Last teacher workshop

After months of traveling to my colleagues' Reserves, I am happy to finally host them at my site. They traveled from St. Augustine, Apalachicola, and Texas.


The workshop was great! 15 teachers came from around Florida (and even one from Alabama!) Having a shark biologist on staff is an easy way to get teachers excited.


Teachers had fun making food pyramids with styrofoam cups. When in Rome!

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Mission-Aransas Reserve: Port Aransas, Texas

I have heard that the landscape in Southeast Texas, not far from the Mexican border, is similar to South Florida, but it was nothing like home, or any of the other Gulf Reserves I've visited the summer. The local said it's not normally so green this time of year, but due to the recent floods, everything looked rather lush to me.





I have never visited Texas, and what an impression I know have! Check out this menu! You can bring them a dove, rabbit, or squirrel, and they'll cook it! Vegetarianism was not popular here. I ate a lot of french fries!





We toured a BP-funded research facility built to study the surfactants used to disperse the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill.





We also saw the rehab facility for oiled or otherwise injured birds and see turtles. I was thrilled to get to see a few greens in rehab, and then we walked out on the jetty. During the mile-long walk to the end, we saw well over 60 juvenile green sea turtles before we lost count! They feed on the algae growing on the rocks. It was so cool!





The view of the open Gulf from the end was interesting. The jetty borders the shipping channel so there was lots of cargo ship traffic. The Florida Education Cordinator's posed for a photo there- it was a treat to see them so often this summer, since our offices are in every corner of the state.





How could we resist a silly group shot?





And some Texas beer as a finale!






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Apalachicola Reserve, Florida

Next stop on my teacher training travel was Northwest Florida. The Panhandle is very picturesque, with its fleet of shrimping boats and all.



We enjoyed Frogmore Stew one night- just as delicious as I used to have in Charleston. This is a Southern Tradition that I miss very much!



We took a boat out to St. George's Island and explored with the teachers. Such a neat outdoor classroom.



And when I got back, I had a nice welcome note from the furkids, haha!

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Grand Bay Reserve: Pascagula, Mississippi

This was the first of my four teacher workshops this summer. And a new state- I have never visited Mississippi.





Hank came over from Mobile and give a presentation to the teachers. And he brought his selfie stick- which was admittedly kind of fun!




One field trip was out to the salt marsh. It looked very different than my Reserve.





Then we took a ferry 12 miles out to Gulf Shores National Seashore.



I toured the old fort, which was really interesting.





On the way back to the Reserve, we drove through Ocean Shores, where Hurricane Katrina made landfall 10 years ago. It was sad to see how only some things are rebuilt. Many cement slabs remain where historic houses once stood. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the road is so close to the ocean and the house is a wreck there, too, it's easy to see how the rising tide swept so much anyway.





Then we found a dive bar. One of the diviest I've ever seen!





And Kenneth, Hank, and I caught up over cheap, cold beer. Lovely view over the estuary though!




Pups were happy to see me when I returned!

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Mobile, Alabama

I worked with 5 other Reserves to write a grant and we were awarded $100,000 to host Teachers on the Estuary workshops at each site.
The first workshop took place in Weeks Bay, Alabama. Such a different place than I'm used to! Quiet, simple, and not vegetarian-friendly! It was a good trip, though. Looking forward to seeing the other Reserves throughout the Gulf this summer!

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