SECULAR EVENT
This field course is intended to be a follow up or second part for the Florida’s Marine Animals Field Course. However, new students are also welcome to join as completing the Florida Marine Animals field course is not a prerequisite.
Total Cost: $750 per student | A $375 deposit is required to reserve a space in the field course. The balance of the course fee will be due by August 26, 2022. Registered students will be invoiced directly for the balance due.
This Field Course will provide a hands-on overview of various marine environments present in South Florida. The intent of this course is to provide detailed information and the opportunity to interact with our local marine environment.
The Field Course will meet six (6) times, on a monthly basis, during the 2022-2023 school year. Students will also be able to participate in an optional field excursion where we will go on a dry fossil dig in Wauchula, Florida to search for various marine fossils. Students will have a monthly homework assignment to complete prior to each field day that will include topical reading, graphics, videos, and review questions.
Homework assignments will be distributed monthly via email. Each field day will include both a lecture focused on discussing the homework material as well as hands-on activities pertaining to the subject matter.
Dates: Fridays, September 2022 - May 2023
Time: 10 AM - 2:30 PM
Location: Varies
Target Age Group: Middle School
Maximum Size: 12 students
The Field Course fee includes:
Instruction by a professional marine biologist
Materials
Supplies
Student curriculum (electronic format)
Entry fees for all parks, aquariums, and educational centers
Peanut Island shuttle fee
Kayak rental
The Field Course fee does not include fee for optional events including the fossil dig with Bone Valley Experience.
The Field Course fee includes:
Instruction by a professional marine biologist
Materials
Supplies
Student curriculum (electronic format)
Entry fees for all parks, aquariums, and educational centers
Peanut Island shuttle fee
Kayak rental
The Field Course fee does not include fee for optional events including the fossil dig with Bone Valley Experience.
SCHEDULE
1 | Coral Reefs
Friday, Sept. 30, 2022; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
This event includes a snorkel in the shallow waters of Peanut Island where we will view a coral restoration project monitored by The Reef Institute.*
2 | Rocky Shores
Friday, Oct. 21, 2022; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Coral Cove Park, Tequesta
This event includes touring one of the only natural rocky shore environments in South Florida and performing a biological assessment of marine life in the area. This is an excellent location for shelling as well.
Due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we will not meet during the months of November and December, 2022.
3 | Sandy Beaches
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Boynton Beach Inlet Park, Boynton Beach
This event includes performing a beach assessment on a sandy beach. Students will learn various techniques employed by marine biologists to qualify and quantify marine life in this ecosystem.
4 | Mangrove Mangals
Friday, Feb. 3, 2023; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Oleta River State Park, Miami
This event includes a kayak tour of the mangrove area in Oleta River State Park and Key Biscaye.
5 | Pelagic Ocean
Friday, Mar. 31, 2023; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale
This event includes a water quality monitoring event where students will collect and analyze samples from different locations and compare them to state standards to determine overall waterway health.
6 | Seagrass Beds
Friday, Apr. 21, 2023; 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Bill Baggs State Park, Key Biscayne
This event includes a snorkel in the seagrass beds in the waters adjacent to Key Biscayne. This is an excellent location to view a variety of marine animals including various fishes and invertebrate animals.*
*Snorkeling activities are based on tide and weather conditions. Conditions will be evaluated the week of the proposed activity to confirm that the class may proceed as planned.
Optional Activities
Dry Fossil Dig
Bone Valley Experience, Wauchula
Students will participate in a 6-hour dry fossil dig in Wauchula. At Bone Valley Experience, students can search for fossils in dredge material removed from the prehistoric seafloor. The material is from the area around a fossilized whale carcass. Fossils from the whale skeleton can be found as well as a variety of marine animals that frequented the area to feed. Found fossils at this site include a variety of shark teeth, Megalodon teeth, whale vertebrae, stingray barbs and tooth plates and pufferfish teeth. Students may keep any fossils they find.
Estimated Date: May 2023
Cost: To be determined. Due to inflation, Saltwater Studies is unable to provide you with a cost for this event. Registered students and their families will be provided with cost information in the Spring 2023.
DETAILS
Daily Schedule:
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Lecture & Lesson
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Lunch
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM Hands-On Activities
Materials:
Students will need their own snorkeling equipment, shelling bag, notebook and writing utensil as well as drinks, snacks and lunch.
Liability Waiver:
Each student must have a liability waiver completed by his or her parent or guardian to participate in the Field Course.
Instruction:
All instruction and activities will be led by Christa Jewett who has both a B.S. and M.S. in marine biology as well as nearly 20 years of experience in the marine science field and 18 years of experience in education.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I need to stay with my student?
No. Saltwater Studies’ middle and high school field courses are drop-off programs. You are welcome to stay for the field course if you would like but it is not required.
Can either I or siblings attend with my registered student?
Only registered students may attend the Field Course. A parent may attend the Field Course along with his or her registered student. If a parent elects to participate in the day’s hands-on activities (snorkeling, wading tour, aquarium tour etc.), he or she must pay any associated entrance fees charged by the location. A parent with unregistered children is welcome to enjoy the location’s amenities while registered students are in class. Half-Day Participation for Siblings: If a sibling of a registered student would like to participate along with a registered student in just the day’s hands-on activities, Saltwater Studies charges a $30 fee for the sibling’s participation. The sibling must also pay any entrance fees charged by the location and be accompanied by an adult.
What if I need to cancel? Will I receive a refund?
If unexpected circumstances require you to cancel your registration, a full refund will be provided for cancellations made until one week prior to the first class. A 50% refund will be provided for cancellations made within one week prior to the first class. No refunds will be provided for students who drop out after the first class.
Will my student receive a grade for the Field Course?
Saltwater Studies will be discussing homework assignments with the students during class time but will not be grading them. Parents are welcome to assign their student a grade based on their student’s completion of the homework assignments.