-Dusty Swanson
Fred Howard Park.
September 17th, 2015.

Temperature: 82 degrees F.
Wind: a medium amount but not unpleasant.
Clouds: close to 90% coverage, quite a bit of scud.
Humidity: surprisingly low.
Water Temperature: around 80 degrees F.
Water Salinity: 35.
Water pH: 6 (slightly acidic).

Upon arriving at the park we immediately headed down to the beach on the right side of the causeway. There we stood at the waters edge examining the buildup of Manatee, Shoal, and Turtle grass on the beach. Unlucky for me i discovered a fire ant colony living under my feet in the grasses, leaving me with numerous stinging bites. Shortly after i finished brushing off the offending insects we began to enter the water. The first thing we noticed was the buildup of green and red bacteria in sand (actually staining the sand). As we got to around knee depth we began to see small "bait" fish swimming between our legs. This prompted the use of a Siene net to try and capture some of the wildlife for closer examination. To use the net one person would remain stationary holding an end, while another volunteer would move outward in an arc with the other handle. Once both operators we close together again they would close the gap between their handles thus sealing anything captured inside. In the net we found more small fish, a single crab, and even more uprooted sea grass. Next we put away the net, grabbed our snorkeling gear, and headed back out to water.

Once in the water there was no shortage of interesting things to find. The first and most prevalent were "shiners" or small silver colored fish that reflected light from the sun as they were feeding among the grasses. As i got farther out i began to see rather large sponges and what may have been another type of filter feeder. The spot for the most interesting sighting was a tie between a foot long Sheepshead and a Blue Crab. Both of which swam rapidly away when they noticed me. All in all, this trip takes the number one spot as the best field trip so far this semester.