Cooper's Bayou

Today was an awesome day out on the water. We went kayaking in

Cooper's Bayou to get a closer look at mangroves and the part they play in this ecosystem. We all piled into cars and made our way to the park and quickly worked together to get the kayaks and equipment ready to go into the water.

Although my partner and I had a bumpy start we quickly readjusted and found our way across the water. The first mangroves we encountered were the reds with their prop roots exposed doing what they do best, stabilizing the trees. Nearby in the water we found the "live" seeds that they send off into the world to sprout and grow. These seeds can float in the ocean for up to a year until they find a resting place. These seeds as well as the adults, excludes the salt of the ocean with suberin.

Across the channel, we got some closer views of the other mangroves. Some birds could be found looking for food on the shallow edges of the mangroves. The area was very quiet and calm in between the mangrove islands. Fish were also seen jumping out of the water ! They were a surprise with each sudden "splash". I definitely look forward to kayaking here again soon and explore further down the channel.

Also I took some pictures, I got a group selfie with most of everyone :)

Fred Howard Park

Last week for class, we went out to Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. This has been one of my favorite so far because we got to snorkel and observe sea grasses teeming with life. Snorkeling was the best way to see because the sediment is so loose that it clouds the water when disturbed making visibility difficult. Gliding across the top of the shallow water provided the best view.

As I floated, I saw areas covered with sea grass and occasional bare spots along the floor. If I looked carefully I saw small fish and some larger ones swimming among the grasses watching me as I passed by. I saw a couple of sponge bush-like formations in centers of small grass meadows. This also proved a popular place for fish to gather.

We learned that the sea grasses are very important for the ecosystem because the provide food and shelter for small organisms. The factors that influence the survival of these grasses include temperature, water depth, and coverage. The sea grasses thrive in the shallower waters where they can photosynthesize. If larger trees were covering the water surface, these grasses would not be able to maintain without sunlight.

 it was a beautiful and sunny day :)

 a small crab between two twigs 

 black mangrove seed on it's journey of life

Fred Howard Park

The trip to Fred Howard Park took longer to get to than the other parks we visited. It was about a good 30 minute drive. I got a ride with one of the students and helped  navigate to get there. It was very sunny  throughout the whole trip without any rain. Even though we were outside for only a couple of hours, I got a lot of sunburn. At first we started off one one side where we used big nets to take out into the water. We held out the nets and then moved in a circle to try and trap any organisms inside the nets to observe them. It was hard to see but I did manage to observe a group of small fish. There were also some hermit crabs that some students found and were holding in their hands. After a while we went snorkeling on the same side of the park but on the opposite side of the road. I had some problems with the snorkeling gear because some water kept getting in. The water was cloudy but only when walking or just using your feet to move. So the best way to avoid that and keep the water more clear was just to keep your feet up and move with your hands. For the first half I didn't really see much of anything. When I got my snorkeling gear to work a bit better then I noticed more fish. I even saw this huge fish that scared me because I almost thought it was a shark. There was also this striped fish that was a decent size. A lot of the shallow water that we were in had an abundance of shoal grass. This type is usually in shallow waters because of its tolerance and how it's more flexible. The last part of the trip we went on the beach side that had people hanging out there. We learned about the sea wrack which makes the beach look bad because it's dead stuff that washed up. Though it is very important because it is eaten by the organisms. The dunes start behind the high tide line and is technically not part of the beach. Dunes are formed from wind carrying sand closer to land. The beach there looked good to go in but we ran out of time and wrapped it up for the day.

Fred Howard Park - Kaelyn Jenkins

Fred Howard Park
Tarpon Springs

    On the bright sunny day of September 23, the temperature at the beach in Fred Howard Park was averaging out somewhere in the low 90s. We first started talking about the sea-grasses such as: shoal grass which is flat and thin with high tolerance and can be found in shallow water; turtle grass which is flat and fat, can be found between shoal and manatee grass; manatee grass which is round and firm, can be found out in deep water. With two nets, the class separated into two groups that would cast their net to try catch glimpse of the underwater ecosystem. While capturing small, shiny silver fish and needle fish, hermit crabs would scurry past our feet.

    The time to snorkel and explore the ocean floor was upon us. Placing the mask on and diving underwater was like entering a mysterious and busy world. I saw many fish swimming about, going in all different directions. At one point I began to follow a certain stripped fish, named Simba, to see where he would lead me, and I was not disappointed. Simba had led me to this huge cluster of rhodophyta (red algae). I got lost in my own little world under the sea.

    After our little adventure down in sea-grass beds, the class trekked to the opposite side of the beach. There we learned that a food source for animals living on/near the shore is sea wrack. Back behind the sea wrack, inland, were man made sand dunes. These sand dunes help fend off beach erosion. The farthest sand dune from the shore was littered with sea oats. Sea oats are rhizomatous, or creeping rootstalks, which is roots and shoots from the sea oat's nodes often being sent out usually underground.

Fred Howard Park

Fred Howard Park-

 Temp: 90*-94*

Weather: hot, windy, sunny

At Fred Howard, we learned about the beach ecosystem. Why things are the way they are. At the park the class cast a small net trying to collect different fish and sea life. We found hermit crabs, needle fish, sea snails, and other small fish. On land and by shore, we saw the different types of sea grass and plants. 

The water was warm and full of life. Showing that there is a healthy ecosystem. Also learned that you  cant pick sea oats because they are one large root system. So if you pick one, you can pick all. 

Cliff Stephens Park - Casey Stein

        Cliff Stephens park is a decent size park with a very active Frisbee golf community. That morning the class was learning how to take ecological samples of the area. We measured the soil, water, tree size, plant population, etc.

       That day was hot, probably about 90*F and sunny like it was no ones business. But that is Florida's weather. HOT and SUNNY.

       The findings were common for an area like that. Water was warm, had no salt, and a neutral pH.
The tree coverage was extensive, nice shade coverage, but had many open patches. The soil was loamy sand, typical for Florida. For the functional group, the open area was pretty open, very little trash, whereas under the canopy of the tree had a much higher percentage of  trash present.

     

Fred Howard Park

   This was my first field trip actually going with the class and I must admit that I loved it! Also, I had never been to Fred Howard before so it was very exciting to see and experience a new beach, let alone with my class. On this trip we learned about the different types of coastal ecosystems as well as the different kinds of organisms that would be found there. We also learned about the different kinds of the main seagrasses out there like manatee grass, turtle grass, and shoal grass. The kind of wildlife we came across while we were there were snails, crabs, different kinds of fish like minnows, needle fish, and more.

   We also went snorkeling, which I have never done before and it was awesome!!! After every was done with that, we walked to the other side of the beach and learned some more about sand dunes, sea wrack and its importance. I will never forget this experience!

Lexus Milioto

 

Moccasin Lake Park

    Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to this park visit with the rest of the class, however I did to go see the park on my own with my friend. Little did I know this beautiful park was hidden away in clearwater, and I have lived here for half my life! Moccasin Lake park is a 51 acre preserve with many trails, a few ponds and boardwalks, as well as tons on wildlife such as raccoons, peacocks, turtles, reptiles, and more!

     My friend and I started at the very beginning of the park and basically just looped around, when we first walked inside there were many different kinda of reptiles such as snakes, lizards, frogs, and turtles. One of the coolest things is while we were in the cabin there was a park ranger holding a very little owl that he told me the name of but I can't seem to remember! Then we went and looked at the birds in the back and they had quite a few different kind such as owls, a vulture, bald eagle, and more. After that, we decided to started walking the main trail and it was just so beautiful and fresh looking to see nothing but plants, trees, flowers, and wildlife!

As we were walking through we come across the energy tower and I thought it was very cool, and not to far away from there was a lovely butterfly garden with all kinds of beautiful and crazy looking flowers. It was very hot that day, but to be honest a lot of the trail was shaded so it was too bad. Another thing I noticed was that there wasn't that many people there and I was surprised because the park is so nice and very well kept. I would most for sure go back and also tell other people about my experience so they can experience the wildlife there, the beautiful flowers, and plants, and the peaceful trails!

energy tower

Lexus Milioto

Fred Howard Park - Juan Amado

Fred Howard Park 

Last Friday our class went to the Fred Howard Park, located in Tarpon Springs. During our visit to this park we got to learn about the different types of sea grass along with their differences, and different ecosystems.

After we learned about the different types of ecosystems and sea grass we used big nets in order to see what types of organism we could find. We saw different types of crabs, snails and small fish. 

 We also got to snorkel, which for me was an amazing experience because it was the first time I went snorkeling, seeing what is under water was fascinating. We got to get a closer look at the different organisms we had already seen, in their habitat.

Fred Howard Park

This was the first time i have ever snorkeled actually, I really enjoyed swimming and seeing all the different types of hermit crabs. There was one i saw that was as big as my fist near allot of sea grass. I saw allot of mangrove fringe and patch reefs. the gulfs pelagic zone is 600,000 miles,the Atlantic Ocean is 13,000 feet. Some biotic that live on the bottom of the ocean floor are coral( eremade ). There is 6 different types of grass that grow on different level of the ocean floor. They are called widgeon,shoal,turtle,manatee,star and paddle.

Fred Howard Park
Tarpon Springs, FL
September 23, 2016

Today we went to Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida where we learned about the importance of native coastal ecosystems. In Florida, native coastal ecosystems add to the overall diversity of the state. Just from the shore of the beach there are various habitats that different plants and animals favor. The small coquinas that inhabit the swash zone provide food for small coastal animals such as birds and crabs. There many types of seagrasses both in and out of the water that animals can eat and also provide shelter for many fish and benthic organisms. As a group, we snorkeled through the seagrasses on the shore and saw turtle grass, manatee grass, and shoal grass. Within the grasses, many types of algae could be seen between the sea grasses along with sponges, fish, and benthic animals. We also talked about the importance of sea wrack, something that I had never considered the significance of. Sea wrack is important for the coastal animals, as it provides a food source for them since there is not much for them to eat on the coast. There were a few sand dunes that were present on the beach. The sand dunes on the beach provide a system that prevents beach erosion. The roots of the sea oats on the dunes have an elaborate root system that keeps the sand within the roots and therefore prevent erosion. 

sea wrack on the beach shore 

Howard park beach side 

Sand dunes 

Sea oats on the sand dunes

Fred Howard Park

      Fred Howard Park was very neat to learn about for me since in high school it's purpose served as a place to skip school I had never really thought about it from this perspective.

      One of the first things we learned about was the different types of sea grass. It never occurred to me that grass would grow differently depending on how it was effected by the energy of the ocean.

We learned about all the different types of Reefs...

• Hardbottom: Found close to shore, has low species diversity, dominated by soft coral and sponges.
• Patch Reefs: Located in Shallow Water, Surrounded by a halo of sand that extends out to seagrass beds. Dominated by Hard Coral, Brain Coral etc
• Bank: Further Seaward from Patch Reefs, highest diversity, characterized by spur and groove formation.

I also thought it was neat to learn how sand dunes were formed by a combination of plants and wind and learned the reason the finer sand is at the top of the beach is because it's blown their by the wind and the heavier sand is down at the bottom.

All in all great trip, looking forward to the next one.

Fred Howard Park 09/23/2016

Fred Howard Park

Around 90°F

09-23-2016

Throughout the day I was increasingly surprised by the obviously vast amounts of sea creatures present in the seagrasses. Truthfully, in the past, I have always avoided mucking through seagrasses while in the water when the clear, sandy areas always seemed more appealing, so I had no idea how much there was so close to the shore. Though using the seine net yielded little results it was not difficult to capture hermit crabs in the grasses, view needle fish and minnows swimming about, and even what I am pretty sure was a sea scallop.

What I loved the most about this trip was the snorkeling. Again, another first for me. It felt like a total separation from normalcy the moment I put my head underwater; an entirely different type of ecosystem from anything on land and teeming with life. I was able to watch many different types of fish (none of which I can name) weaving their way through the shoalgrass and investigate live sea sponges as I followed what seemed like sandy trails through the flowing grasses.

Seeing the sea oats up close made it clearer how they become an anchor for sands to become dunes. Although I came away with a sunburn that is only now beginning to fade after some days, it is something I look forward to doing again soon. It was an experience that made a real impact on my view of just exactly how immense the ecosystems underwater are now. Truthfully, I have never been a water person. The idea of being in that different of an environment with unknown creatures has always frightened me. Perhaps I’ve watched too many television shows during Shark Week. Just having this experience has bolstered my confidence and dropped my level of fear. I’m even considering scuba diving in the future, as I want to see more ecosystems further off the coast. 

Fred Howard by Martha Rhine

On our latest trip, we drove to Tarpon Springs to explore Fred Howard Park. We learned all about coastal ecosystems and the organisms that can be found there. We learned the differences between the different grasses that are found in the water, like turtle grass, manatee grass and shoal grass. Each of these are different in size and texture to accommodate them in the different areas they grow in. We dragged in some big nets into the shallow water to see what kinds of organisms we could collect. We found snails, crabs and small fish. Then we went snorkeling to get a closer look at the sea grass beds and the organisms that live in and on them.

 hi

Grasses underwater

 Classmate snorkeling 

 The sand is mushy here 

Photo overload, I know, but I love taking pictures!

After snorkeling we walked to the beach to talk about how beaches are formed, beach distribution, how beaches are built (accretion) and how they are lost (erosion), and the importance of the ugly brown looking weeds that litter the beach (sea wrack) which hold nutrients for the birds and other creatures that live on the beach.

 We were lucky to have this weather

 Doggie laying on the sea wrack 

 Doggie on the sand dunes

 Sea oats have interwoven root system so it's not okay to pick them, or they will all fall apart. Plus, they too provide food for all sorts of beach creatures. 

Bye for now!