2013 Fall - Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center—CHEC
Points
“Conservation through Education”
CHEC POINTS
FROM
Jim Thomson, CEO
Inside This Issue Eileen Tramontana‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 2 Bobbi Rodgers ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 3 Martha Clemente ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 4 Guest Articles ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 5 Chris Salmonsen‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 6 Doris Button ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 7 Thank You ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 8 Wishing Well ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 9 How You Can Help ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Page 12 Hands Across the Harbor‐ Page 16 Happy Holidays & New Year Visit our website calendar for planned events and activities www.checflorida.org Visit our Facebook Page Charlotte‐Harbor‐ Environmental‐Center Greetings to Friends of CHEC, volunteers, northern snowbirds and tourists! I hope you can schedule time to visit and participate in activities at Cedar Point Environmental Park and Alligator Creek Preserve. Some changes have occurred since the last newsletter. Monica and Rich Dorken retired. I wish Monica and Rich a happy retirement. manatee classroom presentations, public wading adventures, guided hikes, presentations, Mom & Tots or Young Children and Nature, up‐
river bus tours and more. These programs are made possible through a variety of support: Friends of CHEC memberships, general donations, and grants from: The Mosaic Company Foundation, Charlotte County Marine Advisory Committee’s Boater Improvement CHEC hired two part‐time staff —
Fund, Charlotte Harbor Fund, Boat Captain Alan Hall and Office Hands Across the Harbor Event Administrator/Bookkeeper Doris Sponsors, Pat Moran Family Button. Eileen Tramontana was hired as the fulltime Environmental Foundation, Charlotte County, City Program Coordinator/Educator. of Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor Please stop in and say hello and National Estuary Program, welcome our newest staff Charlotte County School District members. and Peace River Audubon Society. This support allows CHEC to provide Youth and adult programming free or reduced‐fee environmental began with fourth‐grade field studies program, second‐grade sea programming to individuals and families. grass adventures, third‐grade ALLIGATOR CREEK PRESERVE CEDAR POINT ENVIRONMENTAL PARK 10941 Burnt Store Road 2300 Placida Rd Punta Gorda, FL 33955 Englewood, FL 34224 Phone: 941‐575‐5435 FAX: 941‐575‐5437 Phone: 941‐475‐0769 FAX: 941‐475‐1899 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] www.checflorida.org a
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For Our
Children’s Sake
“The health of children is at stake, but so is the health of the earth. Studies show that conservationists or any adults with environmental awareness had some tran‐
scendent experience in nature when they were chil‐
dren. But if experiences in nature are radically reduced for future generations, where will stewards of the earth come from?” Excerpted from The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Access to nature contributes to the health and well‐being of young people. Studies indicate that children who play and explore outdoors are less stressed and may further benefit by learning confidence and social skills. Key to nature play is the chance for children to explore on their own terms and with their own choices. Choosing to climb a tree, hanging onto a rope swing, jumping over a log, skipping stones—all of these are examples of experiences in which children learn more about themselves, their decisions, and what to do in new settings. In nature, kids see, hear, smell and touch things all at the same time, getting them to observe, ask questions and figure out things that have a lot of parts to them. The richness of the outdoors is far more stimulating—and gets the mind working more—than only watching television or playing electronic games. Many of CHEC’s programs are designed to make nature connections for children. School programs provide an opportunity to observe nature—dolphins jumping in the harbor, manatees feeding along the river edges, crabs scuttling, snakes slithering up a tree branch, eagles calling from their nest—through guided walks, boat excursions and wading trips. Although these school programs are correlated to education objectives and standards, they also allow a child to experience a sense of wonder about the natural world that surrounds us. Moms and Tots or Young Children and Nature programs take the preschooler along on a play date with nature. Patterns, colors, smells, and textures found in nature can be used to begin simple understandings that will be needed as the “little one” grows up. Learning is made an adventure under the direction of CHEC staff and volunteers. The more high‐tech our world becomes, the more we need nature in our lives. Young, old, or in between, we can reap extraordinary benefits by connecting—or reconnecting—to nature. Web Resources Children and Nature Network (CN&N), www.childrenandnature.org US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Let’s Go Outside Initiative, www. fws.gov/letsgooutside/ National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org/What‐We‐
Do/Kids‐and‐Nature.aspx Get Outdoors Florida Coalition, www.getoutdoorsflorida.com/ Rogers
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Cedar Point
Updates
Welcome back to all of our northern CHEC friends! One of the oddest summer happenings at Cedar Point was the theft of several wildlife artifacts which included an alligator skull, a taxidermy rattlesnake and a sawfish rostrum. Luckily the Charlotte County Sherriff Department conducted a thorough investigation and all of our artifacts were returned intact. As a result of the theft, CHEC received two additional critters—two beautiful pheasants from Chuck and Pat Sikula and a very large diamondback rattlesnake (stuffed, of course) from Keith Hunter. On December 6, members of the Englewood Shell Club will once again decorate the CHEC’s Cedar Point Christmas Tree ornament made with Coquina shells. tree with their handmade shell ornaments. The creativity and work that goes into the creation of these masterful decorations is amazing! The tree will be up in the Cedar Point Visitor Center until January 3, 2014 and can viewed between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday–Friday. The bald eagles returned to Cedar Point and are busy beginning to nest. Toward the end of December, one to two chicks should in residence with the adults busily attending to their feeding needs. Stop by to see the action! Sawfish are a family of rays that are characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, that is lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged so as to resemble a saw. te
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Welcome back, everyone, to a very busy Fall season at CHEC! Just have to tell you a little about our Ecoweek 2013 (June) at Cedar Point. Wow, what a week spent with an enthusiastic, concerned group of young people. Our theme was “The Natives – Calusa Quest II”. Here are a few highlights. Al Squires, CHEC volunteer cut a coontie root to show Ecoweek campers how Florida native people and pioneers harvested this plant and used it (after careful preparation) for food. Erin Broemel, Charlotte County Historical Center, talked to campers about how archaeologists study artifacts—from both the past and the present—to learn about and understand how people lived in the past and even to help solve problems in the present. Campers got to make their own clay pinch pots! Erin teaches campers how to make pottery. Sue Scott (BackTenFeet.com) helped campers learn about using native plants in our yards and neighborhoods to provide habitat for wildlife, as well as helping conserve water and minimize use of fertilizers and other chemicals. Our week wrapped up with a visit from Steve Koski, speaking about Little Salt Springs. Archaeologists studying this remarkable site have found items estimated to be 12,000 years old. Finally, Steve demonstrated the use of an atlatl that he made himself, to the delight of every child and adult present! In November, we started our West County Fourth Grade Field Studies with Myakka River Elementary School classes on Lemon Bay! OH MY! Already, in the first week, we have already seen such an amazing diversity of wildlife! It is delightful to see the students learning about and responding to the Charlotte Harbor Estuary, as they are immersed in hands‐on activities and surrounded by this awe‐inspiring ecosystem. The manatees are still here (the water has only this week cooled down to close to 70oF), but soon will be seeking warmer natural springs in the harbor and the rivers. A healthy Field Studies Program on Lemon Bay. population of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin greet us regularly, going about their daily hunt for mullet and other favorite fish. From the CHEC crab trap, we have caught 3 nice stone crabs and a small blue crab. Our seagrass exploration activity is always a surprise! The students seen the unique arrow crab, a large (almost a foot long) lightning whelk, juvenile file fish, box fish, burr fish, shrimp of many varieties (ghost, arrow, broken‐back and common), (Continued on page 15) Guest Articles
Greg Brezicki and Darlene Stone
By: Greg Brezicki, Natural/Teacher for CHEC’s Fourth Grade Field Studies Program at Cedar Point. Charlotte County and CHEC get it right when it comes to enhancing and enriching the lives of our children so they become interested, productive and involved citizens who make a difference in our changing world. As a teacher at Cedar Point for five years, I see how important the goal is to take children outdoors and engage them with their surroundings—the forest and the estuary. All the land where water drains into a central body of water such as the estuary is called a watershed. An estuary is where freshwater from the land and rivers mixes with saltwater. At CHEC programs, the children learn about environmental issues that happen in a watershed if the people who live in, work in and enjoy them don’t take care of the watershed. Drastic changes take place in our society and we must prepare our children to cope with their world by teaching them to intelligent decisions after looking at the many possibilities. Toffler said, “all education springs from an image of the future. If the image of the future held by society is grossly inaccurate, its educational system will betray its youth.” When we see land and water as a part of a community to which we all belong, we then begin to use it with love and respect. Land and water as a community is a basic ecology concept. CHEC’s education efforts teach the children to love nature and to become responsible stewards. By: Darlene Stone, Natural/Teacher for CHEC’s Fourth Grade Field Studies Program at Alligator Creek. On most days you find me walking the beautiful trails of Alligator Creek, usually with a group of children. As a retired teacher and CHEC trail guide, I have had the privilege of educating many of Charlotte County’s students over the years. Of course, I learn from the students as well. I enjoy sharing my knowledge of Florida history, plants and wild life. I believe it is important for children to understand the wonders of nature, how nature works, and how precious it is along with the need for all of us to care for and protect our environment. I am a native Floridian and raised to appreciate nature. My husband is an environmental manager, my daughter is an environmental engineer and my son spends most of his free time in the woods. The environment is a constant topic of discussion with my family. Fourth grader are one of my favorite groups to take on the hiking trails. Since I taught Fourth graders for 30 years in Charlotte County, it makes sense that they are my favorite people. We often hike the trails pretending to be early Florida settlers needing to find plants for survival. The students learn which plants settlers used for food and (Continued on page 13) n
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CHEC has had three pontoon boats in the fourth grade fleet over the years. The original boat was called the CHEC‐Mate. The CHEC‐Mate had carpet that needed to be swept every day and the seats were plastic lawn chairs. My favorite part of the original CHEC‐Mate was the dolls head stuck on the VHF antennae that served as our mascot. Captain Bill Wheeler called her Miss Charlotte and told the kids that I came in early every morning to comb her hair and make her pretty so we would have a nice, safe trip. “New boat signs mean we
are no longer that
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classes we were doing. The second boat was christened the CHEC‐Mate II in honor of the first CHEC‐Mate. The original boat had signs that gave her name and a little about the CHEC program but these signs were destroyed in the hurricane, too. For years there has been talk about new signs for each boats so in the words of Captain Al Petterson “ we would no longer be that mysterious boatload of kids”. Hurricane Charlie was the demise of the original CHEC‐
Mate and, unfortunately, Miss Charlotte too. We replaced the storm damaged CHEC‐Mate with a new 29 foot three‐hulled pontoon boat. I suppose technically she is a tritoon as most pontoon boats have two hulls. I don't remember who first suggested Miss Charlotte as the name for our new boat, in honor of our lost mascot. Somehow it seemed fitting. A few years after acquiring Miss Charlotte, CHEC found itself in need of another boat due to the number of Recently while waiting for students to arrive at the Punta Gorda Marina, a truck from Dan’s Signs ([email protected]) arrived to work on a boat. I asked if signs could be made for CHEC boats. After sending information about what was wanted, the signs were delivered about a week later. When we put the signs on the Miss Charlotte they looked so good that we also ordered signs for the CHEC‐Mate II so that everyone who now sees us out on the water will know who we are and what we do. Quarterly News from Accounting
from Doris Button Needless to say, since Rich Dorken retired we have had some "drag and pitching" moments in the accounting department however, we are making some impressive advances. Rather than contracting out our payroll service, we are managing the CHEC payroll in‐house and the savings are substantial. Our new capabilities are: IRS federal tax reporting, free direct deposit and in‐house printing of Employee W‐2's to mention a few. We can manage any payroll‐related activity in‐house that our contractor handled in the past creating a cost saving for CHEC. During our November staff meeting, CHEC employees agreed on changing its bi‐weekly payroll period to end on Fridays. This change will give the payroll department more flexibility. We have setup a "purchase order system" to track and pay open invoices, maintain a history of Vendors, customers, and paid items. We are in the process of applying this same system to Contracts and Grants. This will eliminate the need for multiple copies, and additional filing creating better time management with greater efficiency. View Event Poster on Page 16. 8K Long Board Race [Long Boards are large skate boards] CHEC Fund Raising Event— Hands Across the Harbor
Bicycling, fun walk, competitive 8K run and competitive 8K long board race January 25, 2014 Charlotte Harbor’s Bay Shore Park, 23157 Bayshore Road Register on‐line at www.handsacrosstheharbor.org/. Or download a registration form and mail. Interested in volunteering at the event—call at (941) 575‐5435 Alligator Creek wishes to Thank
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Cedar Point wishes to Thank
you.
Sean Willman for donating a gas‐powered weed trim‐
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Al Peterson for the books on shells •
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Dianne Maki for the crab trap Display case, and informational plagues donated by John Aspiolea •
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Chuck and Pat Sikula for the taxidermy pheasants Carol & Dave Butterfield for painting the Caniff Visitor Center Ladies Restroom walls and door. •
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Keith Hunter for the taxidermy diamondback rattlesnake Bob Isaksen’s and Ed Williams’ work on refurbishing ramp leading to Caniff Visitor Center •
Mary Dommermuth for the bird bath •
Nature Guides and King Fisher Fleet Guides •
Jean Key for EcoCamp scholarship funds •
Anomalist Club Cash Donation •
Jean Key for a refrigerator/freezer •
Barb Seibel for a set of 4 nature books •
Barb Seibel for a vacuum cleaner •
Rotonda West Woman’s Club for a cash donation •
All of the CHEC volunteers for leading guided walks through various parks Welcome Eileen Tramontana Environmental Program Coordinator/Educator Welcome Doris Button Office Administrator Welcome Captain Alan Hall Monica and Captain Rich retired in June 2013. Rich and Monica spent 18 years of dedicated service to CHEC. We wish them a Happy Retirement! Staff
2013 Board of Directors
Jim Thomson, CEO [email protected] Martha Clemente, Naturalist [email protected] Officers
Bobbi Rodgers Resource Manager/Site Coordinator Cedar Point Environmental Park [email protected] Dorothea Zysko, President Stacy Calvino, Vice‐President Larry Linn, Treasurer Mary Ann Hughes, Secretary Chris Salmonsen, Naturalist [email protected] Eileen Tramontana, Environmental Coordinator/Educator [email protected] Doris Button, Office Administrator [email protected] John Aspiolea Kelly Beall Barbara Fleshman Michael Haymans Rachel Keesling Steve Osborne Ken Doherty Lee Swift Thomas Parker Interested in joining the CHEC Board of Directors? Email [email protected] or call 575‐5435. The Board meets every other month at Alligator Creek Preserve, Punta Gorda. CHEC’s WISHING WELL
Cedar Point Wish List • Garmin hand‐held GPS unit Alligator Creek Wish List • One speed bicycle with wide tires • Vacuum cleaner • Soil colored wood stain—decks and hand rails • Identification books on fish and marine organisms • Paint brushes and roller covers • Laminator Donations of materials or services are important to the day-to-day operations at
CHEC.
CHEC is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization and donations are tax‐deductible. A copy of CHEC’s official registration may be obtained from the Florida Division of Consumer Services by calling toll‐free 1‐800‐
435‐7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CHEC retains 100% of all contributions received. Volunteers
Thank You. CHEC is grateful for all its volunteers who donate their time, talents and energy helping deliver CHEC programs and activities, greeting visitors, guiding nature walks, maintaining gardens and trails, carpentry work, wading adventures, water quality monitoring, painting and more. Interested in volunteering? Scheduling is flexible. Seasonal or year‐
round volunteers are needed. For more information with no obligation call: Eileen Tramontana Bobbi Rodgers Alligator Creek Preserve Cedar Point Environmental Park Punta Gorda Englewood (941) 575‐5435 (941) 475‐0769 Weekdays or Weekends, volunteering can be relaxing and a rewarding experience. Did You Know? We continue to seek volunteers to help Alligator Creek and Cedar Point provide services and programs. Volunteering is easy, we offer flexible scheduling and it’s a rewarding experience.
Adopt A Deck Program
$20.00 donation, you can have a name craved and installed on board walks, foot bridges or deck handrails. It easy, stop in Alligator Creek Preserve Office or Visitor Center or go to our Website: www.checflorida.org. These funds help purchase lumber, screws and supplies to help CHEC refurbish our facility.
Holiday Gift Ideas
Cedar Point and Alligator Creek Gift Shops Alligator Creek recycles alumi‐
num cans and newspaper. Please, use our drop boxes and help CHEC while protecting the environment. Hand‐made walking sticks, bird & bat houses, squire feeders are on sale in our gift shops, Nature books, CHEC T‐shirts, cookbooks and more. They make a great gift for the holidays. Friends of CHEC receive a 10% discount in the gift shops, bring your membership card.
Friends of CHEC Thank you for being a Friend of CHEC. Memberships provide environmental programs and activities to residents of and visitors to southwest Florida. CHEC provides hands on educational activities teaching the importance of conservation. Northern Flicker at Alligator Creek Photo credit: Dale Green Blue Jay at Alligator Creek Photo credit: Bill Argo
The Charlotte Harbor Fund Advisory Committee awarded CHEC a grant to fund: Third‐Grade Manatee Programs, Public Outreach, Water Quality Monitoring Programs and an Eagle Cam Feasibility Study CHEC is truly appreciates the support of the Foundation. The Charlotte Harbor Fund was established by Charles Caniff. Mr. Caniff was a CHEC founder. CHEC’s mission is to provide environmental experiences and education to the general public and educators. CHEC received a grant from the Pat Moran Family Foundation.
Tom Beddia, Foundation Officer presented the check to Jim Thomson, CHEC CEO. Tom runs a local Greener Cleaner garment care business. What You Give to Nature — Nature Gives Back To You
Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc. is a not for profit 501 [c] 3 organization composed of a volunteer Board of Directors, including representatives from our founding members: Charlotte County, City of Punta Gorda, Charlotte County School Board and the Peace River Audubon Society. CHEC’s mission is to raise public awareness of the value of our natural and cultural resources by providing environmental education, recreation, research, and management of conservation lands. Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center has established a CHEC Endowment Fund with
the Charlotte Community Foundation to accept legacy donations.
Please contact the Charlotte Community Foundation at (941) 637-0077
403 Sullivan Street, Punta Gorda, Florida
Or, call CHEC (941) 575-5435 for information.
Now, CHEC can be found on The Giving Partner website. The Giving Partner provides donors and others with information to help them make informed decisions about their giving. When potential funders understand the full portrait of an organization—not just the financials—they can better appreciate the impact the nonprofit is making and how effectively and efficiently the organization accomplishes its mission. You can access the site at: www.thegivingpartner.guidestar.org CHEC programs and activities are free. Regardless of income, participants can enjoy Florida’s natural beauty and en‐
gage in recreational, as well as educational programs. Participants enjoy long lasting memories, developing an under‐
standing and appreciation of our estuaries and watershed. You can help CHEC protect our air, water and land by sup‐
porting our educational programs through donations and volunteering your time and talents. CHEC has touched tens of thousands of residents and visitors over the last twenty‐five years. Our programs encourage participants to become environmental stewards and to adopt personal behaviors that protect our resources. There are many ways to support CHEC; some may even allow you to provide more than you realized. CHEC’s Board, Staff and Volunteers sincerely thank you for your consideration medications, and which plants keep pesky mosquitoes away. It is important for students to recognize which plants are poisonous, safe, native or invasive exotics. Students use a checklist to record what they find which can be taken back to the classroom and used as a basis for further discussion. New Sign on Miss Charlotte. Pontoon Boat docked at the Punta Gorda Marina. Students enjoy our close encounters with wildlife, such as otters, birds, snakes, hogs and alligators. One important concept students learn is to respect the animals and their habitat. It is my goal that each student has a better appreciation of how early settlers lived, Florida wildlife, the natural environment and, as temporary visitors, respect and be good stewards of our environment. See you on the trails. Chris Salmonsen, CHEC Naturalist and Captain Alan Hall on the Miss Charlotte. Captain Al Petterson and CHEC Naturalist Martha Clemente on board CHEC‐Mate II. New Sign Installed on pontoon boat docked at Cape Haze Marina. December Activities
More information on Website Calendar at www.checflorida.org
Volunteer Monthly Meeting Wild Wednesday Nature Video & Discussion Alligator Creek Preserve, Caniff Visitor Center, 10941 Burnt Store Road, Punta Gorda Caniff Visitor Center at Alligator Creek Preserve December 2, 2013 at 9:00 AM Video: “Trails of Life—Courting” Speaker: Robin Jenkins, Peace River Wildlife Center, General Manager Presented by Cindy Christel, CHEC Naturalist and CHEC Vol‐
unteer Cedar Point Environmental Center, Visitor Center, 2300 Placida Road, Englewood Reservations not required. December 11, 2013 at 10:30 AM December 2, 2013 at 3:30 PM Alligator Creek Preserve Guided Nature Walks Meetings Open to the Public Weekdays at 10 AM. For information or dates call 941‐575‐5435. Young Children and Nature Activity (Mom & Tots) Seagrass Wading Adventures Alligator Creek Preserve December 4, at 10 until 11 AM. Call to register (941) 575‐5435 or register online: www.childrenandnature.eventbrite.com Free—Sponsored by the Mosaic Company Foundation. Cedar Point Wading Trips at 9:00 AM December 11, December 26, December 31 Cedar Point Environmental Park December 23, at 10 until 11 AM. Call 941‐475‐0769 to register Call to register (941) 475‐0769 Ponce de Leon Wading Trips at 10:00 AM December 10, 14, 23, 27 and 30 Free—Sponsored by the Mosaic Company Foundation To register, call 941‐575‐5435 or go to www.seagrassadventures.eventbrite.com Nature Walks—Englewood Area Free and Open to the Public •
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December 8, Oyster Creek Regional Park December 10, Amberjack Environmental Park December 12, Tippy II Preserve December 15, Tippecanoe Environmental Park December 16, Cedar Point Environmental Park Call 941‐475‐0769 for information and directions. live shells (baby horse conch, mud snails, modulus shells, triton shells), hermit crabs and more! Waterbirds abound – so far we've seen Great Blue, Louisiana and Yellow Crowned Night Herons, Great White Egret, Snowy Egrets, White Ibis, Osprey, Brown Pelicans, Gulls and Terns (Royal and Common), Willets, Black Skimmers, a flock of Red Knots and, even some White Pelicans. What an incredibly beautiful place we live in. It's all good – come and see for yourself! Al teaches campers all about the native Coontie plant.
Captain Al on CHEC‐Mate II docked at Cape Haze Marina, Placida. Cedar Point Environmental Park Photos
Lightning whelk with egg case. Linda Soderquist leads a class from Island Village Montessori School.