Our Programs- Van Trips

Beach Studies

Nature Hike

Island Studies

OUR PROGRAMS - VAN TRIPS
CORAL ECOLOGY - NEARSHORE ECOLOGY - COASTAL ECOLOGY
MARINE INVESTIGATIONS - EVENING PROGRAMS

TRIPS WITH YOUR VAN-
HIKING, SNORKELING AND WADING IN THE KEYS- DAYTIME OPTIONS WITH YOUR TRANSPORTATION

Island Survey
Groups that bring a van have the opportunity to see many of the unique ecological features of Big Pine Key. Stops may include Watson's Hammock (tropical hardwood hammock), the Cactus Hammock, the Blue Hole (freshwater hole with alligators), Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, pine/palmetto woodlands and freshwater sloughs.

Sandy Beach Ecology
Bahia Honda State Park, five miles east of Big Pine Key, has one of the few sandy beaches in the Keys. Here students can snorkel, tidepool, and study beach and dune vegetation. Older students can conduct a beach transect and construct a beach profile.

Porites Shoal
Looe Key may be glamorous, but it is seven miles offshore. Just off US Highway One are shoals of non-reef-building coral that are equally as interesting. By snorkeling over the finger coral Porites, students have a chance to observe many species of fish.

Intertidal Ecology
At low tide, several areas around Big Pine Key are perfect sites for tidepooling. Chitons, limpets, nerites, urchins and sea hares abound in the limestone pools. Stresses of life in this harsh environment are discussed. Students also learn about geological features of the Keys.

Freshwater Resources Of Big Pine Key
The unique geology of Big Pine Key permits the retention of rainwater underground. This trip highlights the habitats that depend on this freshwater such as pinelands, sloughs and the alligator hole. The pipeline which supplies potable water to the Keys is studied as well.