three to four or six tortoises.

The Power of Fire and Water: Center Tract Interpretive Signage

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation

    The Center Tract is 262+ acres of riparian corridor that has been hydrological restored and invasive exotic plants have been removed. It is the centerpiece of SCCF’s habitat management within the island-wide wetlands management program. SCCF now mimics wild fires through the use of prescribed burns. These fires benefit the ecosystem by recycling nutrients, controlling woody vegetation and opening up forage areas for wading birds. Because of this success, there is important demonstration value to the 15,600 visitors who annually walk the trails. This grant helps SCCF provide interpretive signage on the ecological value and function of land and water.

An Outdoor Study Along the Peace River

Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School

    An outdoor study area along the Peace River in Fort Meade will provide environmental science students access to the river, a spring fed pond, cypress swamp, hardwood forest and other ecosystems. Approximately 50 students in grades six through 12 will construct a wetlands survey, conduct various water tests on both the pond and river, prepare a report of their findings as well as introduce approximately 100 to 120 students in elementary grades to the life along the Peace River during field trips.

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2003

 

Environmental Education Conference

Lakes Education-Action Drive

    Teaching teachers has a multiplying effect as the teachers teach students. Due to staffing changes and re-consideration, this project changed LE/AD organizing an environmental education conference, tentatively scheduled August 2003, for educators in Polk, Highlands, Hardee and DeSoto counties to learn about concerns within the Peace River watershed, to development of a resource notebook. This resource notebook continues to be made available.

 

Greater Charlotte Harbor Watershed Guide: Watershed Guide

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    Positive attitudes, perceptions and actions flow from active participation in learning about the environment, especially through experiences such as field trips. CHEC will develop curriculum for local educators at environmental associations, agencies and schools to use to help educate people from second grade students to adults. This project will help others provide experiences to change attitudes, perceptions and behaviors that will help protect and restore the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed.

 

Stingray Ecology and its Effects on Charlotte Harbor

Angela Barker

    Working with researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory, University of South Florida graduate student Angela S. Barker will estimate stingray feeding and use of Charlotte Harbor. Healthy elasmobranch populations are indicative of intact ecosystems. Examining the ecology of a large predator, such as the stingray, and its impacts on an ecosystem can provide clues in assessing the health of the estuary. Estimating the extent to which stingrays use the harbor will also allow preliminary conclusions to be drawn regarding habitat use and preferences.

 

Trail Guide

Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium

    A 46-page trail guide will be created to provide the estimated 80,000 annual visitors with direct experience of the Fort Myers center as an ecological preserve and environmental education center. Visitors will learn more about the natural environment and issues of concern through habitats, landscapes and exhibits the center provides through its museum and three miles of trails on the 105-acre subtropical natural inland habitat.

 

Enhancing Visitor Experience at the Circle B Bar Reserve: Interpreting Lake Hancock Water, Wildlife and Wilderness

Polk County Environmental Lands Program

    Lakeland, Winter Haven and the Green Swamp areas drains into the 4,533-acre Lake Hancock. The water then flows into Peace River, which flows to Charlotte Harbor. The conservation purchase of the Circle B Bar Reserve with its nearly two miles of Lake Hancock shoreline provides the county will opportunities to educate the visiting public about the importance of water resources within Polk County and beyond by providing support for educational panels that will be placed along a hiking/nature trail on the berm of the lake.

Self-Guided Trail Booklet

Crowley Museum & Nature Center

    During a two-mile walk on the center’s 190 preserved acres, visitors can see pine flatwoods, hammock, swamp, marsh and river habitats and the animals that depend on them. The center will create a self-guided booklet about these natural Florida habitats and their interconnectiveness. Details will be provided at approximately 35 stops, including at the Tatum Sawgrass Marsh, Myakka River and the self-contained composting toilets! The guides will allow the 8,500 annual visitors to determine the pace of their walk.

 

Don Ball School of Fishing

Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

    Believing that the education of youth, not directives and laws, is the best way to protect the estuaries system of Charlotte Harbor, hardworking and devoted individuals from the association created an eight-class program known as the Don Ball School of Fishing for 100 seventh-grade students, 25 from each of the four middle schools in Charlotte County. The students, and 50 to 60 parents, learn about protecting marine assets while they learn about fishing. The school began in 2002 and is named for a Charlotte County resident who worked with youth. Mr. Ball passed away in 1998.

 

Public Outreach Projects Initiated in 2004

 

Eco-Study Tour of the Peace River Watershed

Resurrection Catholic School in Polk County

    Fifty seventh grade life science students will be introduced to the upper and lower Peace River watershed through studies at both Paynes Creek Historic State Park and Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda. The hands-on activities will include learning of their impact on the watershed and documenting their analysis of water quality, flora and wildlife at each site in scrapbooks and a presentation to parents.

Manatee and Seagrass Education Project for Lee County

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

    Through an interactive educational puppet skit, discussion and video, 30 third grade classrooms in Lee County will learn about manatees, their natural history, importance of seagrass habitat to their health as well as threats from declining water quality, watercraft and how the students can help protect both local waters and manatees.

Watershed Traveling Display

Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Land & Water Trust

    A traveling display with interactive activities will be developed to promote the importance of watersheds to water supply and quality, wildlife habitat and human recreation. The display will be used at schools, environmental education facilities, festivals and elsewhere throughout the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed. For information about the display, call 239/657-2253.

Turtle Talks Book: Activity Book

Turtle Talks

    Working with authors, artists and educators, this teenager will produce a booklet that features the Charlotte Harbor estuary and the marine lives that depend on its health. The booklet will be given to students who participate in a Turtle Talk, an educational program designed to inform students and adults of the fragile nature of the local environment.

Jacaranda Library Native Plant Project

Friends of Jacaranda

    The site of this Sarasota County library already includes a large natural area with native plants. The Friends will develop a “Native Walk” in perfect harmony to increase the awareness of the library’s 238,000 annual patrons about the value of using native plant landscaping. The project includes plant identification and plant care signage, benches and tables, programming for adults and children as well as an expansion of the library’s collection on native plants.

Down the Caloosahatchee River and into the Gulf of Mexico

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

    This game show format educational awareness program will be updated and made available free, targeting home school groups, minority and under-served communities. Sally Splash and Wanda Water are hosts to this team challenge of fast action, fact finding challenges about the Calooshatchee as it travels to the Gulf of Mexico. After the game students discuss issues and solutions.

Water Matters! Interactive Panels

Explorations V Children’s Museum

    The museum provides hands-on fun-filled adventure in learning. With three floors of kid-powered exhibits and programs, it reaches 72,000 annually. This project will develop four interactive panels that emphasize stewardship and conservation of our important natural resource, water. Water Matters to Plants and Water Matters to Wildlife will increase public awareness of wildlife and habitats near Florida waters, water resources and conservation, and freshwater basins and flows. Contact info@explorationsv.com for more information.

Estero Bay Field Map and Interpretive Guidebook

Fort Myers Beach The Mound House

    The illustrated laminated field map will provide a backdrop of Estero Bay and Matanzas Pass highlighting the diversity of life in the estuary, its operation and the interaction between humans and this unique environment for the last 6,000 years. The guidebook will integrate the human history of this area with habitat use. The documents will be available to kayaks using The Mound House while on the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail.

Learning to Save our Future: The Estuaries and Human Impacts

Sara Scott Harllee Middle School in Manatee County

    Approximately 100 students in grades 6 to 8 will tour the headwaters of the Myakka River, visit the Myakka River State Park and tour Charlotte Harbor, testing nitrogen, phosphates, dissolved solids and dissolved oxygen levels as they travel from the headwaters to the estuary. The students will also create a living classroom laboratory and produce an episode of “Science is Cool in the Estuary and Mangrove Forest” for the Manatee Educational Television.

Outdoor Permanent Sign on Water Conservation

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

    Visitors to the center will learn best management practices for landscape irrigation and micro-drip irrigation from this permanent sign on water conservation. The sign will help 80,000 annual visitors to the center better understand water conservation and how it is being implemented at the center’s Butterfly Aviary and Native Plant Nursery.

Instructional Field Modules for K-12 Environmental Education

Florida Gulf Coast University

    Teachers will have access to ready-made field modules for each of three preserved areas in Lee County: Estero Bay Buffer Preserve Estero River Scrub, Four Mile Cove EcoPark in Cape Coral and Randell Research Center at Pineland. The teacher guides