Growing mangroves, discovering ecosystems with students
Throughout the year, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) educators work with teachers at The Sanibel School on Sanibel to coordinate and conduct environmental education programs. One of the most-used sites for the programs is the SCCF’s Pick Preserve, located across from the school.
Since students were located at Fort Myers at Heights Elementary School for months following Hurricane Milton in October, teachers and students were anxious and excited to get back to exploring the ecological wonders of the preserve with SCCF environmental educator Richard Finkel.
DISCOVERING WETLAND HABITATS
“Fourth grade students conducted a habitat study within the Pick Preserve’s interior freshwater wetlands and were amazed with the changes from pre-hurricane field trips they took,” Finkel said. “After observing small fish, fishing spiders and water bugs from their wetlands sampling, students noted how adaptive and resilient these habitats can be.”
In addition, he led third grade students through a plant life survey along the preserve’s nature trail. They categorized and recorded the state of various plant habitats after Milton and Hurricane Helene.
MANGROVE GROWTH PROJECT
The SCCF reported that mangroves play a vital role in buffering inland areas from storms, stabilizing shorelines and providing a base for a vast and complex food web, which we are all connected.
Since the beginning of the school year, Finkel has been leading sixth grade students through a red mangrove growth study, which will culminate with a habitat restoration planting in the spring at an SCCF Coastal Watch restoration site.
Leading up to the planting, students are learning about mangrove ecology by experimenting how red mangrove propagules — seedlings — grow in different soil types and various concentrations of salinity, as well as looking at mangrove habitats around the islands.