Invasive Species Removal Itinerary
Day 1
Your tour begins at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, FL with a light breakfast and guest check-in. After a brief welcome, we’ll hit the road to a local state park where we will meet up with biologists and Florida land managers to discuss the dangers of invasive plants in coastal ecosystems. A short orientation and training session will prepare you to get down and dirty to take preventative measures against terrestrial invasive intrusion. The day continues with a gourmet lunch before heading down to Key Largo for your sea-based project. Once you are settled at your Key West-esque accommodations, you’ll enjoy dinner at an iconic Florida Keys restaurant and a marine ecology lesson to prepare for tomorrow’s dive before closing out your first day.
Day 2
A native of the Indo-Pacific and brought to the United States through exotic pet trade, the Red Lionfish is one of the most detrimental invasive species in the Atlantic. You’ll spend the morning practicing your collection skills in a lionfish collection workshop, then put them to the test on a two-tank dive to remove wild specimen off our precious reefs. Once we’ve dried off, we’ll take our catch to a local restaurant to prepare your dinner of fresh lionfish cooked the way you like it. Enjoy an optional free night at a local pub or relax at the hotel pool after dinner. All meals included.
Day 3
We’ll start your final day early with a Fish Identification class to prepare you for the afternoon’s dive. On your dive, you will contribute to the world’s largest marine sightings database and record how populations have changed due to invasive species, habitat degradation, and global climate change by taking part in REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey. If time allows, your trip back to Palm Beach will be rewarded with a behind-the-scenes tour of Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s state of the art sea turtle hospital before heading home. Breakfast, lunch and light dinner included.