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World Whale Day celebrates the importance of whales and the impact that they have on the overall ecosystem of the ocean. These species have been subject to a decline in population due to many man-made challenges over the years such as an increase in waste production (food, plastics, toxins and chemicals) that get released into the ocean ecosystem. This has had a massive effect on the animals and organisms within the marine ecosystem for different reasons. The biggest reason is the plastics being released into the environment end up either becoming micro-plastics (tiny plastic particles that float around in the water) or end up being ingested by or entangling these organisms. Below is a list of some of the important contributions whales make to our Earth.  

• Tourism/Economic Growth 

• Whale-watching tours provide not only entertainment for tourists but also an economic boost for local economies that are dependent on the tourism industry.  

• Education 

• Whales have become an area of great interest and importance for scientists in recent years. From the way whales communicate with each other to analyzing and studying the migration patterns, whales have been studied in many ways over the years. This has provided scientists with information to help ensure the health and survival of whales.  

• Food Chain Stabilization 

• Food chains within ecosystems rely on balance. Although different species of whale have a very varied diet, the food chain would shift if whales were to suddenly become extinct. This is because the diet of whales is very wide from being top predators (such as Orcas) to eating small organisms at the bottom of the ecosystem (like Blue Whales).  

Sources Used:  

Why Are Whales Important? | Environment and Ecosystem Impact (whalefacts.org) 

Whales and the plastics problem | Stories | WWF (worldwildlife.org) 

WORLD WHALE DAY – February 19, 2023 – National Today 

February is Florida Hiking Trails Month which celebrates all the wonderful hiking trails that we have here in Florida. Today I am going to be talking about the Florida Trail specifically which is a 1,500 mile long congressionally designed National Scenic Trail. The Florida Trail is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the country and one of only 3 National Scenic Trails to be contained within an entire state. National Scenic Trails intend to showcase the locales natural resources and beauty throughout the entirety of the trail while connecting communities, public lands, and significant landmarks. The Florida Trail exhibits many of these sites with both historical and environmental areas included within the trail. 

The Florida Trail throughout its entirety shows off much of the biodiversity, history, and culture that Florida has to offer. The trail itself is broken down into four different sections (Panhandle Region, Northern Region, Central Region, and the Southern Region) with each section of the trail featuring the wide diversity in the state. The length of the trail traverses through the state, providing the user with the opportunity to explore a wide variety of ecological regions from the sandy coastal beaches to the inland wetland areas. The designated trail has trailheads within the Gulf Islands National Seashore to the north and the Big Cypress National Park to the south while traversing through various other parks, private land and greenways throughout the state.  

The Panhandle Region allows for the users to hike through different areas along the Gulf of Mexico in addition to providing hikers with steep ravines through estuaries and boggy areas that host lots of different wildflowers. The Northern Region offers the opportunity to explore flatwood forests and hilly terrain along rivers while traveling past 18^th century plantations and civil war battlefields. The Central Region traverses around the greater Orlando area through palmetto and pine flatwoods, Creekside hammocks, rolling sandhills and floodplain forests. The Southern Region of the trail traverses through the Big Cypress National Preserve- trekking through swamps and exploring native American museums and attractions.  

Sources Used:  

National Scenic Trails – National Trails System (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) 

The Florida Trail by Region – Florida Trail Association 

February 2^nd is World Wetlands Day- a day to celebrate and recognize the contributions that wetlands provide to the world around us. Not only do wetland areas impact and benefit the animals and organisms that live within the ecosystem, but humans as well. Today I am going to talk about some of the ways that wetland ecosystems contribute and impact our daily lives. In Florida, the Everglades are home to many different ecosystems and contain the largest strand of sawgrass prairie and the largest protected mangrove forest in the northern hemisphere. The Everglades is also the only subtropical wilderness area in North America.  

• Water Mitigation/Management  

Wetland areas help to regulate and hold water which is very helpful in areas that flood or in areas of high water. The reason for this is because the plants that live within these areas are flood tolerant meaning they can take in a lot of water or are able to live in flooded areas. In Florida this is very beneficial, especially during hurricane season and the summer months when it rains a lot. The plants help to hold and process lots of water through their long root systems. 

• Water Filtration 

Wetland ecosystems are also responsible for helping to filter water. The way water naturally flows and seeps helps to trap and remove sediment that is contained in the water. Water filtration is an important role of wetlands, especially here in Florida because many individuals in south Florida rely on the Everglades for drinking water. Millions of individuals who reside in south Florida depend on the aquifer that is naturally filled with the runoff from the Everglades.  

• Biodiversity  

Wetlands help support many different types of species from small insects to big reptiles and everything in between. The diversity of species allows for healthy ecosystems, which is important to the roles (water/air filtration, carbon sequestration) wetlands play. Each organism that makes up this biodiverse ecosystem has very important roles (decomposition, habitat/shelter, and prey/predator relationships) that keep the ecosystem balanced and healthy.  

• Carbon Sequestration  

Carbon sequestration is the ability of an organism to hold and process carbon. Wetlands collect carbon by gathering carbon in the air through photosynthesis and acting as sediment traps for runoff. Wetlands have been shown to hold large amounts of carbon in the soil because the soil is oxygen-poor and accumulates organic matter. This helps reduce global warming and increase air quality overall. This is important to know because wetlands overall, but especially the Everglades, have been severely impacted by climate change and habitat destruction. This is one more reason to preserve wetlands. 

In honor of national squirrel day on Saturday (January 21^st) I am here to share some interesting facts about squirrels and the role they play in the ecosystem. They are not just animals who run around yards stealing nuts and bird seed. Instead, squirrels help to spread seeds around through the nuts and seeds that they eat and store. Their role as seed dispersers in the ecosystem help to create greater biodiversity by dispersing the seeds of many types of plants. Not all the nuts that squirrels collect for the winter months get eaten, so many grow and develop into trees or other types of plants.  

• There are over 100 species of squirrels around the world  
• Squirrels inhabit almost all the continents of the world- except for Antartica  

• Squirrels are easily adaptable to different environments allowing them to continue population growth with rapid urbanization occurring worldwide  

• Squirrels can jump 10 times their body length  
• Squirrels can fall from high areas (100 ft) and not injure themselves  

• This is because when falling, squirrels will use their tails as parachutes  

• During winter months, squirrels can find their buried food underneath a foot of snow  
• Squirrels eat their own body weight each week  

• Squirrels can run up to 20mph  
• Squirrels are double-jointed and can turn their ankles 180 degrees  

• This helps them efficiently move up and down trees to escape predators  

• Squirrels will occasionally pretend to hide food to stop other animals from stealing their food  

These past two weeks have been full of campers as we hosted our Camp Wild program during winter break. Our first week was focused on animals around the world. Each day we picked a different region around the world and learned about the animals that live within that region and the adaptations they have. The campers were able to meet a box turtle, ball python, and bearded dragon during this week and learn about the specific adaptations they have for their native environment. In addition, we also played fun games like sharks and minnows, red light, green light, and “What time is it Mr. Fox?”. We explored our property daily with favorite activities like bug hunting and visiting the many non-releasable animals in our exhibit area.

Ecosystem engineers was the theme for the second week during which we explored how different animals and organisms influence and impact the ecosystems where they live and the roles they play in their communities like predator, prey and keystone species. This week brought about more animal visits with Drumstick our gopher tortoise, one of our resident American alligators, and our resident screech owl, Ewok, and discussions regarding why these species are important and how we can help to protect them. We introduced a new game that emphasized the importance of all animal roles within an ecosystem.

Camp Wild is an environmental day camp operated for the past 17 years at Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital that provides opportunities for campers to explore the great outdoors and learn about the natural world. Our camps are geared toward campers between the ages of 6 –12 years old and provide opportunities for learning, fun, and socialization outside of school. Join us at our next camp session, Spring Break, beginning March 20th. See our website, sawgrassnaturecenter.org, for more information.

Migration is a bi-annual occurrence where various species migrate to colder or warmer climates depending on the time of year. These migratory animals tend to travel north in the springtime to have cooler weather and south in the wintertime to have warmer weather. This natural adaptation helps these animals survive throughout the year. Rather than adapting to the environment they live in, they instead have adapted to migrate thousands of miles a year to ensure survival. This provides them with a wider habitat range and more access to necessary resources for survival but also poses issues as well. Migration requires a lot of energy and can be a very vulnerable time for these species. Part of the reason you see migration occurring in big groups for some species is that this adaptation offers protection and motivation for individuals to keep moving. To help protect and ensure safety during migration, whenever stops are made along the trek, spots are scouted out to ensure the safety and availability of resources to all who are traveling. Protection is also a consideration when migrating in the way these animals present themselves while traveling. Sometimes the shape and form they present while travelling works to protect the most vulnerable of the species to ensure their survival by placing the strongest individuals on the outside to fight off any predators or dangers they might encounter during their journey.  

The routes used by these migratory species (specifically bird species) have been studied for years by scientists and have been categorized as flyways. The four flyways here in the US are the Pacific, Central, Mississippi, and Atlantic. These flyway routes follow the topographical features of the United States in a north-to-south direction. The main flyway routes listed above are mapped and dependent upon the boundaries on either side- mountain ranges, ocean, etc. Here in Florida, we are a part of the Atlantic flyway system that follows the natural coastline of the Atlantic spanning from the Bahamas to the tip of Maine. This is a unique and somewhat treacherous flyway system because this system encompasses and spans some of the most productive ecosystems in the northern hemisphere as well as housing about 1/3^rd of the country’s human population. This flyway system includes coastal habitats, forested areas, and wetland areas throughout the journey.  

Animals that Migrate to Florida:  

• Leatherback Sea Turtle  
• Loggerhead Sea Turtle  
• Green Sea Turtle 
• Canada Goose 
• Cooper’s Hawk  
• Great Blue Heron  
• Great Egret  
• Mallard  
• Common Loon 
• Mourning Dove 
• Painted Bunting  
• Sandhill Crane  
• Short-tailed Hawk  
• Turkey Vulture  
• Wood Duck 
• Manatees  
• Snook 
• North Atlantic Right Whale  
• Hoary Bats  
• Eastern Red Bats  

Sources Used:  

Five migrating species to watch for this winter | Florida State Parks 

Bird Migration Explorer (audubon.org) 

Long-Distance Ocean Travels | National Geographic Society 

North American Bird Migration: The 4 Flyways (perkypet.com) 

Atlantic Flyway | Audubon 

This past week we hosted our Camp Wild program during the fall break. The theme was focused on our feathery friends, birds, and their various attributes and characteristics, different species, and how they are adapted to live within their unique habitats. We had a very successful week filled with lots of fun crafts and activities based on the theme of the week. While learning about the different types of nests birds build, the campers discovered that not all nests were woven of twigs and grass, but some were underground like the Burrowing Owl’s.  The campers created their own owl burrows out of cardboard tubes, cotton balls, tape, and markers based on what they learned in this lesson as well as other fun including activities on different beak types and other adaptations of birds. The campers also had the opportunity to interact with our permanent animal residents both in our exhibit area and through animal ambassador visits to camp. 

Camp Wild is an environmental day camp operated for the past 17 years at Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital that provides opportunities for campers to explore the great outdoors and learn about the nature world. Our camps are geared toward campers between the ages of 6 –12 years old and provide opportunities for learning, fun, and socialization outside of school.  Join us at our next camp session, Winter Break, beginning December 26. See our website, sawgrassnaturecenter.org, for more information. 

Ways to Be More Sustainable in Everyday Life

This theme of “Being the Change” is important to us here at Sawgrass Nature Center because we are focused on being sustainable and working to increase the ways we help the planet. By doing this, we are ensuring a future planet for the animals that we care for and the children we teach. Not only do we try and help contribute to that ourselves, but we focus on teaching and demonstrating that to others through our educational programs. Below I have provided a list of some of the ways you can “Be the Change”.

Reusable Water Bottles

This may seem self-explanatory, but reusable water bottles are one of the easiest ways to decrease your plastic consumption. There are plenty of water fountains and water bottle fill stations around where you can easily fill up your water bottle. Not to mention, stores such as Starbucks will offer discounts for individuals who bring in their own reusable mugs and water bottles. You can save money in addition to helping the planet.

Reusable Grocery Bags

Like above, this may seem like a no-brainer. But, it is important to note that there are still millions of plastic grocery bags that get thrown away every year. This can be very damaging to the wildlife that lives in the oceans and in countries where our waste is disposed of. Not to mention the fact that in states where you pay for plastic bags at the grocery store, it saves you money to bring in your own grocery bags compared to getting plastic bags at the store.

Reusable Tupperware/Silverware

As someone who brings in their lunch every day, it is important to note the importance of reusable containers and silverware. Disposable containers such as plastic, Styrofoam, or cardboard have contributed a lot to waste through either not being disposed of properly or not being able to be recycled in the first place. And the nice thing is that you don’t need to go out and buy a fancy container either- a good, sturdy plastic reusable container will work just as well.

Laundry

This one may get complicated, but you can save energy and reduce your energy bill simply by washing your clothes in a slightly different way. By washing your clothes in cold water rather than warm water, you can help reduce your energy output. This also helps to prevent stains and bleeding of clothes so less loads of laundry are done in the long run (reducing water usage and the water bill) and reduces shrinkage as well ensuring the longevity of your clothes as well.

Sustainable Toothbrushes/Razors

Some items certain people use daily include toothbrushes and razors. These (like other items in this list) are continuing to be disposed of improperly causing them to contaminate and contribute to waste production. Recently (within the last 10 years or so) people have worked to solve this problem through producing more sustainable products and methods for these items. These include bamboo toothbrushes which can be composted, electric razors and toothbrushes, and toothbrushes and razors with interchangeable heads which both reduce plastic production and waste.

These are just some of the ways you as a global citizen can help to reduce waste in your everyday life and help become more mindful of the world around you. I encourage you to continue to research ways you can help and build more sustainable habits in your life. We can work together to help protect the planet and ensure that this planet continues to flourish for future generations.

Hi everyone! Here at Sawgrass Nature Center, we have plenty of reptiles both as permanent residents and as educational ambassadors. To celebrate National Reptile Day we are introducing you to some of our reptiles that we have here, why they are here with us today, and letting you get to know more about the species itself. Reptiles in general share 3 common features: they all have either scales or scoots along their body, they are cold-blooded meaning they require outside sources (the environment) to regulate their body temperature, and they lay eggs on land.

Leonidas, Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps   

Leonidas is our resident bearded dragon. He is a resident here because he is a non-native species here in the US meaning he does not normally live here. Bearded dragons are native to Australia and normally live in a more desert-like environment. He was a surrendered pet that we adopted and has been here with us as an educational ambassador ever since. This is quite common with animals like bearded dragons as they have become common house pets and sometimes their owners do not provide the right living conditions for these animals or they become too much responsibility. Leonidas is an omnivore meaning he eats both plants and animals. In the wild, they normally eat small insects such as cockroaches or beetles in addition to local plants and foliage.

Red, Red Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta spiloides   

Red is one of our many snake residents here at Sawgrass Nature Center. He is a red rat snake and is a native species in the US with a range as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Texas. Red was a surrendered pet we adopted after Red’s owner was unable to care for it anymore.  The red rat snake prefers to live in tall cornfields, brush, abandoned buildings, and even trees as they are very good climbers. The red rat snake is carnivorous meaning it eats meat exclusively. Their diet mainly consists of small mammals and rodents, small birds, and different kinds of frogs and fish. These snakes are known as ambush predators meaning they stalk their prey and wait for the right moment to attack their prey.

Wally, American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis 

Wally came to us from a local alligator farm as a baby and has been with us since she became so dependent on humans that she was no longer able to be released into the wild. The American alligator is a native species in the US and can be found in the Everglades among other places. Alligators in general live in freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, etc. Alligators are carnivores and will primarily eat meat in their diets. This includes various types of fish and aquatic prey in addition to prey that lurk around the edge of the water in which they live. American alligators are known as apex predators meaning they are top hunters in the ecosystem in which they live and do not have many natural predators.

Pancake, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Apalone spinifera

Pancake is one of our turtles we have here as a permanent resident. We adopted Pancake from the State of Florida where he was surrendered as an unwanted pet. Although native to Florida, Pancake is unable to be released back into the wild because he has been reliant on humans for most of his life and has lost his natural survival instincts. The spiny softshell turtle is found in many freshwater ecosystems where it likes to burrow in mud and pebbles.  Spiny softshell turtles are omnivores meaning they eat plants and animals. In the wild, these turtles tend to eat vegetation as well as small insects and animals found on the bottom of the bodies of water in which they live.