SCCF hosts launch for new marine laboratory, research boat
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation held a dedication ceremony last week to mark the opening of its new Marine Laboratory facility and acquisition of a new research vessel.
On Jan. 17, SCCF officials and staff joined donors who have supported the project since its 2002 inception to celebrate the new facility and research vessel Norma Campbell and what the new resources will mean in terms of expanding the research and monitoring capabilities of SCCF’s lab scientists.
“This is a world-class facility filled with top-notch scientific staff,” SCCF Chief Executive Officer Ryan Orgera told the crowd, noting that SCCF’s science is utilized by all levels of government.
The lab was created in a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership with the J.N. “Ding” National Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was funded by SCCF donors and the FWS, with donors raising the funds for the furniture, fixtures and such, plus new state-of-the-art lab equipment.
“This has been a long time coming for us,” former Chief Executive Officer Erick Lindblad said.
He shared how the refuge allowed SCCF to set up its first research lab in an old retail shop at Tarpon Bay and how in the early 2000s SCCF decided to formally develop and implement a marine lab.
“Over the last 16 years, the credibility of the lab’s work has grown,” Lindblad said.
He recalled how Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik simply asked one day what SCCF needed.
“I’m extremely grateful for him,” Lindblad said. “We will be able to do so much more with this facility.”
Tritaik also spoke, explaining that there was a certain amount of funding to replace the building with the current facility, but it took the support from donors to turn it into a state-of-the-art marine lab.
“The refuge really has a strong interest in this partnership we just don’t have the staff to do the science and research,” he said.”We’re looking forward to another many years of partnership.”
Additional partners included the city of Sanibel and The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, which provided the funding for the R/V Norma Campbell christened at the event.
SCCF Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt explained that the staff was in need of a larger vessel to keep up with their research needs. The boat can travel 100 miles offshore, as well as be used in the bay for work in shallower waters. It holds the diving gear and is equipped with a crane and an A-frame.
Foundation founder Keith Campbell told the crowd about his family’s history with Sanibel and his mother’s love for shelling and the water. In funding the vessel, he knew exactly what to name it.
“I couldn’t think of a more appropriate person to have a boat named after her here on Sanibel,” Campbell said.
Construction on the $1.6 million lab began in September 2016. Built on the bayside of Tarpon Bay Road near the Tarpon Bay Explorers, the 2,800-square-foot facility sits on federal land and is owned by the FWS. Approximately $1 million in federal funding covered the base building, with SCCF raising about $400,000 to turn it into a laboratory.
The lab houses SCCF’s River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network, which is a network of water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee and estuary. There is a wet or seawater lab and a dry or analytical lab, and staff have the capability to analyze nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus in water samples.
An outdoor experimentation area features tanks and running sea water under sun and shade. Staff are able to test different nutrients and salinities and see how it affects seagrass, oyster reefs and algae.
In terms of being green, the facility has a 5 kilowatt solar array, or panel system, and a rainwater harvesting system, which collects gutter water and stores it in a large below-ground cement tank. The water, which will be used to wash the boats and equipment, has a monitoring system linked to it.
In addition, the main level contains office work space and a conference room.
The ground floor consists of storage, including a covered three-bay area for boats and gear.