Red Tide update for SW Florida

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties or offshore of Sarasota and Collier counties and the Florida Keys (Monroe County).  Two samples (out of 28 total samples) collected alongshore of Sarasota County contained background concentrations of K. brevis and one sample collected alongshore of Manatee County contained very low concentrations of K. brevis.

 

FWRI is currently conducting a research cruise offshore of southwest Florida with data reported daily from the field. Only one sample collected offshore of Lee County has contained background concentrations of K. brevis (out of over 90 samples collected since Friday 10/15).

 

Discolored water with associated fish kills and a foul odor were reported this week in the area of Ft. Myers Beach south to Starling Avenue (Lee County) and is due to a bloom of the non-toxic dinoflagellate Peridinium quinquecorne

Corporate Blogging Goes Mainstream

eMarketer....Blogging has been around for well over a decade—an eternity in internet time. Whereas blogs used to be a thorn in the side of traditional journalism, today they’re an essential ingredient in the media mix. Hardly a news organization exists that does not have a blog where its journalists post updates to breaking stories, offer personal commentary and engage in a dialogue with readers and viewers.

Similarly, blogging has grown into a vital marketing tool for all types of companies, including Fortune 500 marketers and mom-and-pop retailers. eMarketer estimates that 34% of US companies will use a blog for marketing purposes this year, a proportion that will continue to grow to 43% by 2012.

“Businesses are increasingly using the blogosphere to further a variety of corporate functions, such as communications, lead generation, customer service and brand marketing,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Corporate Blogging: Media and Marketing Firms Drive Growth.”

Red Tide update... still in the clear

On the east coast of Florida, Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected so far this week in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County).

 

In northwest Florida, Karenia brevis was not detected in a water sample collected this week in East Bay (Bay County).

 

In southwest Florida, Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Sarasota and Collier counties.

 

Sampling will continue this week, and complete results will be available in the next scheduled status report on Friday, October 8.

Restoring Upland Habitat

The FWC is the lead manager of approximately 1.4 million acres of land that are part of the FWC's Wildlife Management Area system. Within the system are large patches of formerly agricultural and pasture lands. On many of these lands, the native plants were replaced by exotic grasses, such as bahiagrass and bermudagrass, which provided feed for cattle.

Around the state, FWRI Habitat Research biologists are working at 24 individual locations to restore the historic native flatwoods communities that covered these areas prior to human alteration. Biologists prepare the site for reseeding by removing exotic grasses and preparing the soil for planting. To collect the native seeds, researchers visit other Florida flatwoods communities and use a specialized piece of equipment called a Woodward Flail-Vac™ to remove seeds from the plants. Back at the restoration site, researchers use a Grasslander Seeder™ pulled behind a tractor to deposit the seeds into the soil.

By eliminating the exotic groundcover and replacing it with a functional native groundcover that is typical of a flatwoods ecosystem, researchers hope to enhance wildlife habitat and ecosystem functions. Habitat Research staff members will monitor each site for five years in order to track changes in the plant community and to evaluate the site with respect to the restoration objectives.

Florida sea turtles have productive 2010 nesting season

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), all three species of sea turtles that nest regularly on the state’s beaches had annual nest counts well above average for the previous 10 years.

This news is especially good for loggerhead sea turtles, which have experienced declines in nesting in recent years. Loggerheads, the species that most commonly nests in Florida, had nest counts that were 30 percent higher than the 10-year average.

“We’re encouraged by the high count, especially considering the oil spill and the extreme cold weather earlier in the year,” said Dr. Blair Witherington, an FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute scientist. “However, one good year can’t reverse a declining trend. It will take many years of data to determine if this is a new nesting trend – obviously one that we would like to see continue in the future.”

Nest numbers for leatherback and green sea turtles also continued to increase, with nests in 2010 totaling the second-highest since standardized counts began in 1989.  

Nest counts are performed each year through Florida’s Index Nesting Beach Survey, which was created to measure seasonal sea turtle nesting, and to allow for accurate comparisons among beaches and years. The standardized index counts take place on 248 miles of selected beaches along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

In one of the largest wildlife counts in the nation, hundreds of partners diligently survey Florida’s Index Nesting Beaches throughout the summer sea turtle nesting season.

“It’s a big job that requires a dedicated group of nest-counting experts,” Witherington said. “It’s especially rewarding for those involved when the turtles make a good showing.”

FWC’s role in coordinating Florida’s sea turtle nest counts is funded by sales of the sea turtle license plate. For more information about sea turtles, including nesting information, visit MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle. Sick or injured sea turtles can be reported by contacting the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

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To view this press release online visit http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_SeaTurtlesNest2.htm.

Florida sea turtles have productive 2010 nesting season

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), all three species of sea turtles that nest regularly on the state’s beaches had annual nest counts well above average for the previous 10 years.

This news is especially good for loggerhead sea turtles, which have experienced declines in nesting in recent years. Loggerheads, the species that most commonly nests in Florida, had nest counts that were 30 percent higher than the 10-year average.

“We’re encouraged by the high count, especially considering the oil spill and the extreme cold weather earlier in the year,” said Dr. Blair Witherington, an FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute scientist. “However, one good year can’t reverse a declining trend. It will take many years of data to determine if this is a new nesting trend – obviously one that we would like to see continue in the future.”

Nest numbers for leatherback and green sea turtles also continued to increase, with nests in 2010 totaling the second-highest since standardized counts began in 1989.  

Nest counts are performed each year through Florida’s Index Nesting Beach Survey, which was created to measure seasonal sea turtle nesting, and to allow for accurate comparisons among beaches and years. The standardized index counts take place on 248 miles of selected beaches along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

In one of the largest wildlife counts in the nation, hundreds of partners diligently survey Florida’s Index Nesting Beaches throughout the summer sea turtle nesting season.

“It’s a big job that requires a dedicated group of nest-counting experts,” Witherington said. “It’s especially rewarding for those involved when the turtles make a good showing.”

FWC’s role in coordinating Florida’s sea turtle nest counts is funded by sales of the sea turtle license plate. For more information about sea turtles, including nesting information, visit MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle. Sick or injured sea turtles can be reported by contacting the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

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To view this press release online visit http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_SeaTurtlesNest2.htm.

And now for something completely different! Shell Creek.. Olde Florida at its best

Definitely worth the trip...

The trail

Wall of Shells

Cypress in Shell Creek