SCCF board gets out in field to experience work firsthand
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation recently reported that under the leadership of Board of Trustees President Don Rice and Chief Executive Officer James Evans, board members have been getting their feet wet and hands dirty as they learn more about the organization’s mission-driven work.
They went into terrestrial turtle habitat and out on the water to restore mangroves and oyster beds at a rookery island in the Pine Island Sound. Trustees accompanied Community Conservation Coordinator Kealy McNeal and Marine Lab Director Dr. Eric Milbrandt on the RV Norma Campbell to help with research into the value of mangrove and oyster habitat restoration. The Benedict Key trip served as part of the SCCF’s Coastal Watch effort to recruit volunteers to assist with ongoing restoration that includes planting mangroves grown from propagules and scattering oyster shells donated by island restaurants.
“These field trips give our trustees hands-on knowledge of the work being done across all our program areas — on our preserves and in the waters and out islands surrounding Sanibel and Captiva,” Rice said. “We appreciate the staff’s engagement in keeping our volunteer leadership well informed of the great work being done.”
They transported 1,350 pounds of oyster shell and planted 35 red mangrove seedlings, which were grown by local community members through Coastal Watch’s Adopt-A-Mangrove program. Trustees learned firsthand what volunteers are expected to do on such trips so they can help recruit neighbors, friends and family to contribute to restoring marine and bird rookery habitat.
In April, they visited three sites to see the work the Wildlife & Habitat Management team does under the leadership of herpetologist Chris Lechowicz to protect species and habitats on preserve lands. Trustees ventured into mangroves to see some of the techniques used to monitor diamondback terrapin populations and collect data. They then hiked into uplands to see habitat management work being done where gopher tortoises dwell. At their last stop, they got their boots muddy by walking into the wetlands at the Erick Lindblad Preserve to observe how telemetry is used to track species of turtles and to see how the team samples for swale fish and macro-invertebrates.
“We look forward to getting the trustees out next fall to experience more of what our amazing team of scientists, educators and native landscape gardeners do to protect and care for our coastal ecosystems,” Evans said.