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News & EventsBioBlitz Comes to Biscayne National Park, April 30–May 1, 2010The National Park Service and the National Geographic Society have selected Biscayne National Park as the location for the next BioBlitz – a two-day event in which teams of scientists, school children and community volunteers come together to find and learn about as many species as possible in a national park. The event will be held on April 30 and May 1 in the marine park. BioBlitz will engage more than 100 professional biologists, amateur naturalists and other experts from University of Miami, University of South Florida, Mote Marine Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, and other institutions. They will be joined by teachers, students and members of the public to form “species inventory teams” to explore the park’s diverse habitats – the mangrove shorelines, the seagrass beds, the barrier islands and coral reefs – in search of local life. Biscayne National Park and the National Geographic Society are working together to develop lesson plans—field exercises that can be adapted to school yards, citizen science programs, and other year-round materials to prepare students for BioBlitz, extend its value beyond the two-day event, and keep classrooms in contact with the local scientific community long after the BioBlitz itself has ended. For more information, contact the Trust at 305.665.4769 or at info@southfloridaparks.org or visit the park’s Web site at www.nps.gov/bisc Endangered world: Biscayne national park Miami artist Xavier Cortada has created art installations around the world to raise awareness about issues like climate change, deforestation and the plight of endangered species. Now, Cortada is working on a brand new project – an outdoor installation of 360 flags at Biscayne National Park entitled Endangered World: Biscayne National Park opening February 14, 2010. To create the installation, Biscayne National Park and the artist have invited school groups, individuals and organizations to create one of the 360 flags by adopting an endangered or threatened animal that lives at that longtitude. Participants will paint an image of that animal on one of the flags, while committing to an “eco-action” that will help to mitigate the plight of that animal. The eco-actions will be gathered and published in a blog online, and the flags will be on display for a 10-week period leading up to the BioBlitz event that begins April 30. On May 1, immediately following BioBlitz, participants will be invited to participate in the event's closing ceremonies. The flags will then become a part of an Endangered World traveling exhibit that will go to other national parks around the country. Endangered World: 80.15 Participants Needed! Smart Boating: A new boater education course to protect Florida Bay debuts online at www.ecomariner.org The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has developed a new boater education course called Eco-Mariner to help boaters navigate the shallow waters of Florida Bay in Everglades National Park. NPCA and its partners launched the free online education program on Earth Day in April. Eco-Mariner is designed to teach boaters how to negotiate the narrow channels and shallow waters of Florida Bay without damaging the bay’s critical habitat, including its seagrass meadows and mud flats. A recent study by Everglades National Park found widespread prop scarring in Florida Bay caused by boat groundings. To take the course online and become an Eco-Mariner, visit www.ecomariner.org "Butterflies of Everglades National Park" takes wing In January at new Photo Show at Everglades National Park Butterflies take center stage in January in Everglades National Park with the opening of a photography show organized by the Miami Blue Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. The show, which is being funded in part with a grant from the South Florida National Parks Trust, can be seen daily from January 1 through 31 at the park’s Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center inside the main park entrance in Homestead (for information, call 305-242-7700). Join us on Saturday January 10 starting at 1 PM for an opening reception when the Miami Blue Chapter will introduce a new Butterfly List for the park prepared by the chapter and lepidopterist Mark Salvato. Members of the Butterfly Association will be on hand to talk about the native plants that attract butterflies; participating photographers will discuss their work; and the Miami Blue Chapter and the park will present a program on the butterflies of Everglades National Park. The reception is free and open to the public. 5th Annual "Everglades After Dark" Event Brings some Night Life to Shark Valley
The Trust’s annual Everglades After Dark event at Shark Valley on Saturday December 13 attracted a sold-out crowd of 62 people this year for a moonlight tram tour through Everglades National Park. The Shark Valley tram pulled away from the visitor center at 5 PM that night, in plenty of time for participants to see the sun set over the Everglades (photo courtesy of Gema Saiz). The tour stopped at the Observation Tower for a buffet supper and tours to the top of the tower as the moon peaked through cloudy skies above. Special thanks to Park Ranger Maria Thomson and her staff at Shark Valley for hosting the tour, and to the volunteers from the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, who provided telescopes for viewing the night sky. Biscayne National Park Celebrates a Milestone: 40 years of Marine Stewardship in South Florida
South Florida National Parks Trust announces a new round of grants to benefit South Florida’s national parksThe South Florida National Parks Trust has approved 11 new grants totaling $212,000 to support education programs and other projects in South Florida’s national parks during the coming year. The funding includes $50,000 for education programs in Biscayne National Park; $45,000 for education programs in Big Cypress National Preserve; and $20,000 for student transportation to support education programs at Everglades National Park. The Trust also approved the following grants:
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