Coastal Focus: A Stewardship, Outreach and Education Program

 

to increase and enhance public stewardship of coastal wildlife habitats and other natural resources in Florida,

focusing on sea turtles and shorebirds that depend on local beaches for nesting habitat and on migratory birds that forage on shorelines throughout the year

 

This project is a partnership between the Coastal Wildlife Club and the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. It is funded by a Coastal Partnership Initiative grant administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There are five components to this project. For additional information, visit Coastal Wildlife Club's website. 

  1. Teachers' Workshops for elementary school teachers to provide education outreach, including beach walks to identify and document sea turtle tracks, to observe and assist in next excavations, and conduct beach clean-ups. The walks also included identification of gopher tortoises, native plants and exotic species. Indoor activities include classroom demonstrations, presentations and development of teachers' lessons and visual aids. These workshops were held during the summer of 2010.

  2. Field trips for children whose teachers have participated in the Teachers' Workshops. The field trips will provide school children with first-hand (beach) experience in the coastal environment and will facilitate real-time use and testing of lesson plans and curriculum. The field trips are ongoing.

  3. Printing of children's materials such as Turtle Talks and The Gopher Tortoise and/or similar materials which are age-appropriate for middle school and younger children. Over the past few years, the books referenced above as well as Turtle Talks in Spanish translation (Charlas de Tortugas) have been available to the public at no charge. FCMP will fund the printing of these and/or similar books and materials for distribution through past participants of CWC's Teachers' Workshops and as part ofCWC presentations and at festival displays; and printing of materials for User Group Workshops and Public Awareness workshops such as small posters, species ID cards, and informational brochures - tailored for the population segments targeted, which include law enforcement officers, beach user groups, boaters, and others.This is ongoing.

  4. User Group Workshops. In collaboration with CHNEP and other organizations, CWC will develop and host half-day workshops targeting law enforcement personnel and user groups most likely to encounter endangered and threatened species. Workshops will include discussion of laws and law enforcement resources, explore options for increasing productive communication and interaction between officers and users, and will be scheduled for early 2011 to coincide with the start of shorebird nesting season. Details about the workshop held in Lee County are provided below. Workshops in Charlotte and Sarasota counties are being developed.

  5. Public Awareness Workshops. In collaboration with CHNEP and other organizations, CWC will develop and host half-day public workshops to promote awareness of the behavior and needs of coastal wildlife, especially sea turtles and shorebirds. Target audiences are coastal property owners, managers and the public. Particular emphasis will be given to inappropriate lighting, pets running loose and other threats, over which participants have control but lack specific knowledge about their impacts on wildlife. These workshops are currently being planned.

 

LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKSHOP

 

Focusing on

 

WILDLIFE and RESOURCE PROTECTION – COASTAL WATERBIRDS and SEA TURTLES

 

Date:          February 14, 2011

Time:          8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Place:         Eco-Living Center, Rutenberg Community Park, 6490 South Pointe Blvd, Ft Myers 33919

For:            Federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement officers, local code enforcement officers, rangers and representatives of wildlife monitoring groups

Hosts:   Coastal Wildlife Club, Inc. and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program

Planning Team:  Lee County Environmental Sciences and Fort Myers Beach Environmental Sciences

 

To register, please contact Wilma Katz at (941) 716-0189 or wilmak5@verizon.net

 

GOALS FOR THE WORKSHOP:

 

AGENDA

Follow the hyperlinks to see PDFs of the presentations.  Each file is less than 7 MB.

 

 8:00   Check-in and light refreshments – coffee, juice, muffins   Please bring your mug!

 8:15   Welcome, review workshop agenda and goals – Maran Hilgendorf, CHNEP

 

 8:30   WILDLIFE AND RESOURCE PROTECTION

·      Shorebird Conservation: Marianne Korosy, Florida Important Birds Areas (IBA) Coordintor, Audubon of Florida

·      Shorebirds and Beach Nesting Birds: Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area and Carlos Point Beach Nesting Birds and Sea Turtles: Keith Laakkonen, Environmental Sciences Coordinator , Town of Fort Myers Beach

·      Bird Steward Program: Brad Cornell, Southwest Florida Policy Associate, Collier County Audubon

·      Coastal Wading Bird Rookeries: Rookery Monitoring and Protection in Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, Cheryl Clark, Environmental Specialist, Estero Bay Aquatic Preserves

·      Sea Turtles: Protecting Sea Turtles in Lee County, Eve Haverfield, Founder and Director, Turtle Time, Inc.

 

9:30    Break – 15 minutes    

 

9:45    LAWS AND REGULATIONS

10:45   Break-out Sessions

 

11:30   Scenario Reports

 

12:00   All participants are invited to stay for the Lee County Shorebird Alliance meeting 12:00 - 4:00.