FMSEA 2012 Field Trips: A. Snorkeling at Egmont Key

FMSEA 2012 Field Trips:
A. Snorkeling at Egmont Key- Ft DeSoto (20 people)
10 AM to 3 PM
$50 per person includes snorkeling with gear, lunch included
Ferry over to Egmont key for shelling, snorkeling and time in the sun. The ferry will take you to a special
snorkeling location and provide the gear. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, bathing suit, towel
and change of clothes.
B. Sailing
10 AM to 3 PM (15 people)
$40 per person, Lunch included
Learn from the best at Clearwater Community Sailing Center. After classroom instruction, you will try
your hand at sailing a 14 to 16 foot Hobie Catamaran. Once you have the feel of the boat and the water
you will run a sailing course. Please wear closed toed water shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting
wet. Weather permitting. Lunch included.
C. Ocean Exploration Lab: USF College of Marine Science (6 hours)
9 AM- 12 PM Remote Sensing and Ocean Technology
1 PM – 4 PM Plate Tectonics and Sediment Cores
$30 for the 6 hour program, Lunch will be provided
This lab activity will consist of four 1.5 hour interactive, mini-research lab rotations. Mini-labs include:
Plate tectonics, create your own earthquakes, hydrothermal vents and volcanoes using a model that
demonstrates how ocean tectonic plates move. Ocean deepwater sediment cores, during this mini-lab
observe ocean sediment cores and conduct grain size analysis of sub-samples to discover how
paleontologists use ocean sediment cores to tell the story of our past and future. Remote sensing and
ocean color, during this mini-lab explore the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing (IMaRS) and conduct
your own remote sensing research study using satellite data. Ocean engineering instruments and
models, during this mini-lab with engineers explore the ins and outs of designing, testing, building and
deploying the instruments that allows the university to conduct cutting edge ocean research.
Half-Day Programs and Workshops
D. Dolphin Lab
9 AM – 11 AM
$45, Lunch not included
Join Dr. Ann Weaver from Argosy University for a 2-hour boat tour as she shares her John’s Pass dolphin
research project which involves the identification, tracking and behavioral study of nearly 270 dolphins;
Dr. Weaver has observed more of the intimate, unsuspected details of the dolphins’ lives…. Like tool
use, how it’s a promiscuous society but the big bulls have obvious and long-term preferences for certain
females… how they mourn the dead… when and how they really do “show off” for each other, the true
meaning of aerial behavior like Sea World dolphins,…….it is fascinating!
E. FWC Aquatic Species Collecting Workshop
10 AM – 12 PM, 1 hour break for lunch 1 PM -2:30 PM collecting methods at Spa Beach.
$25, Lunch included
Need your collecting permit? Join us from 10 AM – 12 PM for a two hour workshop that will give the
knowledge you will need to safely collect aquatic specimens for your classroom, then after a break for
lunch join the group at Spa Beach along the St. Petersburg Pier to practice collecting methods like
seining.
F. Kayaking (1/2 day)- Weedon Island (15 people)
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Cost $30 Lunch not included
Weedon Island Preserve is an approximately 3,164-acre preserve that extends along the west side of
Tampa Bay in Pinellas County. It is the largest estuarine Preserve in Pinellas County, and is
predominately comprised of aquatic habitats with mangrove swamps, shoreline, and seagrass beds
along the eastern edge of the Preserve. Participants will use tandem kayaks to paddle through the
mangrove forests at Weedon Island Preserve.
G. Paddle Boarding at Ft. DeSoto (12 people)
9:30 to 11:30 am, Lunch not included
$55 per person guided program
Take a two hour guided paddle board tour around Ft. DeSoto County Park. Paddleboards and instruction
will be provided. Bring water, sunscreen and clothes you don’t mind getting wet.