Archives
Monofilament is a single strand of thin, durable plastic that is commonly used as fishing line. It is designed to be nearly unbreakable and invisible underwater. Like any other plastic, it takes hundreds of years to decompose. As such, it often accumulates and can wrap around boat propellers, pier pilings, and other structures in the water. Monofilament is sometimes ingested and can cause entanglement for many marine animals, and sea turtles are… Read More
I’d like to introduce our Fall 2017 Conservation Intern, Vanessa Morris. A native of Swainsboro, GA, Vanessa recently graduated from Armstrong State University in Savannah, and has been working with LMC since January. Her main project this semester is managing all monofilament recycling bins in Palm Beach County. She coordinates with volunteers checking the bins, empties the line when the bins are full, cleans and recycles the line, and repairs broken bins when necessary…. Read More
The first two Saturdays of every month, LMC’s Juno Beach Pier staff leads Kid’s Fishing Programs to teach young anglers responsible fishing practices. During their lessons, the students learn basics such as the various types of fishing rods, how to tie knots, how to bait their hooks, and how to cast from the pier. Especially important for us, are the conservation measures instilled. After a brief lesson in the classroom, we walk… Read More
On Halloween day, we traveled north to Cocoa Beach to bring the Responsible Pier Initiative to its newest location. We had been working with our partners at the Brevard Zoo to organize a workshop for staff from the Sea Turtle Healing Center, the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, the Florida Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary, and the Cocoa Beach Pier and everything finally aligned on October 31. The RPI has been steadily growing since… Read More
On November 18 and 19, the center’s Outreach Coordinator, Demi Fox, attended the Second International Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Symposium in Brownsville, Texas. The symposium, convened for the first time since 1985, was scheduled one year earlier than planned due to growing concern for the species. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were saved from near extinction largely due to a bi-national agreement between Mexico and the United States made in 1984. Their population… Read More
Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) received a grant from Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and The Coca-Cola Foundation that allowed us to place recycling bins at the Juno Beach Pier, as well as on the LMC campus. In its ninth year, the Coca-Cola/KAB Recycling Bin Grant Program is providing nearly 4,500 recycling bins to colleges and universities, nonprofits and local governments, with more than 65 percent of the total designed specifically for permanent, ongoing… Read More
One of the most important components of our Responsible Pier Initiative is the educational workshops that we provide first-responders at participating piers. Over the next few days LMC team members, Kerri and Demi, will be on the road conducting regional workshops across the state of Florida and blogging about their adventures. Kerri is the center’s education manager and has been part of the LMC family since October 2013. She joined our team… Read More
In 2013, we saw much success in collaborating with recreational fishermen through LMC’s Responsible Pier Initiative. This year we plan to expand our reach to recreational boaters through the launch of the Responsible Boater Initiative. The Responsible Boater Initiative is a program geared towards recreational boaters in South Florida to promote clean, safe boating, fishing and diving practices as it relates to threatened and endangered sea turtles. The initiative will include a… Read More
There’s a good chance that you’ve already heard about one of the recent arrivals at LMC’s sea turtle hospital, Meghan, an olive ridley sea turtle. The turtle is receiving tremendous attention as it’s not typically found in the waters off Florida. It’s primarily found in the warm, sub-tropical and tropical waters of the South Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. In the South Atlantic, they are found along the Atlantic coasts of West… Read More
Conservation 