Exercise your mind and feed your craving for all things science at Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s (LMC) Free Summer Science Lecture Series. During this series, guests will learn about everything from crocodile research and shark biology to sea turtle conservation and Florida’s native fauna. Speakers will present each Tuesday in July and August from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Listen to speakers with scientific expertise from Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Inwater Research Group, Treasure Coast Wildlife Center, Florida Power & Light, Jurassic Parts, Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute, Environmental Resource Management and PEW U.S. Oceans.
While many people’s fascination with sea turtles begins on a nesting beach, this time ashore accounts for only 1% of these sea turtles lives. Join Inwater Research Group’s biologist, Ryan Welsh, on July 16 as he shows you how researchers find and study the other 99% of these sea turtles lives in urban, industrial and pristine ocean habits. The next lecture will be hosted by Tim Brown, Director of Education for Treasure Coast Wildlife Center, on July 23. This general wildlife lecture will explore some of the creatures found in Florida’s unique and diverse natural habitats. The presentation will feature appearances from the Florida box turtle, snakes, both of Florida’s native crocodilians and various birds of prey. Jodie Gless, from Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) Environmental Services, will be hosting the next lecture on July 30. Gless will be discussing FPL’s Crocodile Management Program. FPL initiated an extensive, formal, comprehensive crocodile monitoring program in the early 1980’s consisting of: night-time surveys, tagging and marking hatchlings, day-time surveys, off-season crocodile surveys and monitoring and managing crocodile mortality.
August Schedule
- 8/6 – “Taking a Bite Out of Shark Week : An Introduction to Sharks & Rays” with Chris Koch, Owner, Jurassic Parts
- 8/13 – “What’s In Your Clam Chowder? : An Insight into Quahog Aquaculture” with John Scarpa, Research Professor, Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute
- 8/20 – “Seagrass : Monitoring & Mapping in the Lake Worth Lagoon” with Julie Mitchell, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Resource Management
- 8/27 – “Switching Gears: Ending the Waste of Bluefin Tuna in the U.S.” with Cameron Jaggard, Senior Associate, PEW U.S Oceans
Guests will enjoy light refreshments. The lectures are open to everyone but geared toward adults and older children. There will be a brief Q&A with the speakers following the lecture. For more information on attending these free lectures, please contact Evan Orellana at [email protected] or 561-627-8280 ext. 119.
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About Loggerhead Marinelife Center:
Loggerhead Marinelife Center, a non-profit organization, is committed to the conservation of Florida’s coastal ecosystems through public education, research and rehabilitation with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The center features an on-site campus hospital, learning exhibits and aquariums. Situated on the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beach, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 215,000 visitors each year. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org or call 561-627-8280.