Inside This Issue Monica Dorken—Page 2

Bobbi Rodgers— Page 3

Martha Clemente—Page 4

Kelly Beall Guest Article—Page 5

Chris Salmonsen—Page 6

Thank You—Page 7

Wishing Well –Page 8

Native Plants—Page 9

How You Can Help—Page 11

Photos—Pages 10, 12, 13, & 14

Alligator Creek Trail Maps

Pages 15 & 16

Visit our website calendar for planned events and activities

www.checflorida.org

Visit our Facebook Page

“Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center”

FROM Jim Thomson, CEO

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center “Conservation through Education”

CHEC POINTS Spring / Summer 2013

ALLIGATOR CREEK PRESERVE

10941 Burnt Store Road

Punta Gorda, FL 33955

phone: 941.575.5435

fax: 941.575.5437

Email: email@checflorida.org

CEDAR POINT ENVIRONMENTAL PARK

2300 Placida Rd

Englewood, FL 34224

phone: 941.475.0769 fax: 941.475.1899

e-mail: bobbi@checflorida.org

Visit our website: www.checflorida.org

This winter and early spring has been very busy for CHEC volunteers and staff. We believe this has been the busiest season yet for visitors at Ce-dar Point and Alligator Creek. Guided walks had very good participation, the Native Plant Nursery had lots of cus-tomers, Wild Wednesday Nature Vid-eos had record breaking attendance, and visitors were plentiful all season long. Volunteers have been very busy fixing up the boardwalks, signs, hand-rails, benches, maintaining the trails and more. Can’t do it without volun-teers; they are terrific.

The area’s seasonal residents and volunteers have departed; they will be missed. We hope they rest while up North; so when they return, they are ready to resume volunteer service and hike our trails. Now we enter the summer season. Visitations and pro-gramming will definitely slow down, but they will not stop completely.

I am happy to announce that we have opened the CHEC History Museum in the Water Resource Center’s Building at Alligator Creek. CHEC Volunteer and new Board member, Chet Lewis,

has spent numerous hours gathering and displaying CHEC’s history from the last twenty-five years. There are lots of photos, artifacts and articles. Come and visit; it is open to the pub-lic. We plan to have a grand opening celebration this coming fall.

Some big news here at Alligator Creek Preserve. Monica and Rich Dorken have decided to retire after spending their last 17 + years at CHEC. Monica and Rich initially plan to remain in Florida, for the time being, and visit family. Rich and Monica have done whatever is necessary to help CHEC (volunteers, visitors and co-workers) provide the best environmental edu-cational experience possible. Their love and passion for CHEC will surely be missed. I wish them the best; their guidance and support have been truly tremendous.

Jim

Monica Dorken

CHEC Educator/

Program Coordinator

The eager, yet shivering, second graders from Deep Creek Elementary School arrived promptly at 9:30 a.m. to begin their estuary instruction at Ponce De Leon Park. They knew about habitats and how plants soak up the energy from the sun to make food and oxygen. They found out that fresh and salt water needs to mix and mingle to form an estuary. They easily determined that the salt water must be coming from the Gulf of Mexico when I showed them the chart.

They also realized that their big, yellow school bus had crossed the Peace River on route to fat point (Punta Gorda). We found out later, when we tested the salinity of the water, that very little fresh H2O was reaching the har-bor from either the Peace or Myakka Rivers. The reading from the refractometer was 30 parts per thousand (pure salt water equals 35).

After previewing the algae, seagrass, mangroves, sponge, clams, oysters, snails and egg cases, worms and worm tubes, crabs, shrimp and fish from the Mud Flat Guide; we were ready to visit the bountiful estuary that is Charlotte Harbor. The water was cool and we all wished that the sun would peak out from the clouds to spread more heat energy, but the lure of the catch kept us on task. Soon squeals of pure delight were emitted by the wee waders. “I found shrimp with green eggs in her belly!” “I found a King Kong (king crown conch)!” “I found allergy” (a.k.a. algae). “What’s this oozy thing in my net?”

It was a moon snail making an egg collar with its own body secretions. We found many well-used moon collars in the shallows as well. They look like circular, whole-wheat lasagna noodles adrift in the grass beds. Snail eggs had already floated free to join a myriad of fellow plankton;

still periwinkle snails were stuck to the underside, feeding on the remaining nutrients. A lone clingfish was partaking of one left-over piece of collar. This little fish looks like a tadpole, but attaches to your palm with its sucker bottom. You can demonstrate this trait by turning your hand over, allowing the fish to hang. The circle of students, teachers, parents and wildlife eventually gathered on the beach. Second graders dragged back several buckets; brimming with spider crabs, conchs, moon collars, shrimp and fish for all to view and visit. “Can we keep these critters?” The answered was a mixed chorus of yes and no. “Could I keep you, if I found you?” Aha, the realization set in that all of this life would be returned from whence it came. Boys and girls began walking the buckets back into the estuary, letting the contents return to the harbor and swishing the receptacles to make sure that every last sticky critter was indeed released. They were instructed to shout, “Good-by. Swim free. Have a nice life. Thanks for visiting!” But you can well imagine that they improvised their own farewells.

CHEC staff facilitates fifty wading field trips for Charlotte County students through the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s SPLASH mini-grant program. These activities are based on priority issues in the Peace River basin; such as natural systems, water conservation, water quality and watersheds. We offer the students, teachers and parent chaperones the opportunity to learn more about our local water resources and turn understanding into action. Studying and exploring the estuarine habitat supports SWFWMD’s vision of a stable, ample supply of clean water for all appropriate users - including the environment. Live Free!

Wonders of wading the Charlotte Harbor estuary with second grade students

Bobbie Rogers

CHEC Cedar Point

Resource Manager

CEDAR POINT UPDATES

Liberty Elementary School

Staff and volunteers at CHEC’s Cedar Point Environmental Park site are looking forward to visits once again from second graders from Vineland, Myakka River, Liberty and Neil Armstrong Elementary Schools. Thanks to funding provided by Southwest Florida Water Management District, these students will participate in hands-on Seagrass Adventure Wading Trips into Lemon Bay to study watersheds and estuaries. All students are given a “pre-test” before their field trip and a “post-test” after. The results are often extremely interesting! The pre-test question, “What is a watershed?” is most often answered, of course, by, “A shed that holds water”. Then, “What is the name of your watershed?” provides insight into the mind of a second grader. Several years ago, “Sponge Bob Square Pants” was a common answer. More recently, students answer that question with “Happy Water”, “Wetter is Better” or simply, “Bill”.

Fortunately, they do much better on the post-test! Ninety-nine percent express an understanding that a watershed is the area of land that flows across as it moves to a common body of water.

Denny Girard, Linda Wilson, Al Squires, Jane Wallace & Barb Seibel conducting plant survey

Every month, usually the last Thursday and Friday, CHEC volunteers, led by Denny Girard and Al Squires, conduct a plant survey at Cedar Point to determine plant species that are either in flower or in fruit (berries). This information will be incorporated into a data base which will be accessible via CHEC’s website after significant data has been accumulated (like the bird surveys that can be found there now). It will be interesting to see what, if any, species may be documented changing their cycles due to any climatic warming trends. If you would like to join them on one of these surveys, please contact us at Cedar Point Park. (941) 475-0769

Adventures in Southwest Florida

Land & Water Martha Clemente

CHEC Naturalist

As we began our 4th Grade Environmental Education walk on Eagle Point Trail for the day, a whispered, small voice from behind asked, “Do you think we’ll see any invasive, exotic organisms today?” Immediately, the student just behind her also whispered, sounding a little fearful and hesitant, “What IS an invasive, exotic organism?!” Well, we never know exactly WHAT we’ll see out there, either on land OR on our estuary boat trips! That is definitely a big part of the wonder and adventure of these beautiful natural areas. Hopefully we WON”T see too many of those invasive exotics, which really can be destructive to native habitat. But the immense natural biodiversity of species that we DO see thriving out there is just awesome! The numbers are staggering, rivaling the world’s rain forests. SWFWMD tells us that at least 2,300 different animal species make their homes in Charlotte Harbor Estuary; including over 400 species of fish, over 300 docu-mented bird species and 39 species of mammals, many endangered and threatened species. The essential healthy habitat of our estuary is provided, in large part, by the patchwork collection of aquatic buffer preserves extending all the way out to Lemon Bay, totaling over 150,000 acres! Beyond the obvious food, shelter, healthy water and space provided by these preserves; scientists are discovering that the complex design of biodiversity appears to protect us from the increase and spread of infectious diseases. Conversely, loss of species diversity may fuel the spread of diseases and also hamper medical research. Species are rapidly disappearing before any assessment can be made concerning what contribution each may make; or what importance each might be to present and future research. Our 4th Grade students are learning about the importance of a healthy, diverse estuary that we also call home. They are eager to learn what choices they can make to continue

good habits to help keep this amazing ecosystem healthy and thriving.

Participants on “Journey through the Heart of an Estuary” boat trips, both on the Peace River and Lemon Bay, have also been experienc-

ing a delightful diversity of wildlife. Recent sightings at a rookery on Hunter Creek included nesting Wood stork, Black-crowned Night Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Tri-Colored Heron, Anhinga and Cattle Egret, along with several resident alligators patrolling the water. We also saw both Dolphin and Manatee, as well as Tarpon rolling in the Har-bor! Out in Lemon Bay this year, unusual findings have included what appeared to be an Apple Murex Shell communal egg mass (pictured below) and a beautiful little calico crab in our crab trap.

Visit www.checflorida.org calendar and please come out and join us in experiencing the wonder of our southwest Florida land and water!

Kelly Beall is a CHEC Board Member. She and her husband Jimmy Beall are the owners and operators of the Peace River Seafood Market - a restaurant, retail sea food store and fish house. Jimmy has twenty years experience as a commercial crabber in Charlotte Harbor area. Both share a love for the Harbor and know the importance of protecting the waters of Charlotte Harbor.

Jimmy & Kelly focus on supplying fresh seafood to the local community. The fish house serves commercial crabbers and mullet fishermen in the area. Every day the commer-cial fishermen/crabbers come to Peace River Seafood’s fish house to sell their catch.

Kelly shared some of her knowledge of the commercial crabbing business:

Commercial fishing business is regulated by the state of Florida’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Cur-rently, there is a limit on the number of crabbing licenses issued in the state. No new licenses are being issued for commercial crabbing, as the limit has been reached. Typi-cally the crabbing business is a lifetime profession for Char-lotte Harbor’s crabbers. They start their day at 4 in the morning, trailing their boat to a ramp. When the catch is “thick” [crabs are plentiful], crabbers will be on the water every day. Typically, they will set out 250 to 350 crab traps. Imagine standing all day on a boat, lifting each trap, empting their catch, baiting the trap and then lowering it back in the water. It’s a lot of hard work. At about 2 in the afternoon, the crabbers will bring their catch to Peace River Seafood’s fish house to sell. Kelly and her staff will weigh their catch and pay the crabbers. The catch is then put in

a refrigerated storage trailer, covered in burlap.

When crabbers are “on the hill” they are working on clean-ing and repairing their traps. They may do this every other day or as needed. The crab traps are an important and significant investment, each costing about $30. Crabbers will identify their traps in the water with floating buoys with their identification number displayed. Crabbers are con-stantly moving their traps to new locations and will remove them for approaching storms. Raiding traps – stealing the trap or crabs— is dangerous and illegal, a felony crime. An interesting note about blue claw crabs is that those caught in fresh water can survive up to 4 days; while those caught in salt water last about 24 hours. Peace River Sea-food sells blue claw crabs to Maryland. These are shipped by air.

The fish house also purchases stone crabs, mullet and other local seafood caught by the area’s fishermen. If you want fresh seafood, plan to dine at Peace River Seafood restaurant or purchase some seafood at their store. Peace River Seafood is located on US 17 just north of the Inter-state on the south bound lane of US 17. The restaurant is located in an old Florida cracker building that was built in 1926. They serve fresh seafood in a friendly atmosphere. All you can eat blue claw crab is very popular. Their smoked mullet is delicious, as is everything on their menu. Thanks, Kelly!

Interview with Kelly Beall

Crabbing in Charlotte Harbor

Chris Salmonsen

CHEC Naturalist

Meadow Park

Kindergarten Students visit Spring Lake Park

Recently Darlene Stone and I spent a week at Spring Lake Park on Alligator Bay with students from Meadow Park Elementary School. Six kinder-garten classes with 108 students and 42 parents participated in this program. Naturalist Darlene Stone took the group on an informative hike through the parks’ lakefront trail and introduced the students to Florida native plant communities, like mangroves and pine flatwoods. My task was to educate the groups on issues that are pertinent to this area of Alligator Bay; including pollution such as storm-water runoff, and waste-water treatment. While this sounds easy enough, imagine asking a 5 or 6 year old what happens to their waste when they flush a toilet.

Unfortunately, this very question has become an issue to this area surrounding Alligator Bay. Most of the houses built in these neighborhoods are using what are called onsite sewage treatment and dis-posal systems. We know these systems as septic tanks and they typically consist of a tank and a drain field. Many of these are of a pre-1983 type of septic tank that has been shown to be contributing to declining water quality in Alligator Bay. The county is now in the process of converting these older systems into a central wastewater system and homeowners are going to have to pay more for it. Education is a big first step in this project; and luck-ily, I had the use of a model called an EnviroScape that is designed just for this purpose.

The EnviroScape is a model that can be used to show how things we do on land can adversely affect the quality of water in our estuary. Using the Envi-roscape, I was able to demonstrate storm-water runoff from agriculture fields, from golf courses and

from individual lawns. I used simple grocery store items in place of real chemicals Different colors of koolaid became fertilizers and pesticides, instant coffee became dirt and cocoa mixed with a little wa-ter was used for motor oil and cow manure.

The kids had fun fertilizing the lawns, gardens and agriculture fields; filling the waste water treatment ponds and clearing land to build. Then we made it rain with spray bottles. As the rain fell the students were amazed to see how the color of the water in the basin of our model quickly changed because of runoff. We then talked about things we could do to stop this runoff, which are often called best man-agement practices (BMP’S). We made wetlands and buffers in front of the farm and around the basin to slow water down and allow these plants to use nu-trients in the runoff. We talked about Florida friendly landscaping and the fact that they need less fertilizer and pesticides than non native plants. We put a sediment fence around the construction site. We put the cows in a corral away from the creek. Then we made it rain again and observed. Viva la difference!

Cedar Point Environmental Park wishes to Thank you.

• Sharon Taylor for marine ecology books in memory of Jack Taylor

• Englewood Shell Club for cash donation • Jean Key for cash donation for Eco-Camp Ro-

scholarships • Al Peterson for books on shells • Bill Messner for maintenance supplies • Willis Broomhall estate for framed bobcat pho-

tograph • George and Jane Paulovicks for their bee

assistance

Alligator Creek wishes to Thank you.

• Chet Lewis for laboring long on the new CHEC History Museum

• Local Tree Trimmers for bringing free mulch to share with gardeners

• ALL Native Plant Sales for providing workshops & contributions to CHEC

• Chet Lewis for $5000 donation to CHEC

• Rose Isaksen for requesting donations to CHEC for her tax services

• Bob Isaksen for signs, bat houses, deck boards, hiking sticks, squirrel feeders & more

• All our wonderful CHEC volunteers

In February 2013, Boy Scout Dylan Burns com-pleted his Eagle Scout status by building a fence and kiosk along the northern border of Cedar Point Park.

The existing fence line had been compromised and vehicles were encroaching into the park; so the new

fence is much needed. The kiosk provides an educational element at the walkthrough along South Pine Street. A big Thank You to Charlotte County’s

Scott Losch and Dave Mathews for their assistance in this project.

As this year’s American bald eagle season ends, the resident Cedar Point Park eagles have fledged one immature

eagle. We see both adults and the youngster in the park currently; but soon they will join other friends on a Northward trek. A safe journey to all and we hope to

see you next year.

JIM THOMSON , CEO

jim@checflorida.org MONICA DORKEN, Educator/Program

Coordinator

monica@checflorida.org CAPTAIN RICH DORKEN, Head Naturalist/

Boat Captain

rich@checflorida.org MARTHA CLEMENTE, Naturalist

martha@checflorida.org BOBBI RODGERS

Resource Manager/Site Coordinator

Cedar Point Environmental Park bobbi@checflorida.org

CHRIS SALMONSEN, Naturalist

chris@checflorida.org

CHEC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible. A copy of CHEC’s official registration may be obtained from the Florida Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free 1.800.435.7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CHEC retains 100% of all contributions received..

Board of Directors 2013

Officers

Dorothea Zysko, President

Stacy Calvino, Vice-President

Larry Linn, Treasurer

Mary Ann Hughes, Secretary

John Aspiolea Kelly Beall Barbara Fleshman Michael Haymans Rachel Keesling

Larry Linn Steve Osborne Ken Doherty Lee Swift Chet Lewis

Staff

Cedar Point Wish List: • Refrigerator (full size) • Garman hand-held GPS unit • Vacuum cleaner • Identification books on fish & marine

organisms

CHEC - WISHING WELL

Donations of materials or services are important in the day­to­day  operations at CHEC.  Can you help us with any of the above? 

Alligator Creek Wish List: • String Trimmer (gas powered)

• Wide tires, NO speed bicycle

• Long handled squeegee (for Caniff win-dows)

Native & Florida Friendly Plants

Alligator Creek Preserve

Tuesdays & Fridays

9:00 AM until 2:30 PM

Operated by All Native Nursery

Seaside Ambrosia Ambrosia hispida

This carefree groundcover is always a great choice in Southwest Florida. It adds a gorgeous tropical look, re-quires no irrigation and prefers sandy soil.

Ambrosia prefers full sun and grows at a fast rate; it has excellent salt and drought tolerance. Zones 9 to 11 provide ideal growing conditions for this low growing perennial. It typically grows to 1 to 3 feet in height.

You can find Seaside Ambrosia and many other Florida friendly landscape solutions for sale at CHEC.

The top 10 reasons to landscape with Native Plants:

#1 No need to amend soil – saves you labor. Many native plants love sand and nutrient free dirt. They are tough! #2 No need for additional fertilizer – saves you money, time and back pain. #3 Greater drought tolerance - no need for costly irrigation systems and high water bills; or worse, tickets for violating local conservation ordinances. #4 Greater pest tolerance – Fewer chemicals in your yard. #5 Lower yard maintenance costs and less work. It is possible to replace turf grass and dramatically reduce lawn mow-ing chores. Choose slow growing shrubs to avoid pruning. #6 Proper selection of perennials and annuals can provide color all year round. This is nice visually, but more impor-tantly, it supports pollinator insects. These insects are important for local crop pollination. #7 Support endangered plants and animals. There are many native plants that are endangered in their natural habi-tats. They are available in our nursery: Lignum vitae, Sea lavender, Key West morning glory; to name just a few. #8 Attract beneficial birds, animals and insects. If you have beneficial insects they will protect your exotic and food plants from pests. This makes the overall problem easier to manage. This means less pesticide on your food and in the environment. #9 Less fertilizer means less runoff. Homeowners generate 60% of the fertilizer runoff that contaminates Florida estu-aries. #10 Habitat restoration. Islands of native plants provide support for migrating birds, create safe zones for gopher tor-toises, other reptiles and small mammals. Bonus! There are several edible natives: Sea grapes, Coco plum, Beauty berry, and Locust berry; to name just a few. Find time to visit the nursery at CHEC. We have lots of great plants, infor-mation and resources for you. Cheers!!! Martha Grattan. All Native Plant Nursery

Guided Walks

Alligator Creek

Volunteer Naturalist Guides:

Gator in the sun, Alligator Creek

Osprey by Gator Pond

Three Lakes Trail

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc. is a not for profit 501 [c] 3 organization composed of a vol-unteer Board of Directors, including representatives from our founding members: Charlotte County, City of Punta Gorda, Charlotte County School Board and the Peace River Audubon Society.

CHEC’s Mission is to raise public awareness of the value of our natural and cultural resources by pro-viding environmental education, recreation, research, and management of conservation lands.

A Charitable Giving Program is designed to establish funds that will materially assist CHEC in expand-ing our services in the greater Charlotte Harbor area. These donations also give CHEC an “investment income buffer” during periods of decreased Grants and In-kind revenue.

Making a planned gift today can help ensure CHEC’s mission continues in to the future

Donations are Greatly Appreciated and are Tax Deductable

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center has established an account with: Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC to accept donations of money (cash not accepted,

only checks), stocks, bonds or other securities. Deposits can be made at the Wells Fargo Advisors branch located at 1107 West Marion Avenue, Suite 111, in Punta Gorda. The

office is located across from Fisherman’s Village.

______________________________________________________________________________

There are many ways to support CHEC; some may even allow you to provide more than you realized. CHEC’s Board, Staff and Volunteers sincerely thank you for your consideration

CHEC is not engaged in rendering legal or tax advisory service. For advice or assistance in specific cases, the services of an attorney or other professional advisor should be obtained.

CHEC Programs and Activities are free and always have been. Regardless of income, participants can enjoy Florida’s natural beauty and engage in recreational, as well as educational programs. Participants enjoy long lasting memories, developing an understanding and appreciation of our estuaries and watershed.

You can help CHEC protect our air, water and land by supporting our educational programs through donations and/or volunteering your time and talents.

CHEC has touched tens of thousands of residents and visitors over the last twenty-five years. Our programs encour-age participants to become environmental stewards and to adopt personal behaviors that protect our resources.

What You Give to Nature — Nature Gives Back To You

Charitable Gift Planning

Plant Native Day at Cedar Point

Attendees at Cookie House Lecture at Cedar Point Park Bobbi leads a “full-moon” nature walk at

Amberjack

Professional photo of Cedar Points Eagles

Photo by Pat Wright

Spring Lake Program—Meadow Park Kindergarten Students learn about pollution

Neil Armstrong 2nd grade SPLASH wading trip 4/22/13 Lemon Bay—Cedar Point

A lightning whelk with egg case Photo thanks to Chris Warren

Don’t forget, CHEC Cookbooks still on sale at $10.

Keep Charlotte Beautiful—Dedicated CHEC’s Butterfly Garden at Alligator Creek

Bob & Ed installing new directional signs

Follow the arrows and you won’t get lost !

School Programs Chet Lewis—Opening Door to the

CHEC HISTORY MUSEUM

NOW OPEN:

Water Resource Bldg., Alligator Creek

Adopt A Deck Program helped fund new decking for Eagle

Point Footbridge

Bovano Wall Hangings

Barbara Fleshman’s Collection, donated to CHEC and for sale in the gift shop, are beautiful pieces of art work.

Bob Isaksen displays a Squirrel feeder he hand

crafted. These are for sale in the gift shop

NEW TRAIL MAP

NEW TRAIL MAP