Month: April 2022

NOTE!  Sign up URL coming soon!!

Come join us for an exciting exploration of Blue Cypress Lake on June 18th. Blue Cypress Lake is the largest lake in Indian River County and is a ten square mile naturalist paradise. The lake is full of dwarf cypress trees, most of which contain Osprey nests which allow us to get an eye level view of nesting ospreys. The lake is also has alligators (of course!), eagles, egrets, herons, black and yellow crowned night herons and more!

We will explore the lake by pontoon boat, but sign up quickly as this field trip is limited to six people – as that is the capacity of the boat. We will meet at Middleton Fish Camp at 7400 Blue Cypress Road, Vero Beach, FL 32966. The boat will leave at 11:00am and will last for two hours. Afterward we will meet somewhere for lunch then go explore the Fort Drum Conservation area about twenty minutes from Middleton Fish Camp. Be sure to bring your camera! The fee for this field trip is $45.

There is a free boat ramp at Middleton Fish camp, so if you would rather bring your own canoe or kayak and paddle the lake instead of taking the pontoon boat, please do so and you can still join us afterward for lunch and hiking at Fort Drum.

George Heinrich will be presenting our Friends Zoom program Monday, May 23rd 7 PM – 8PM.

This presentation will provide an overview on the conservation of an imperiled estuarine turtle, the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). Although this species occurs in 16 states along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the coastline of Florida represents approximately 20% of their entire range. Five of the seven recognized subspecies occur in the state’s extensive salt marsh, mangrove, and estuarine habitats, including three endemics (one of which occurs in Tampa Bay where a survey is being planned to determine their distribution and identify nesting areas). Bycatch mortality in blue crab pots, habitat loss/degradation, impacts of climate change including sea level rise, and other threats are of concern.

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Bio:

George L. Heinrich is a field biologist and environmental educator specializing in Florida reptiles. His company, Heinrich Ecological Services (www.heinrichecologicalservices.com), is based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and conducts wildlife surveys and research, natural history programming, and nature-based tours. George is currently the Executive Director of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust (www.ftct.org).