Dynasty Marine lab is one of the coolest places I have ever been!  I was overwhelmed by the volume of species Forrest had in his collection.  The knowledge and passion of this man are something that I hope to achieve in my career.  I would love a job such as this working with marine animals.  Feeding six varieties of sharks and touching an octopus definitely touched my heart!

Tim Cameron

Today we went to Dynasty Marine to view marine specimens.  Forrest Young is in charge of the lab and taking care of the specimens.  The area is usually closed to the public so this was a once in a lifetime chance.  We arrived just in time for the shark feeding.  Forrest took us up to the tank and fed the sharks squid and fish all while p [pointing out the different ones.  There were silk, sandbar, nurse, bonnetheads and more – about 40 specimens in all.  The best part of the day, by far, the ocean, was brought to all of us by Forrest Young.

 Jenni Emmons

Lignumvitae is the type of island you could be stranded on forever and not really mind.  As long as there was enough mastic fruit, coconuts, and water it could be paradise.

Megan Hinz

After a perfect day of visiting Lignumvitae State Park, seeing a dolphin, feeding the sharks and holding an octopus, I didn’t think this day could have gotten better, but oh did it.  As I was sitting at the picnic table pondering what I should blog about, joyous screams of Kaitlyn’s “manatee!” reached my ear.  And, after a much heated debate about whether it was Kaitlyn’s wishful thinking, or a rock, the little fellow popped his head out of the water to introduce himself as “Mannie the Manatee,” our own class manatee.  After a pleasant conversation on the importance of manatee conservation with Mannie an a few photo opportunities, Mannie left us with fond memories of our last night in the Keys.

Jen Hopkins

The Dynasty Marine Lab had the most diverse collection of marine life that I have ever seen.  I love to scuba dive, however, have never been able to see these species in such close proximity.  At the lab these species were up close and it was great to see them interact. 

Adam Luck

Before traveling to Lignumvitae Key today a couple of us, myself included, got buckets of fish an fed the 50-200 pound tarpons.  The best part was when I got down on my stomach atop the dock and stuck the fish in the water.  The pelicans wanted in on the fish frenzy so while was on my stomach I was being attacked from behind by a pelican while my hand was nearly chomped off by a fish and/or pelican.  One of the birds got his head stuck while trying to snatch my fish.  I was actually able to touch the pelican’s head to push him free.

Lignumvitae is perhaps the best spot we’ve visited.  Going there was like traveling to a different country that has yet to be touched by man.  One of the most interesting portions of the walk were all the orchids growing in the trees or seeing the mahogany seeds an how it grows upside down for maximum wind dispersal.  A big thank you to the park rangers Ben & Dustin.

Kaitlyn Mackie

Today we had quite the experience at Dynasty Marine.  We let an octopus suction to our fingers.  We couldn’t hold them due to their poisonous bite, but the suction was an out of this world feeling.

Chris Metz

Today we visited Lignumvitae State Park.  This allowed us to view some incredible Florida vegetation.  The most exciting thing was a huge wall in the middle of the island.  The interesting thing is that no one knew where the wall came from. 

After that we stopped by Dynasty Marine, a marina that houses all sorts of Florida marine organisms.  The highlight was seeing the operator.  Forrest Young feeds the largest sharks in a tank with over 40 sharks – very cool!

Karl Smith

Watching the sharks eat today was very enlightening.  It was cool to watch them circle around the top of the water before they went in or the kill.  The coolest attack was when one of the sharks jumped partly out o the water and splashed its tail fin around.

Kendall Tarrant

The forests of Lignumvitae Key were unlike anything I had ever seen before.  In Michigan, I’m used to lots of pines and maples in the dense forest areas.  We learned from our tour guides today that much of the island hasn’t been touched for a long time.  The lignumvitae trees were beautiful, almost bonsai-like with their skinny turning branches.  The rangers told us that some of these trees had been growing for thousands of years!  We were told that this Key had quite a few champion trees, or trees in a species that are the largest in the nation.  There was a huge short-leaved fig on the front of the island.  It is crazy to think that all of these record-breaking trees are on this one small Key.  I probably won’t get a chance to be in a place like this again.

Dori Williams

The thing that struck me most was the Lignumvitae tree.  I was so amazed by the claim that they were thousands of years old.  I was also surprised by the variety of appearances of the trees and their ability to adapt to lack of light and tipping over.

Today was a great day, despite the traffic delay!  Some of the most memorable moments for me were first of all finding the exoskeleton of a small horseshoe crab.  The specimen was fully intact among the mangrove tidal areas.  We named him Martin and he is on his way back to Michigan!  This was topped off by finding one of the biggest spiders I have ever seen.  I can honestly say it was beautiful, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a huge fan of spiders.  Moral of the story:  I love the Keys.

Tim Cameron

The tide pools are a perfect example of living in extreme conditions.  Not only do some of the small animals and plants have to deal with extreme temperatures, but they also must deal with lack of water.  The tide pools were made up of Pleistocene coral reef that was living at one point.  The species diversity is very low but the density is very high.  Some algal genera that we saw were, Halimeda, Acetabularia, Sargassum.  Invertebrates we saw included crabs, and queen conch.

Jenni Emmons

Tide pools are tiny habitat bubbles.  Each one is different.  I felt like a kid jumping from pool to pool to see what would be in the next pool.

Amanda Engelhard

I was very excited to find out that No Name Key does not use the traditional sources of energy - no electric power or water serve the island.  I view the inhabitants as pioneers leading the rest of us into the future of alternative energy.  I can only hope that the rest of the world will one day b able to convert to the use of solar energy, windmills and whatever else we can come up with to solve the impending energy crisis.

Megan Hinz

We had an amazing time at Bahia Honda State Park in which we were part of the few thousand people the park lets in each day.  We made our way through a sea-grape-filled hammock and found ourselves face to face with one of the most pristine beaches I think any of the twenty-two of us will ever encounter in our lives.  To conclude our serene visit, Dr. Skean had to make an “emergency stop” to take a photo opportunity of a lifetime, the fruit of a seven-year apple.

Jen Hopkins

While strolling along Big Pine Key, I saw many exotic species that are not native to Michigan.  My favorite of these was a coconut that appeared to be watching me from the coral sand bed.  It had three holes in the shape of a face, which happened to be the points of embryo attachment.

Mark Kluk

Of the creatures we came across on the shoreline at the Silver Palm Trail at Bahia Honda State Park, one was markedly out of place.  As we crossed the tidal zone of the beach there, Kaitlyn found a small, dark yellow crab.  Judging by its yellow-brown mottling and its pair of swimming legs, we identified the crab to be a sargassum crab.  The crabs are one of many species specifically adapted to a life adrift in the great sargassum mats of the Sargasso Sea, an area characterized by huge mats of this brown alga.  This crab’s coloration camouflages it in its unusual surroundings, helping it to avoid predators and catch unwary sargassum shrimp and filefish.  What it was doing all of the way at the shoreline, far from any sargassum, I don’t know, but it was cool to see such an example of habitat specialization.

Adam Luck

Well, it was time for dinner after a tough day of exploring tide pools and pinelands.  Dr. White’s culinary prowess would be put to the test against the top-of-the-line stainless steel grilling machine.  Unfortunately, Dr. White’s culinary capabilities were no match for the grill - the grill didn’t have heat controls!  Needless to say, a fireball shot out of the grill scorching our feast.

Kaitlyn Mackie

Dolphin, dolphin, dolphin!  We had a dolphin sighting in the Mote Marine Lab area.  He or she was not with a pod, which seemed unusual, but it allowed us some up-close action in he kayaks.  We’re talking not even two feet away.  Beautiful!  Just a little adventure in paradise.

Audra Masternak

Two very exciting animal encounters happened today!  One, I saw the first spider that I was not afraid of:  a crab orb weaver.  Red, spined-looking and much more “crab” looking than spider.  The next was a Key Deer, which I had waited since Michigan to see!

Chris Metz

Today we checked out some Florida habitats.  We saw everything from mangroves to tide pools.  What struck me was the harsh conditions.  No frehwater, extreme temperatures, and scarce resources all combine to create an extremely difficult place to live.  These organisms show one thing;  life finds a way.

Alyssa Porada

Today, while stalking a great white heron, I almost discovered a nude beach.  After this near disastrous encounter, I found Mary looking at a cannon jelly.  It was really cool, so I picked it up and it oozed its insides over me.

Karl Smith

We went to the tidal pools on West Summerland Key.  While I was there I went off exploring and found an interesting tidal pool.  The tidal pool was close to current point of the ocean but was separated from it.  While investigating I noticed shells in the water, then found a shrimp.  It was about 2.5 inches long and was moving around in the pool.  I thought it was amazing that the shrimp was still alive in that type of an environment.

Kendall Tarrant

This first day was packed with a lot of different habitats.  We spent the day driving to some different stops and getting out to explore.  I really liked the atmosphere of this day and how observant everyone was.  One person would point something out and then lots of us would gather.  I love being observant of the outdoors and my surroundings, but being in a group of people of similar attitudes makes it that much better.

Dori Williams

Today we saw a ton of Portuguese Man-of-Wars.  I had never seen one before an they were very cool.  I was surprised to find that they looked so harmless when we were walking along the beach.  There were even a couple of people that almost stepped on them.  A couple of times we had seen broken plastic bottles and at first we thought they were Man-of-Wars, but they weren’t.

“Water is incredibly important to the habitiats that we have visited in Florida. They influence the behaviors of different species in each separate environment. In the Keys, there is little fresh water, and it is very hard on the species that live in those areas. They have developed ways of holding in as much fresh water as possible whenever it is available to them. Farther north, towards the Everglades, more fresh water is available, but this water is controlled by levies that are set up across the state.

Starting in the Everglades, and then heading north to Big Cypress, we saw varying water levels, from the highest ever seen by some of the professors, to some water levels that were fairly low, some at historic lows. The Anhinga Trail was an area where the water was on the lower side, but it still allowed for wading birds to feed and nest in the area. As we headed up the Tamiami Trail, we found that the water levels were at record highs. We went to a trail in Big Cypress, and were surprised to see that the trail was covered in water. It was the highest that Dr. Carrier has ever seen since his days as a graduate student at the University of Miami in the early 70’s. The canals that we saw that were running alongside of the Tamiami Trail were also very high, but were still able to support some wading birds.

The following day, we went to Corkscrew Wildlife Sanctuary, an Audubon Society preserve. This sanctuary was well know for its wading birds. It is also a nesting ground for Wood Storks. While walking around the park, we were able to observe how low the water was. Because the water was so low, the wading birds were virtually non-existent. In one area - a traditional nesting grounds - we should have been able to see large amounts of Wood Storks, but the area was completely dry and nesting this year was unsuccessful. The only place we actually saw any standing water was in the Lettuce Lakes. At these “lakes” we were able to see a few White Ibis, a Wood Stork, a Great Blue Heron, a Little Blue Heron, a Tri-Colored Heron, an egret, and Purple Gallinule. This area was supposed to be flourishing with wading birds, but we were only able to find about one of each species. There were some species that we should have been able to find there, like Snowy Egrets, Roseated Spoonbills and Red Egrets, but were no where in sight.

The biggest effect that these low water levels at Corkscrew have is on the Wood Stork. The Wood Stork do not nest if they cannot find food, and since the water levels are so drastically low in Corkscrew, they have not nested for two years. The unfortunate thing is that these low water levels have very little to do with a lack of rainfall in the area, but because of water control efforts in south Florida. Human control of the water has disrupted the natural flow of water in some areas of the Everglades as well as in the Big Cypress area, putting a lot of stress on the natural species that are found within these environments.”

Dori Williams

“Today we spent three hours walking the boardwalk at Corkscrew National Park. Coming into the day I had one main goal, and that was to see a painted bunting. Fortunately for me, almost the first thing that I saw was a painted bunting. The bird was absolutely beautiful! I couldnt believe how colorful it was. The bird has pretty much every color of the rainbow on it. Then this got me thinking, because I wondered what on Earth could have caused this bird to have evolved so that in a habitat that is mostly green it is very bright colored. This is even stranger because of the fact that the female is actually perfectly blended into its habitat and the male is so NOT camouflaged in its habitat at all.

The other bird that was really a highlight was the swallowtail kite. It looked bluish in the sunlight when it flew directly over us and then made a sweep back towards us and flew off. Besides being a thrilling experience it was also quite comical. I say this because when we (Kendall and I) saw the kite, we were trying to get a hold of Dr. Kennedy to point it out, but she was too far away. Because we couldn’t talk louder than a whisper Kendall and and I started jumping up and down fanatically and waving at her in loud whispers. At one point in the freak-out, we actually ran into each other a few times and in the chaos of it all we still failed to get Dr. Kennedy’s attention. Overall it was really funny, because we didn’t really get anyone’s attention even though we were jumping around like idiots.”

“One sunny Monday afternoon at the Mote Marine Lab on Summerland Key, Florida, Kaitlynn and crew were having a leisurely afternoon in the sun, snorkeling and kayaking.  Tim teased Kaitlynn about seeing manatees. She desperately wanted to see one and told her fellow Bio friends that a manatee could very easily be in the Mote harbor right now.  She pointed to a rock and said “that rock looks like a manatee.”  Everyone laughed and told her she thought EVERYTHING looked like a manatee.  Suddenly, Dori chimes in “Hey, that rock is moving.”  Kaitlynn jumped up and screamed “It is a manatee! It really is!!” She’s so excited she almost jumped right in the water but remembered that manatees are federally protected and Florida has a hefty fine for touching a manatee. So, she had the brilliant idea to hold a hose over the water so the manatee will swim over. They are curious and love fresh water. Dr. Carrier said he wasn’t sure if we should do that. Instead, he “ordered” us to wash the kayaks because they were “looking kind of dirty.” We fired up the hose to wash them and the manatee came right over. Kaitlynn smiled so big that tears came out of her eyes.  The class decided to call him or her “Manny.” Manny rolled around for us for awhile and then swam away to find some other new friends, completing Kaitlynn’s perfect day.

Please keep in mind that manatees are often harmed by boat propellers. Therefore,

Boaters: obey no wake zones and keep your speed slow. If a manatee is spotted, shut your motor off immediately. It might be “Manny”

 

 

 

And, as promised, the trip was rough… and there were no regrets!

TIM CAMERON:

“A small set of islands 68 miles off the coast of key West make up the Dry Tortugas. Within the group of islands, one in particular stands out: Bush Key. Here lies the only place in the U.S. where one can find the nesting grounds of the sooty tern. The sooty is a small bird that stays in flight 24/7 once it leaves the nest; it does not land, even to mate. There are so many sooty terns on Bush Key, one can hear them from Fort Jefferson. The air is filed with them, constantly circling the nesting grounds.”

DORI WILLIAMS:

“Today we went to Dry Tortugas despite the fact that we had some rather rough seas. The thing that surprised me the most was not only the fact that the entire Fort was built by man, but that it is still standing. I know it is slowly fallin apart, but how the walls of the moat and Fort handle waves and winds from hurricanes is beyond me. The Fort itself was really cool. My favorite part of the Fort was definately the view from the top. It felt like you could see for miles. It was also really fun to take pictures from the top. YAY for group photos!”

CHRIS METZ:

“Today we had the chance to visit Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson. Though the weather was chilly, the fort was a structural anomaly. The fort appears out of nowhere and to all outward appearances, seems useless in that setting. At first, this seems a little like many things biological. Although some things seem unimportant for all purposes, they all in fact have their roles and niche in the circle of life, much like Fort Jefferson. Everything does its part to contribute to something bigger: life.”

MARK KLUK:

“As we were ambling our way around the low outer wall of the noat at Fort Jefferson, we came across a number of interesting marine animals. Among them was one I did not expct to see - the beau gregory, a little 3″ fish in the angelfish family - Pomacentridae. Though these fish are small, they are highly territorial and aggressive and we saw a pair of them (they are usually found in pairs) chase off a much larger pothead porgy (another fish species). At any rate, the most striking thing about them is their color. Their dorsal half is electric blue and their ventral side is bright yellow, a nice surprise in what I expected to be a predominatly history-based visit to Fort Jefferson. P.S. I got sick on the boat - bad experience.”

JEN HOPKINS:

“Today at Fort Jefferson I was truly amazed at the size and age of the Fort (construction started in 1846). There is so much valuable history that, without restoration programs, could be lost forever.”

KENDALL TARRANT:

“I really enjoyed the history of Fort Jefferson today. I liked learning about how the Lincoln conspirators were kept (at the Fort). We were able to see the cell of Dr. Samuel Mudd who fixed John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg. He was later needed on the island (where he was imprisoned) when yellow fever struck the Fort. I can only imagine the devastation when the fever broke out. There was a gravestone in the cenetr of the Fort remembering a 30-year old General and his 3-year old son who both died of yellow fever. It was almost a Godsend that Mudd happened to be kept there. Without him, many more would have been similarly stricken.”

KARL SMITH: 

“At Dry Tortugas there is a small island named Bush Key. On Bush Key there were thousands of sooty terns and many magnificent frigate birds. The amazing part was that all of these birds were all on this very small island, and only on that island. Very few birds were on Garden Key itself where the Fort is located.”

MARY APPLEGATE:

“Today was quite the adventure. The trip to Dry Tortugas was a little more than rough, but definately worth it! It was disappointing that we could not snorkel today or work with the sharks. However I did really the historical aspects of the Fort and being able to explore on our own. The day was filled with interesting animals and some sunshine, all topped off with a great dinner in Key West.”

 ALYSSA PORADA:

“Today was really awesome! On the way back from the Tortugas, I saw a flying fish. It was soooo cool! I saw it out of the corner of my eye and I was so excited. We all got to go to Hospital Key and observed some masked boobies. I was pretty excited to see them as well; I didn’t realize that the masked boobies could be found this far north.”

AUDRA MASTERNAK:

“Today was a treacherous day at sea with waves reaching between 6-10 feet. The boat ride was rough! It was pretty interesting to see the Fort and the creratures living within the moat walls. One of my favorites was the long-spined sea urchin. Very long spines! Good thing I didn’t get those spines in my foot!”

The diversity of plant life encountered even on small topical islands is beyond imagination, even that of Dr. Skean who enthusiastically identified every leaf, twig, and bark. Several poisonous species, most notably poisonwood, kept everyone alert.

The class paused frequently to examine species that were described by students prior to the trip and re-exmined as they were encountered in the field. Adam Luck describes one species of mangrove that is widespread along the Big Pine Key coastline.

The new moon offered up exceptionally low tides and the tide pools revealed secrets new to everyone. The north winds blew in scores of Portugueses Men ‘O War, jellyfish-like critters that pack a mean sting, that kept us wary as we waded these coastal pools.

Bahia Honda State Park offered some unique opportunities for students to examine dune and transition species. Noted for its silver plams, other species from sea grape to gumbo limbo characterize the seaside trail, often revealing colorful tropical butterflies as well.

And how could any trip be complete without a key deer sighting, the endangered, diminutive dwarf species of deer found only on or near Big Pine Key…

The change to Daylight Savings Time - springing us ahead - ended the day a bit prematurely after a night of grilling five-alarm burgers and viewing slide shows of the day’s explorations. An early morning awaits us with a 70-mile boat trip to the Dry Tortugas, leaving before dawn…

A Day at the Beach

Then with a little pizza, everyone basically passed out! Some spring break, they’re thinking, as they slowly plod off to bed at 830 p.m., exhausted from a LONG travel day. Tomorrow brings tide pools, mangrove swamp, pine/palmetto scrub, and the first real day in the field.

Probably the highlight for most students today was the birds. Many species of tall wading birds were encountered in the roadside canals all through the ‘Glades and into the Keys. Much more to come when we return to the deeper Everglades Tuesday.

The flight - a first for one of our group who had never flown before - was uneventful and ended at Fort Lauderdale when we picked up our vans and set a compass for points south through the southernmost Everglades to U.S. 1 and the “fabulous Florida Keys” as the signs pronounce.

We are 45 minutes away from loading the truck with an equally odd assortment of our “needs” for almost ten days of tropical exploration. I’m pretty sure what I would define as “necessary…” It’s always worth a chuckle when students unpack to see what THEY define as necessary.

Departure from Albion is at 0300 Friday morning, March 7, with arrival in Fort Lauderdale set for 0930. Then into the ‘Glades for the trip to the Keys. Most students have dropped by during the day and excitement is high.

The adventure begins…

Carrier