Super Blue Blood Moon

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A Super Blue Blood Moon as seen from the Preserve’s Observation Tower. This rare astronomical event triplet happened in the early morning of January 31, 2018.

A blue moon is the second full moon of a calendar month. The moon rotates around the Earth in a 28-day cycle. So a blue moon happens occasionally. Hence the phrase, “once in a blue moon.”

A super moon happens when the moon is especially close to the Earth, making it appear larger (up to 17%) and brighter than usual. This occurs because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is an ellipse. Which at times brings the moon thousands of miles closer.

Coinciding with the above two events was a total lunar eclipse. As the moon entered Earth’s shadow the reflected light had a reddish tint… a blood moon.

Friends’ Donations Support the WGP

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Left to right: Ellen Klee FWGP, Ann Sayward FWGP, Debbie Weiss FWGP Jeff Bernstein FWGP, Jean Holbrook Town Council, Jennifer Molzen Town Council, Sherri McDonald Town Council, Kent Gardner FWGP, Eric Kuykendall Town Manager, Sally Douglass FWGP, Jack Schofield Mayor

The Friends of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization that works in partnership with Yankeetown to promote, develop and maintain the Preserve. The Friends raise money for the Preserve through T-Shirts sales, donations, memberships, AmazonSmile, and events like the annual Rubber Duck Race.

The WGP is a unique place that would not be possible without community involvement. Thank you to everyone for your contributions of time and financial support.

Heritage Monitoring Scouts

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(Left to Right: Jeff Moates-FPAN, Ellen Klee-FWGP, Nigel Rudolph-FPAN, Sally Douglass-FWGP, Jamie Letendre & Kassie Kemp-FPAN​)

We had a great presentation on September 21, 2017 from the knowledgeable staff of the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Central and West Central regional offices. The mission of the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) is to “…promote and facilitate the conservation, study and public understanding of Florida’s archaeological heritage.”

In their presentation Jeff, Nigel, Jamie, and Kassie introduced FPAN’s new Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS) program. The program is focused on monitoring at risk archaeological sites. Particularly those impacted by climate change in the form of erosion and sea level rise.

HMS is a great opportunity for Scouts (citizen scientists) to contribute to our understanding, and protect, Florida’s rich history. It is easy to become a Scout and the public is encouraged to apply to the program. For more information on HMS send FPAN an email at hmsflorida@fpan.us or click on the HMS link above.

Invasive Air Potato and its Biological Control

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Air potatoes (Dioscorea bulbifera) are members of the yam family and are native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Air potatoes can now be found throughout Florida and are considered an extremely aggressive invasive species. The vine was added to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Noxious Weed List in 1999.

A classic method of biological control involves finding an organism that feeds exclusively on the invasive plant and then releasing it in the invaded area. Once established the control agent will provide long-term suppression of the plant.

Scientists with the US Department of Agriculture identified a beetle (Lilioceris cheni) in Nepal and China that feeds on air potato leaves. There is now a program in Florida to use this beetle to control the air potato. If you have air potato on your property you can obtain beetles free of charge. To learn more about the program and instructions for ordering beetles visit

http://bcrcl.ifas.ufl.edu/airpotatobiologicalcontrol.shtml

The Friends want to thank Elise Schuchman (Florida Department of Agriculture) for coming out to the Preserve and giving an informative presentation on the invasive air potato vine, and efforts to control it.

Horseshoe Crab Tag Program

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Attention Beachgoers: Help scientists collect data on nesting horseshoe crabs by reporting tagged animals.

If you see a tagged crab (like the ones in the photo):

  1. Snap a picture of the tag or record the tag # (number is on the bottom of tag).
  2. Note the date, location, and general condition of the crab (alive or dead).
  3. Report data using the online form at (www.fws.gov/crabtag/) or by calling 1-888-546-8587 (1-888-LIMULUS).

Important: DO NOT remove the tag. When recording the tag #, try to limit disturbance to the crab. Try not to pick the crab up and if you must pick it up, NEVER pick it up by the tail.

Collected data goes into a national database maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and contributes to knowledge about horseshoe crab movements and population numbers.

PBS Video

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The Forgotten Coast: Return to Wild Florida video was recommended by one of our speakers. This great show aired in April 2017. You can currently view the video online at the PBS web site: http://www.pbs.org/program/forgotten-coast/

Following in the footsteps of a wandering Florida black bear, three friends leave civilization and enter a lost American wilderness on a rugged thousand-mile journey by foot, paddle and bike. Traversing Florida’s vast and seldom seen “Forgotten Coast,” the expedition encounters stunning and rare wildlife including black bears, manatees, alligators, ancient river fish and endangered woodpeckers – all living within a fragile wildlife corridor stretching from the Everglades to the Florida-Alabama border.

This video was produced by Grizzly Greek Films and presented by PBS/WUSF.

Help Stop Seagrass Scarring

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Seagrasses are extremely important habitat for the fish, scallops, manatees, turtles, birds and other species that support the coastal tourism economy in Florida’s Nature Coast. Seagrass scarring by propellers, anchors, and vessel groundings is 100% preventable, and yet is a growing problem in Florida.

The University of Florida has started a campaign to raise awareness about seagrass scarring caused by boating. They are calling this campaign “Be Seagrass Safe”.

To learn more visit the “Be Seagrass Safe” web site: http://beseagrasssafe.com.

Marine Animal Rescue

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The University of Florida Marine Animal Rescue is a a non-profit organization funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the College of Veterinary Medicine Aquatic Animal Health Program, UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station, and the Cedar Key Dolphin Project.

The Rescue Program responds to sick, injured, and deceased marine mammals in Levy, Dixie, and Taylor counties of the Big Bend. They coordinate rescues of live animals and, if possible, transport them to rehabilitation facilities. They also perform necropsies (animal autopsies) on deceased marine animals to determine their cause of death and learn more about their anatomy, physiology, and the health of their ecosystem.

To report a sick, injured, or deceased marine animal, call or text the 24-hour UF Marine Animal Rescue Hotline at 352-477-0344 or the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-407-3922. Be prepared to give your location (address, GPS, or waterway marker), animal involved (dolphin, whale, manatee, sea turtle), number of animals and their condition (alive, dead, injured or distressed).

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities contact Amber Lea Kincaid (Stranding Coordinator), at a.kincaid@ufl.edu.

Audubon Bird Guide App

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The Audubon Society has a free, award-winning field guide app. Versions are available for Apple iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle. To learn more visit: www.audubon.org/apps

As you visit the Preserve checkout the Nearby Observations feature of the app. To access this feature select Find Birds with eBird from the app Home menu. Select Yankeetown as your location and then Nearby Observations for a list of recent sightings.