Saturday,April 7, 2012
9 a.m. – 1p.m.
Course ID - CTD0488-2     Reference #696847
(4 hours of Professional Development Credit for Faculty)
Fall 2009 -

Facilitated by Carlos Pargas
The course will cover the natural and cultural history of the largest urban park in the Florida State Park System.  Oleta River State Park is a 1,043 acre natural and recreational area surrounded largely by high density residential and commercial developmental.  Park administrators have developed alliances with a range of compatible user groups.  It is wrongly assumed that the northern portion of Biscayne is virtually dead biologically.  The Oleta River area supports abundant marine life, diverse bird populations and some of the most impressively large mangrove trees in South Florida. Upland and shoreline habitats will be explored on foot and by kayak and the ecological role of the mangrove forests will be highlighted.  Particular attention will be directed towards the challenge of achieving a sustainable balance between urban human needs and natural systems needs.  Economic strategies for preserving and maintaining natural areas will be examined.  Participants will be expected to relate the workshop experience to their academic disciplines and to draft a written proposal on ways to incorporate concepts of ecological sustainability into their current work or course objectives.

For more information and to register on line
http://www.mdc.edu/ctd/catalog/workshops/ctd0488-2.htm