Facilitated by Chris Migliaccio

The goal of the course is to give faculty an overview of basic South Florida ecology and hydrology by providing direct field experiences in this unique ecosystem. Participants will then be able to teach their students to understand their water use and environmental responsibilities as citizens of South Florida. After a session in the Park's Visitor Center with a Park Naturalist, participants will walk paved, boardwalk, or dirt trails and visit an alligator hole, a cypress dome, the critically endangered pine rocklands, a tropical hardwood hammock, a mangrove forest, the coastal prairie, and the sawgrass Everglades plant communities. During the entire workshop, participants will learn how to tune their senses to improve their innate observational skills. Participants will be expected to relate this workshop experience to their discipline and develop ways to incorporate basic concepts of ecology, conservation and environmental economics into their current course objectives. Requirement: Hours will be awarded upon completion of a required assignment.

For more information and to register on line-- http://www.mdc.edu/ctd/catalog/workshops/ctd0488.htm

Facilitated by Dick Townsend

The course covers history of the Biscayne National Park and surrounding areas, and gives an overview of local ecosystems including shoreline to reef line, upland habitats of off-shore islands, as well as inshore seagrass and mangrove forest communities. Canoes will be used to explore mangrove areas and observe their micro-communities, and visits to a flood control structure and a water quality laboratory will be made. Resource management case studies will be presented related to the nearby landfill (Mount Trashmore), Turkey Point Power Plant, Homestead Airforce Base, Stiltsville, a lobster sanctuary, natural and artificial reefs, the North American Crocodile, and the Schaus Swallowtail.

For more information and to register on line-- http://www.mdc.edu/ctd/catalog/workshops/ctd0486.htm