The Mission Continues Group remove invasive plants including Australian Pine and Burma Reed from the restoration site at the Batchelor Environmental Center

By Fernando Bretos, Curator of Ecology and Director of MUVE

On a recent blustery Saturday morning, over 30 eager volunteers assembled at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus with a mission. They came to hack away invasive plants at the site of Frost Science’s new Batchelor Environmental Center (BEC). Invasive plants such as Burma reed to Australian pine had encroached on the area over the years, and one of our missions at MUVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment) is to restore native habitats. The site at BEC provided the perfect opportunity. These plants excel at choking off native vegetation and ensuring that nothing lives in their dark and dreary undergrowth.

Opening in 2017, BEC is Frost Science’s 75,000-square-foot facility that will house our animal-focused operations, including our state-of-the-art raptor rehabilitation program; animal husbandry for hundreds of creatures seen in our exhibits downtown; a 113,000-gallon aquarium system to nurture and quarantine fish before we place them in the downtown exhibits; and the future home of MUVE, our volunteer habitat restoration program.

Volunteers work hard to clear out the invasive plants including Australian Pine and Burma Reed from the restoration site

BEC will also continue the work of the current Batchelor Wildlife Center (located in our Coconut Grove site), which has been rehabilitating injured raptors such as peregrine falcons, Cooper’s hawks and screech owls, either releasing them back into the wild if they are fit to survive, or utilizing them in our education programs.

The purpose of the restoration activity, which is funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is to create a buffer of native mangrove and hardwood forest around the site to attract native wildlife and ensure a more native and resilient area. Additionally, MUVE will establish permanent citizen science data collection with camera traps, water quality testing, tree phenology, and bird monitoring, so as to document the environmental change they are creating over time. Interpretive signage will be installed to guide visitors to the area’s natural history.

Upward Bound Students remove invasive plants at the Batchelor Environmental Center

The project is part of a broader effort envisioned by MUVE to expand the Oleta River corridor, a riparian buffer area located around Miami-Dade County’s last free flowing river. This six-mile-long corridor provides hope that Miami, one of the densest urban areas in the country, can coexist with nature and reap the benefits that urban wild areas provide, such as higher property values, lower electric bills, less noise, and more encounters with native birds, butterflies and mammals.

The volunteers represented a broad portfolio of local groups, including Mission Continues, which engages recent Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans to give back to their community; FIU’s School of Environment, Arts and Society; Wells Fargo, which has funded MUVE and provided volunteer support; and the museum’s Upward Bound Math and Science program. Specifically, 13 UBMS students helped remove invasive plants. The invasive plant removal process will continue until Spring, when MUVE will begin planting native mangrove and hardwood trees.

By Mauricia Vasquez, Collage Advisor, Upward Bound Math and Science

Summer 2016 IMPACT students

Summer is finally here!  For the Upward Bound Math and Science program, which exposes low-income students to the power of science and paths to STEM careers, that means the start of IMPACT, a six-week intensive marine science summer program in which students get up close and personal with South Florida’s unique marine ecology and biodiversity.

During their time in the program, students get out of the classroom and into the field to cover a spectrum of marine science topics including marine ecology, oceanography, meteorology, resource management and more. The idea is to groom future conservationists and to inspire interest in STEM careers. Although living in South Florida offers many opportunities to experience and learn from nature, many teens growing up in urban areas rarely get a chance to get out and explore.

Summer mentor Rockeven Desir shows a student how to adjust his gear

On the first week of IMPACT 2016 we welcomed a brand new cohort of rising 9th grade students. To gain admission, more than 50 eights-grade students underwent a grueling application process based on a combination of academic grades, teacher recommendations, and an interview with Upward Bound staff. Of the applicants 25 were selected to participate in the program.

One of the most exciting experiences for the kids is to get out in the ocean and under the surface to witness the ecosystems at play there. During this week we spent some time in the water reviewing water safety and swimming techniques and ensuring that first-time snorkelers are acclimated to the water. Then they enter the underwater world. According to Brianna, an incoming freshman, “I was scared at first because I had never seen any fish in person before. The first fish I saw was a baby puffer fish, and then I saw a stingray near one of the jetties in Virginia Key. I realized they weren’t very interested in me so I wasn’t scared anymore.” As the summer progresses, students will be able to observe the diverse wildlife that lives just under the surface, and use the information they collect to inform the research they conduct throughout the summer. Some of the projects include surveys of biodiversity in various beaches throughout the Key Biscayne area, and the tracking of the effects of ocean acidification on local coral and limestone.

Summer mentor Laura De Ara assists first-time swimmers and helps them acclimate to the water.