GTM RESEARCH RESERVE GEARS UP FOR TWO-DAY NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY CELEBRATION

Florida DEP Banner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 26, 2013

CONTACT: Patrician Price, 904.823.4506

GTM RESEARCH RESERVE GEARS UP FOR TWO-DAY NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY CELEBRATION

~This free event includes hands-on activities~

GTM

This is an aerial view of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR, which will be hosting National Estuary Day activities to educate the public on the importance of protecting them.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve will host a two-day National Estuaries Day celebration on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Environmental Education Center in Ponte Vedra Beach.

“This two-day event is free and will provide families an opportunity to explore how estuaries have shaped northeast Florida’s human history,” said Michael Shirley, Ph.D., environmental administrator at the GTM Research Reserve.

The celebration kicks off Friday evening with a Star Party from 6 to 10 p.m. This event provides an opportunity to bring the family, or that special someone, and look up at the night sky to learn about navigational history. A laser point constellation tour will be offered, providing a look at different constellations. Also, in commemoration of VIVA Florida 500 - a year-long celebration of the anniversary of Ponce de Leon landing in Florida - there will be a presentation focused on the methods used by explorers to identify their location in the wide open sea.

Saturday’s event -- from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- is a family friendly showcase of Northeast Florida scientists working on all aspects of the estuarine ecosystem. There will be food and fun activities, such as face painting, kayaking, fishing, seining, hiking and biking. Additionally, there will be a Sea Turtle obstacle course for the kids, provided by the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

The GTM Research Reserve is one of 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves around the nation focused on researching, educating, and protecting the natural biodiversity and cultural resources within the estuary. It is managed by Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Office in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Environmental Education Center is located at 505 Guana River Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 32082.

For more information about the GTM Research Reserve, please call (904) 823-4500 or visit our website at www.gtmnerr.org.