2008/2009 Season General Meeting Schedule

Meetings are 7 PM at the North indian River County Library in Sebastian. Please check back closer to individual meeting dates for more information about meeting topics and guest speakers.

Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday April 27, 2009 - General and Annual Membership meeting - election of Officers and Board of Directors
Monday, June 22, 2009

Here is some interesting information on some presentations and speakers we have had in the recent past. There are links in the stories for those interested in more information.

Our guest at the January 2007 meeting was Dr. Edie Widder. Dr. Widder was a research scientist for some time with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Ft. Pierce, but recently started her own ocean science research organization, also located in Ft. Pierce. Her new organization is called Ocean Research and Conservation Assosciation. You can find out more about Dr. Widder and her organization on their website at: www.oceanrecon.org. One of the items you will find on their website is an article from The NY Times about the undersea camera and special lighting system that Dr. Widder helped develop. Dr. Widder told us about this camera system and its benefits - special lighting to attract deep-sea creatures where there is virtually no light. Dr. Widder explained that the only light at these depths is what is produced by creatures themselves - i.e. bioluminescence. Because light levels are so low, it is hard to get video or images of these deep-sea creatures without scaring them away. Therefore the need for special lighting. Click on the "Press Room" link on the ORCA website for a link to The NY TImes article. You will also find other news and information on this page.

In September 2006 Dr. Widder received one of 26 MacArthur Fellowship "genius grants" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Our October 2005 General Meeting was a presentation by Steve McCullough of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Ft. Pierce. Steve is head of the HBOI's Indian River Lagoon dolphin survey. Their survey has revealed that many IRL dolphins are suffering from rare, human related diseases.

If you have never seen Steve's program, it was his usual excellent presentation. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his dolphins!

You can find out more information about the dolphin/Marine Mammal research at HBOI on their website at: www.hboi.edu/marinemam/marinemam_home.html. There is also information on how you can support their research by purchasing the "Protect Wild Dolphins" license plate. The extra fee collected by the state benefits HBOI's research program and has collected several millions dollars to date! Please visit their website above and click on "Dolphin Tag" for more information.

For more information on the Protect Wild Dolphin program, please visit their website at: www.protectwilddolphins.org. Additionally, you can also find out more information about another HBOI marine mammal program - "Protect Florida Whales" at their website - www.protectfloridawhales.org. Harbor Branch's research benefits from the sale of the Protect Florida Whales license plate also.

National Public Radio aired a story on Morning Edition November 30, 2005 about the concern that scientists have for recent dolphin deaths. "Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are trying to figure out what's been causing recent deaths of bottlenose dolphins. Elizabeth Shogren joins the scientists on an expedition near Charleston, S.C. They capture dolphins and subject them to grueling physical exams."

The story featured the work that harbor Branch has been doing and included interviews with Dr. Greg Bossart of Harbor Branch. You can find out more information on this story and listen to the audio archive by visitng the NPR website.

Volunteer Opportunities at Pelican Island NWR!

Volunteers are often needed for various projects and activities at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Interested in helping out? Please contact the refuge office at:

Pelican Island & Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuges
1339 20th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
772-562-3909
Joanna Webb, x. 258

You can also visit the following website for more information about volunteering for the Pelican Island or Archie Carr refuges - www.fws.gov/pelicanisland/volunteer.html.

Current volunteer needs are as follows:

Volunteer Activity: Refuge Office Assistant
When: Ongoing (flexible work schedule)
Where: Refuge Office, Vero Beach
Brief Description: Assist Refuge staff with small office projects, including reorganizing and filing.
Level of Difficulty: Low; Indoor work that requires an organized individual and the ability to work independently. Optional skills include computer proficiency.

Volunteer Activity: Refuge Maintenance Assistant
When: Ongoing (flexible work schedule)
Where: Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Sebastian
Brief Description: Assist Refuge staff with outside Refuge maintenance projects.
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to High; Outdoor work that involves some manual labor, mechanical and/or carpentry abilities.

Volunteer Activity: Butterfly Garden Maintenance
When: Ongoing (flexible work schedule)
Where: Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Sebastian
Brief Description: Maintenance weeding and mulching in the butterfly garden.
Level of Difficulty: Low to Moderate; Outdoor work that involves bending, kneeling, shoveling mulch.

For scheduled volunteer events, please see the activities listed below.

PIPS is looking for a Volunteer Coordinator

We can always use more volunteers, but we are currently specifically looking for someone who would be a volunteer coordinator for events and activities we are involved with throughout the year. If you are interested, please let us know! You can contact us by sending an email to info@pelicanislandfriends.org.

Biologists Need Help From Public to Find Horsehoe Crabs

St. Petersburg-Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute need a little help from the public in identifying horseshoe crab spawning beaches throughout the state.

The best time to find spawning horseshoe crabs is around a high tide, right before or just after a full moon.

Sharp-eyed beachgoers can report the time, date and location of horseshoe crab sightings through one of the following options. Fill out an online survey at http://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crab, E-mail information to horseshoe@myfwc.com, or Dial toll-free 1-866-252-9326.

Biologists also want to know how many horseshoe crabs observers count and whether the horseshoe crabs are spawning.

Researchers said horseshoe crab harvests are too high in some states. To manage the species more effectively, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requires all Atlantic coastal states to identify horseshoe crab spawning beaches.

Horseshoe crab research benefits humans in a several ways. For instance, research on the compound eyes of horseshoe crabs led to better understanding of the human visual system, and horseshoe crab blood is useful in the biomedical industry. A special substance in their blood is a component in testing for bacterial contamination in human blood and commercial drugs. In addition, manufacturers use the material that makes up the horseshoe crab's shell (chitin) to make contact lenses, skin creams and hair sprays.

Many citizens have responded to the horseshoe crab nesting beach survey since it began in 2003. Biologists regularly update the survey results. Visit http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=20822 to see how many reports have come from individual counties.