News

Tribal Colleges and Universities have partnered with the Department of the Interior to offer this online event where interested individuals can learn about the Department of the Interior, its people, and the type of work they do across the U.S. and U.S. Territories. The event will take place April 6-7 and will cover: navigating the USAJOBS website; interview techniques; resume building; and more.

Learn more!

April 25, 2022 2:00pm – 3:30pm via Zoom

What are my job prospects once I have completed my degree?

How can I continue to conduct environmental research and influence environmental policy?

What would ‘a day in the life’ be like working for different environmental science organizations?

What could my career path look like in an environmental field?

If these are questions you are pondering, this Career Forum is for you. Panelists from an array of government organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia will give a brief overview of their career disciplines, backgrounds, and trajectories. Bring your questions and join in a lively discussion.

Register for Zoom Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHFI3k-s8qnTVzgprbasunKuYjUWWgiZ12IuhVtX3-mHDA0g/viewform?usp=sf_link

PDF announcement here

Learn about the research being conducted by our non-federal partners as well as the projects funded by federal partners and the role they play in our regional CESU.

Visit our About page to discover more!

Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/261881092397

Where: The DeLuca Preserve, 6900 S. Kenansville Road, Okeechobee (approximate address – further details will be provided prior to the BioBlitz).
Time: Check-in and instructions at 8am, return to the check-in site by 3pm.
What: In this biodiversity survey, we’ll focus on plants, including invasive and rare species, in semi-improved and improved pastures, wetlands, dry prairie, upland scrub, and flatwoods habitats. We’re specifically seeking volunteers with plant identification experience. Using smartphones, we will take pictures, upload them into iNaturalist, and identify species.
Bring: Water, lunch, and proper attire for your selected habitat. Bring your smartphone with the iNaturalist app installed (instructions will be sent prior to the BioBlitz). Arrive in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle if you have access to one.
Note: We cannot accommodate youth under 18.
Can’t come to the BioBlitz but want to get involved? If you have expertise in plant identification and/or iNaturalist, you can volunteer to be a Real-Time Identifier, on the day of the event, or a Post-Event Identifier. E-mail Shirley for details.
For additional information:
Shirley Baker sbaker25@ufl.edu
Brent Sellers sellersb@ufl.edu

In conjunction with National Invasive Species Awareness Week (February 28 – March 5), the Florida Invasive Species Partnership is hosting the 2nd annual, month long, at-home Weed Wrangle® initiative to encourage Floridians to remove invasive plants from home and privately managed landscapes.

To participate:
During the month of February 2022, Remove 1 or more invasive plants from your landscape (be sure to take a before and after photo)
Complete this simple 4 question form
Email 1 before and 1 after photo of plant removal to ecbell@ufl.edu

All participants who complete the 3 steps above will be entered into a random drawing to win 1 of our exciting prizes:
1 made in the USA UPROOTER Weed Wrench Light – an ideal tool for personal property management and volunteer groups, offering the perfect combination of pulling power and ease of use.
3 Individual 1-Year memberships to your local Florida Native Plant Society Chapter.
5 Signed copies of A Step-by-Step Guide to a Florida Native Yard by Ginny Stibolt
10 pairs of Weed Wrangle Garden Gloves w/the UF IFAS Plant This, Not That, a Guide to Avoiding Invasive Plant Species in Florida Booklet

What is a weed? The term weed can have different meanings to different people, in this case we are referring specifically to invasive plants in your landscape. For guidance, refer to species listed in the 2019 FLEPPC List (both category I and II).
Plant native! We encourage you to replace invasive plants with native plants in your landscape. Learn more about why this matters from the Florida Native Plant Society and locate native plant vendors near you through the Florida Association of Native Nurseries.

Event Sponsors: UF IFAS, Florida Native Plant Society, Green Gardening Matters, and The Garden Club of America

Title: NOAA Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grant Competition
ApplicationDue Date: February 23rd 2022 through grants.gov.

The aim of the NOAA Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grant competition is to improve the success of shallow water (<30 m [<100 ft] depth) coral reef restoration in an increasingly variable climate. The principal objective of this grant program is to move coral intervention science towards field application in order to increase coral survivorship and promote resilient, genetically diverse, and reproductively viable coral populations. Click here for more information.

29 November – 03 December 2021

The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), the Department of Defense’s (DoD) joint environmental research programs, will hold the annual SERDP and ESTCP Symposium virtually November 29 – December 3, 2021 to share the latest research and technology efforts addressing the DoD’s priority environmental and installation energy issues. Environmental researchers, technology developers, and defense end-users attend the Symposium to collaborate and facilitate technology transfer. The Symposium will have 20 technical sessions, 6 short courses, and over 400 technical posters available for viewing. Additional details are available in this announcement and at the Symposium website.

From the forests of north Florida to the mangroves of the Everglades, from the bald cypress stands in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary to the living shorelines of the Tampa region, Florida relies on its natural resources for resilience in the face of a changing climate. To advocate for Natural Climate Solution protection and restoration, this year our Audubon Florida Assembly will journey across the state to experience these unique ecosystems with three in-person events, linked together with virtual presentations on our successes and path forward.

Oct. 23 | Enjoy a field trip followed by a networking lunch at UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley. To register click here.

Oct. 30 | Enjoy a field trip followed by a networking lunch at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland. To register click here.

Nov. 6 | Take a tour of the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples. Includes dinner. To register click here.

Don’t want to attend an in-person event? No problem! Click here to register for the virtual-only events. ASL and Spanish interpretation are available by request on the registration page. Click here for more Assembly information.

HOMESTEAD, Fla – The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are seeking public feedback on a draft Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) that is being proposed for Everglades National Park.

The agencies encourage anyone with an interest in or concern about air tours over Everglades National Park to review and comment on the draft ATMP. The proposed plan would authorize up to 64 air tours per year on eight defined routes. There were on average 64 air tours per year reported at Everglades National Park from 2017 – 2019.

The NPS and FAA will host a virtual public meeting regarding the Everglades National Park Air Tour Management Plan on August 19 from 6:30-8 pm ET that will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/YED_w6Bkztg. Members of the public who wish to observe the virtual meetings can also access the livestream from the following FAA social media platforms on the day of the event: https://www.facebook.com/FAA, https://twitter.com/FAANews or https://www.youtube.com/FAAnews.

Public feedback can be provided through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website from July 29 through Aug. 28. The NPS and FAA will consider comments to help inform the final ATMP for Everglades National Park. The project website is available at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/EvergladesATMP

“We welcome and encourage anyone who is interested in air tours over the park to share their input on the proposed Air Tour Management Plan for Everglades National Park,” said Sabrina Diaz, deputy superintendent for Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks. “The draft plan is based on current operations and reported air tour levels at the park. Its purpose is to ensure that all park resource values are protected by mitigating or preventing impacts on natural and cultural resources, visitor experiences and tribal lands.”

Everglades National Park is among 24 parks of the National Park System developing air tour management plans in cooperation with the FAA. The agencies hope to complete all air tour management plans by the end of August 2022. The schedule is part of a plan approved by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the agencies to comply with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 within two years.

The FAA and the NPS have determined that each ATMP constitutes a Federal undertaking subject to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800). The FAA and the NPS are consulting with tribes, State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and other interested parties to identify historic properties and assess the potential effects of ATMPs on them.

Please visit this NPS site and this FAA site for more detailed information about air tour management plans. Links to meeting notifications, recordings, and slide decks (where applicable) will be posted to the NPS site.

The SFC CESU Host University Director, Dr. Evelyn Gaiser, has highlighted her research, “Why Diatoms Matter,” in conjunction with the showing of Rick Cohen’s Diatomaceous Earth sculpture exhibit during a virtual event hosted by Biscayne Bay National Park.

Choen’s found-object assemblage sculptures are made out of bottle caps, marbles, jewelry-findings, plates, and other large objects that are arranged into intricate patterns to resemble diatoms. This exhibit will be displayed in the Park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center Gallery daily from 9-5 starting on June 11th and extending through September 12th. Dr. Gaiser’s special event occurred on June 14th at 6 pm, and an opportunity to meet the artist and microscopically view diatoms occurred at the National Park on June 2nd.

Watch Dr. Gaiser’s presentation here.

Florida Invasive Species Virtual Symposium

September 1st and 2nd, 2021

Registration: Fees include FISC membership and will also support the FISC Florida CISMA grants
General: $50.00
Student: $25.00

For more details and to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/florida-invasive-species-symposium-tickets-154301386601

Monthly CISMA Call

Standardizing Terminology for Invasive Species Outreach
Basil Iannone (UF IFAS)
June 23rd @ 1:30 pm EST

To participate:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/7923364433
And/or Telephone (for best audio quality, choose the number for your region below):
1 646 558 8656 (Eastern US)
1 669 900 6833 (Western US)
Meeting ID: 792 336 4433
*you can join the audio through your computer or call-in