Local students explore estuary, barrier island habitats
On Nov. 4, a group of 28 middle and high school students from New Horizons of Southwest Florida, along with six New Horizons staffers, traveled to Captiva for a No Child Left On Shore field trip.
A joint outreach initiative between the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Captiva Cruises, the program fills a vital need of providing local youth with an informative and fun way to gain experiential knowledge of the ecology of the region’s marine environment. It aims to provide those who rarely interact with the coastal ecosystem the chance to experience it up close.
They boarded The Playtime with the Captiva Cruises crew and SCCF environmental educator Richard Finkel for an afternoon of cruising, shoreline exploration and environmental discovery. The SCCF reported that the group observed manatees at the marina, and dolphins swam near the boat as it cruised the back bay waters of the Pine Island Sound.
“Seeing dolphins swim alongside us was one of many ‘first time’ experiences students had throughout the day,” Finkel said. “We’re hopeful these encounters with our coastal ecosystem gave them a new appreciation for the importance of our back bay estuary.”
Students then had the opportunity to explore the shoreline of a barrier island only accessible by boat, where various shells and marine life were discovered. The SCCF reported that they marveled at small, colorful coquina clams and speedy mole crabs in the surf zone before splashing into the Gulf waters.
A trawl net was used to observe spiny box puffer fish, pinfish, triggerfish, silver trout, mojarra, cowfish, a flounder and an Atlantic spadefish — which were safely returned to their seagrass habitat.
“Seeing the joy and enthusiasm in the faces of the children throughout the trip was truly heart warming. Every minute was cherished, and the memories created will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact,” New Horizons Area Coordinator Elijah Urias said. “The experience of going on this trip was nothing short of transformative.”
The No Child Left On Shore initiative was founded in 2010 by Captiva Cruises, Finkel and Paul McCarthy, the former owner of Captiva Cruises, as a collaborative effort with the SCCF. The SCCF acknowledged the support of The L.A.T. Foundation, Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, Shirley Schlossman and other donors who help to sustain the program.
For more information or to sponsor a field trip, contact Finkel at rfinkel@sccf.org.