Sea Grant needs your help
Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing to inform you that the President’s budget proposes to eliminate funding for the National Sea Grant College Program (http://seagrant.noaa.gov/), which is the parent organization that funds Florida Sea Grant.
As many of you are aware, Florida Sea Grant was instrumental in providing support for development of the FMNP Coastal Systems module and for the new Coastal Shorelines Restoration special topics course (http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/). Even more importantly, many of our FMNP Instructors are Florida Sea Grant extension agents who live and work in your communities and provide many services in addition to teaching the FMNP. For more about Florida Sea Grant and the work we do - https://www.flseagrant.org/.
Although the President’s Administration proposes a budget, Congress makes the final funding decisions and Sea Grant has a long history of strong bipartisan support. There are many reasons for that support, including the fact that
Warm regards,
Marty
___________
Martin B. Main, PhD
Associate Dean and Program Leader, Extension Natural Resources
Associate Director, Florida Sea Grant College Program
University of Florida|IFAS Extension|Florida Sea Grant
PO Box 110210|1020 McCarty Hall D |Gainesville, FL 32611-0210
' 352.392.1837|' 352.294-0751| ' 352.392.1761
* mmain@ufl.edu www.flseagrant.org
Administrative Assistant: Sandi Reveille (sreveille@ufl.edu; ph: 352.392.1837)
Shorebird alliance - Attention Kayakers & Boaters!
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) would like your help in spotting nesting shore- and seabirds! While FWC and partners survey most areas of known nesting habitat, it is nearly impossible for us to survey all of the Nature Coast’s shoreline. This is where you come in. If you spot any shorebirds exhibiting nesting behavior please report it to the FWC. If it is a site we’re not aware of, we’ll add it to our monitoring sites for the season. We use this information to make informed management decisions about our imperiled beach nesting birds.
Observing the birds’ behavior can help you distinguish summer flocks from breeding pairs/colonies. Below are some nesting behaviors to be on the lookout for:
1-2 birds sticking to a particular area
Faking an injury (e.g. broken wing display)
Alarm calls
Engaging in mobbing behavior in the presence of a threat
Remember while you are observing breeding birds to respect their space. If possible, give them a 300ft buffer, and if birds appear agitated, you’re too close. Always try to look out for nesting birds before beaching your boat on an island or sandbar.
We are particularly interested in reports of nesting least terns, American oyster catchers, Wilson’s plovers, and eastern willets. Email the date, time, location (GPS if possible), and a brief description of what you observed to Megan.Wallrichs@MyFWC.com
Additionally, a joint project between FWC and USFWS is currently underway at the old dock at Atsenie Otie Key. A nesting platform with a call broadcast system was built to encourage least tern nesting. If you are near the dock and see any interesting activity (least terns checking it out, human disturbance, or predators perching near), we’d like to know! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Nature Coast’s shorebird partnership please email megan.wallrichs@myfwc.com
Osprey Survey 2017
April - June
We are conducting our 2nd Annual Cedar Key Osprey Survey of active osprey nests in the Cedar Key area, terminating at the #4 Bridge.
We have a combined total of nearly 50 active and inactive nests this year. We are calling for volunteers to assist in our survey to determine which of these nests are active and producing young April through June 2017.
If you are interested please contact: Janie Veltkamp, Raptor Biologist at janie@bopnw.org or call (208) 582-0797 for more information.
This information will help us establish baseline data to determine the health of our local osprey population.
Cedar Key Bird Rescue Program Bird Rescue activity since Christmas below:
34 calls since Christmas, all were brown pelicans except 1 osprey. Out of these 34 calls, 29 rescues were attempted. Out of these 29, 7 birds were taken to rehab and 5 were successfully released without needing to go to rehab. Of the rehab birds, 2 were returned to CK and released, 1 died on the way to rehab, and 4 cases are still pending in rehab. There were many rescues attempted where the bird was still capable of flying or swimming so could not be captured (16 such cases). Out of the 34 calls, 29 were pelicans with a fishing related injury - 28 tangled in fishing line and 1 with throat obstruction (likely a fish carcass that was too large to swallow). This shows that in the winter we have a higher than average number of fishing related calls - the calls from August to November were for much more diverse injuries and a wider range of species. We have had a great rise in the diversity of volunteers participating in the program, which is really wonderful. Total volunteer hours since Christmas = 93 hours, rough value of $2056 in time alone (not counting miles traveled or boat gas). We need photos of these rescues and releases.
Volunteers please submit incident reports any way you can if you participate in the program in any way - even if the rescue is not a "success".
If anyone has rescue reports or photos to submit - please send them! Even if the rescue was "unsuccessful" (e.g., if you went looking for a bird but could not find it or could not catch it) we need to keep track. A text, email, or phone call (804-305-6014) to Dr. Barry with the info about the rescue would suffice if the paper form is too much of a burden. She needs the species, type of injury, volunteers that helped, approximate amount of time spent (including transport to rehab, if any), and outcome of rescue (if known). Even if you cannot remember all details, please send anything you can remember about rescue activities.
2016 OSPREY NESTING SURVEY IN CEDAR KEY
written April 28, published May 11, 2016 in Cedar Key News
Biologists are asking the residents of Cedar Key to assist in providing information regarding nesting pairs of ospreys and the young they produce in the area as the first survey to better understand their status is underway.
Some 30 nests have been located and identified in the area of Cedar Key up to the # Four Bridge. If you have active osprey nesting sightings, please provide a location and the type of activity you are observing.
Active nesting refers to the presence of one or two adults at a nest site. Activities may include adding nesting materials, copulating, incubating, defending and rearing of young. If you observe these activities please inform one of the following:
Hopefully you can add an image of an osprey.
Thanks!
Janie Veltkamp
Raptor Biologist
Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing to inform you that the President’s budget proposes to eliminate funding for the National Sea Grant College Program (http://seagrant.noaa.gov/), which is the parent organization that funds Florida Sea Grant.
As many of you are aware, Florida Sea Grant was instrumental in providing support for development of the FMNP Coastal Systems module and for the new Coastal Shorelines Restoration special topics course (http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/). Even more importantly, many of our FMNP Instructors are Florida Sea Grant extension agents who live and work in your communities and provide many services in addition to teaching the FMNP. For more about Florida Sea Grant and the work we do - https://www.flseagrant.org/.
Although the President’s Administration proposes a budget, Congress makes the final funding decisions and Sea Grant has a long history of strong bipartisan support. There are many reasons for that support, including the fact that
- 95% of appropriated money leaves DC and comes to the state programs where it is used to solve local problems identified by coastal constituents,
- Sea Grant funds are a good bargain – in Florida, federal funds are highly leveraged to establish funding partnerships with county governments, Florida universities, the state of Florida and private donors to achieve roughly a 3:1 return on federal funds, and
- The return on investment is huge … based on the most recent economic analysis, the $2.4M federal investment in Florida Sea Grant generates over $80M dollars of economic stimulus in Florida.
Warm regards,
Marty
___________
Martin B. Main, PhD
Associate Dean and Program Leader, Extension Natural Resources
Associate Director, Florida Sea Grant College Program
University of Florida|IFAS Extension|Florida Sea Grant
PO Box 110210|1020 McCarty Hall D |Gainesville, FL 32611-0210
' 352.392.1837|' 352.294-0751| ' 352.392.1761
* mmain@ufl.edu www.flseagrant.org
Administrative Assistant: Sandi Reveille (sreveille@ufl.edu; ph: 352.392.1837)
Shorebird alliance - Attention Kayakers & Boaters!
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) would like your help in spotting nesting shore- and seabirds! While FWC and partners survey most areas of known nesting habitat, it is nearly impossible for us to survey all of the Nature Coast’s shoreline. This is where you come in. If you spot any shorebirds exhibiting nesting behavior please report it to the FWC. If it is a site we’re not aware of, we’ll add it to our monitoring sites for the season. We use this information to make informed management decisions about our imperiled beach nesting birds.
Observing the birds’ behavior can help you distinguish summer flocks from breeding pairs/colonies. Below are some nesting behaviors to be on the lookout for:
1-2 birds sticking to a particular area
Faking an injury (e.g. broken wing display)
Alarm calls
Engaging in mobbing behavior in the presence of a threat
Remember while you are observing breeding birds to respect their space. If possible, give them a 300ft buffer, and if birds appear agitated, you’re too close. Always try to look out for nesting birds before beaching your boat on an island or sandbar.
We are particularly interested in reports of nesting least terns, American oyster catchers, Wilson’s plovers, and eastern willets. Email the date, time, location (GPS if possible), and a brief description of what you observed to Megan.Wallrichs@MyFWC.com
Additionally, a joint project between FWC and USFWS is currently underway at the old dock at Atsenie Otie Key. A nesting platform with a call broadcast system was built to encourage least tern nesting. If you are near the dock and see any interesting activity (least terns checking it out, human disturbance, or predators perching near), we’d like to know! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Nature Coast’s shorebird partnership please email megan.wallrichs@myfwc.com
Osprey Survey 2017
April - June
We are conducting our 2nd Annual Cedar Key Osprey Survey of active osprey nests in the Cedar Key area, terminating at the #4 Bridge.
We have a combined total of nearly 50 active and inactive nests this year. We are calling for volunteers to assist in our survey to determine which of these nests are active and producing young April through June 2017.
If you are interested please contact: Janie Veltkamp, Raptor Biologist at janie@bopnw.org or call (208) 582-0797 for more information.
This information will help us establish baseline data to determine the health of our local osprey population.
Cedar Key Bird Rescue Program Bird Rescue activity since Christmas below:
34 calls since Christmas, all were brown pelicans except 1 osprey. Out of these 34 calls, 29 rescues were attempted. Out of these 29, 7 birds were taken to rehab and 5 were successfully released without needing to go to rehab. Of the rehab birds, 2 were returned to CK and released, 1 died on the way to rehab, and 4 cases are still pending in rehab. There were many rescues attempted where the bird was still capable of flying or swimming so could not be captured (16 such cases). Out of the 34 calls, 29 were pelicans with a fishing related injury - 28 tangled in fishing line and 1 with throat obstruction (likely a fish carcass that was too large to swallow). This shows that in the winter we have a higher than average number of fishing related calls - the calls from August to November were for much more diverse injuries and a wider range of species. We have had a great rise in the diversity of volunteers participating in the program, which is really wonderful. Total volunteer hours since Christmas = 93 hours, rough value of $2056 in time alone (not counting miles traveled or boat gas). We need photos of these rescues and releases.
Volunteers please submit incident reports any way you can if you participate in the program in any way - even if the rescue is not a "success".
If anyone has rescue reports or photos to submit - please send them! Even if the rescue was "unsuccessful" (e.g., if you went looking for a bird but could not find it or could not catch it) we need to keep track. A text, email, or phone call (804-305-6014) to Dr. Barry with the info about the rescue would suffice if the paper form is too much of a burden. She needs the species, type of injury, volunteers that helped, approximate amount of time spent (including transport to rehab, if any), and outcome of rescue (if known). Even if you cannot remember all details, please send anything you can remember about rescue activities.
2016 OSPREY NESTING SURVEY IN CEDAR KEY
written April 28, published May 11, 2016 in Cedar Key News
Biologists are asking the residents of Cedar Key to assist in providing information regarding nesting pairs of ospreys and the young they produce in the area as the first survey to better understand their status is underway.
Some 30 nests have been located and identified in the area of Cedar Key up to the # Four Bridge. If you have active osprey nesting sightings, please provide a location and the type of activity you are observing.
Active nesting refers to the presence of one or two adults at a nest site. Activities may include adding nesting materials, copulating, incubating, defending and rearing of young. If you observe these activities please inform one of the following:
- Ron Black Tele: (352) 477 0106 Or
- Janie Veltkamp email: janie@bopnw.org Tele: (208) 582 0797
Hopefully you can add an image of an osprey.
Thanks!
Janie Veltkamp
Raptor Biologist
Cedar Key Audubon Society Plans Bird Rescue Program
Members of the Cedar Key’s fledgling Audubon Society met with Tiffany Black of the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) and Dr. Savanna Barry University of Florida biologist and Nature Coast Biological Station (NCBC) Extension Officer to discuss how to better serve injured birds in Cedar Key. Chamber of Commerce’s and City Commissioner Sue Colson foresees the success of such a program emanating from a partnership between the City and County, with participation also from the Audubon, the FWC and the NCBC operating here in town as well as on Seahorse Key. Short term goals include the posting of signage explaining what to do if a bird is hooked by a fish hook or is otherwise in need of medical attention. In addition, Cedar Keys Audubon Society president Bill Rucker stressed the importance of creating a volunteer list, where locals could assist trained professionals in the rescue and transportation of injured fowl. Also in the works is a training program for those interested in how to approach and handle the birds. Colson further announced that she would be adding a unit in the Summer Youth Programs dedicated to instructing junior high and high school students in bird rescue. Anyone interested in either the volunteer/training sessions or the Summer Youth program should be alert for further announcements on these and other developments.
Members of the Cedar Key’s fledgling Audubon Society met with Tiffany Black of the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) and Dr. Savanna Barry University of Florida biologist and Nature Coast Biological Station (NCBC) Extension Officer to discuss how to better serve injured birds in Cedar Key. Chamber of Commerce’s and City Commissioner Sue Colson foresees the success of such a program emanating from a partnership between the City and County, with participation also from the Audubon, the FWC and the NCBC operating here in town as well as on Seahorse Key. Short term goals include the posting of signage explaining what to do if a bird is hooked by a fish hook or is otherwise in need of medical attention. In addition, Cedar Keys Audubon Society president Bill Rucker stressed the importance of creating a volunteer list, where locals could assist trained professionals in the rescue and transportation of injured fowl. Also in the works is a training program for those interested in how to approach and handle the birds. Colson further announced that she would be adding a unit in the Summer Youth Programs dedicated to instructing junior high and high school students in bird rescue. Anyone interested in either the volunteer/training sessions or the Summer Youth program should be alert for further announcements on these and other developments.