Welcome
History of ORCA & IRC Conservation Lands
Hammock Loop Stroll

-- Dr. Walter Tabachnick, Director, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL), University of Florida
-- Dr. Richard Baker, President, Pelican Island Audubon Society
-- Janice Broda, FMEL

Seagrasses - Primary Producers
Dike Hike to ORCA Observation Tower

-- Dr. Jorge Rey, Wetlands Ecologist, FMEL
-- Dr. Richard Baker & Janice Broda

Review:  Plant Communities of ORCA

When and where?
The Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL), University of Florida, is located in southern Indian River County on 9th Street SE (Oslo Road) east of US Highway 1.  Beginning on January 23, 2010, the FMEL will offer its 14th free volunteer training class, which provides a basis for understanding the interrelationships of the rich natural resources of Indian River County.   The class will continue on 6 consecutive Saturdays from 1:30 to 4:30pm and will begin the Boathouse of the FMEL.

Surrounding the FMEL is the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, a 440-acre nature preserve rich in diversity with hammocks, scrubby pine flatwoods, sand pine scrub, limited freshwater wetlands, mangrove forest, salt marsh, and seagrass meadows.  Classes will explore these communities in the field at ORCA and in the Boathouse classroom at the FMEL.

Plan to participate?
FMEL faculty and many other experts from the community freely share their scientific knowledge and enthusiasm, so this class is “free” to you.  We ask that you “give back” by sharing your knowledge as a volunteer at ORCA, another conservation area, a nature center, in a school classroom, as a Girl Scout or Boy Scout, or in some other way.

Since space is limited, we ask that you contact Janice Broda at jcbroda@comcast.net to reserve your spot.

Future plans! ..
Working in concert with the Pelican Island Audubon Society, the FMEL hopes to extend its volunteer training efforts to other County-owned conservation lands.  The assistance and encouragement of knowledgeable volunteers increasingly will be necessary for these conservation lands, some of which are not yet open to public access.  Please let us know if you have a special fondness for and interest in another conservation area.

January 23
Welcome to FMEL
Dr. Walter Tabachnick, Director of the FMEL, welcome the class with an overview of the fascinating research work performed at the FMEL.

History of ORCA & IRC Conservation Lands
The ORCA was the first conservation land purchased by Indian River County for preservation and public enjoyment.  Dr. Richard Baker, FMEL Professor Emeritus and PIAS President, will recount the how this purchase motivated increased community efforts to start a formal conservation land purchase program and the role that volunteers played – and will continue to play – in opening these conservation lands to public access.

Hammock Loop Stroll
Just steps from the ORCA parking lot and the adjacent shopping plaza is a quarter mile loop trail through a stunning moist oak hammock with fabulous fern beds and a rich mixture of temperate and tropical plants.  Begin to get to know some of the predominant plants of our County and the insects and animals that depend upon them with Janice Broda, FMEL staff and PIAS Advisory board member.

January 30
Adaptation:  Mangroves & Coastal Wetlands
Dr. Donna Devlin, a Florida Atlantic University Professor based at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, will orient you to the Indian River Lagoon and the mangroves that line its banks.  With her guidance, you will explore the many unique plant-insect and plant-animal relationships that the IRL fosters.

February 6
Seagrasses – Our Primary Producers
The shoreline along the ORCA is home to the finest seagrass meadows in our County.  FMEL Wetlands Ecologist Dr. Jorge Rey will show us seagrasses and their vital importance to the web of life in the Indian River Lagoon.  You will learn what you can do in your own your and life to protect this precious natural resource.

Dike Hike to ORCA Observation Tower
A fifteen-foot tall tower overlooks the coastal wetlands at ORCA.  Led by Richard Baker and Janice Broda, you will hike through hammock and scrubby pine flatwoods to this scenic overlook. 

February 13
Life in the Pits & Treetops
With FMEL Entomologist Dr. George O’Meara, you will investigate burrowing as an adaptation or what lives ‘in the pits’ – Great Atlantic land crabs, fiddler crabs, mosquitoes, fish, and more.  Up in the treetops, you discover what lives in tree holes and tank bromeliads (a.k.a. ponds in the sky).

February 20
Birds of ORCA: Different Habitats = Different Birds
The diverse habitats at ORCA are home to a variety of birds, resident and migratory.  Enjoy learning about the common birds of ORCA with Dr. Richard Baker from photographs and then (hopefully) sneak a peek at the great horned owl and eagle that have been nesting at ORCA each year.  

February 27
Review of the Plant Communities of ORCA
Plants are always present and allow you to identify the type of habit.  Review, with Janice Broda, the habitats of ORCA and the plants that occupy them.  Plan how you would like to participate as a volunteer.