FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2015
BISCAYNE BAY AQUATIC PRESERVES TEACHES
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI STUDENTS ABOUT CRITICAL WILDLIFE AREA
~Student
excursion visits the highest protected area within Biscayne Bay~
MIAMI - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Biscayne
Bay Aquatic Preserves recently hosted aspiring scientists from the University of Miami. Students worked with staff to gain field
experience, which included collecting data on water quality, seagrass and the
vast array of wildlife in the Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area at Virginia
Key.
“Partnering
with local universities to conduct this work benefits both the department and
the university, by multiplying staff monitoring efforts, while supporting the
students’ growth as future scientists and coastal managers,” said Biscayne Bay
Aquatic Preserves Manager Pamela Sweeney.
The Bill
Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area was first established in 1990 and expanded in 1993
as a bird, seagrass and manatee sanctuary in the heart of northern Biscayne Bay.
The area remains a year-round no-entry zone and, therefore, is heavily
monitored by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law enforcement and other marine patrol agencies. Biscayne Bay
Aquatic Preserves partners with FWC biologists and has a permit through FWC to survey
and document flora and fauna distribution and counts.
“DEP surveys this local treasure quarterly, providing integral information about species diversity and environmental conditions and allowing for educational opportunities on natural resource management,” said Environmental Programs Coordinator Laura Eldredge.
Biscayne
Bay Aquatic Preserves staff will also be partnering with Tropical Audubon
Society’s bird experts to conduct bird surveys within the area. Staff are
beginning seagrass surveys to further define the significance of this protected
area in the management of a wide variety of species.
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