Mote Insider

Scientists at Mote and other organizations are transplanting up to 10,000 nursery-grown staghorn and elkhorn corals to degraded reefs in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the largest marine restoration project of its kind. Experts hope that the transplanted young corals will thrive and reproduce, helping to recover populations of these two threatened species.

NOAA-funded scientists with Mote, The Nature Conservancy and partner organizations began growing staghorn and elkhorn corals at eight underwater nurseries located from Ft. Lauderdale south through the Florida Keys and U.S. Virgin Islands in 2009. The project initially aimed to grow 12,000 coral colonies, but instead raised 30,000 of the fast-growing branching corals. Up to 10,000 of these staghorn and elkhorn colonies, ranging from the size of tennis balls to soccer balls, are scheduled to be transplanted before the end of 2012.

• Read the full story.
• Purchase a Protect Our Reefs license plate and help support Mote coral research and restoration programs.

Mote Volunteer Wins National Tourism Week Award
Mote volunteer Nigel Mould was honored with a 2012 National Tourism Week Award on May 10.From Left: Lisa Kinsella, Director of Mote’s Center for Volunteer and Intern Resources, Nigel Mould, wife Nathalie Mould and Stacy Alexander, Mote Corporate Relations and Promotions Director. Photo by Robert Pope.

VISIT SARASOTA COUNTY, formerly known as The Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, announced the recipients of its 2012 National Tourism Week Awards on May 10. One winner is a Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium volunteer.

Nigel Mould, current volunteer and Past President of the Volunteer Board at Mote, received an award for Guest Service Excellence during the ceremony at Westfield Southgate Mall in Sarasota. Mould has aided in Mote research, provided excellent outreach and education as a member of Mote’s Speakers Bureau and as a Mote Aquarium guide, served as a leader among Mote’s volunteers and helped raise funds for the nonprofit Lab.

All National Tourism Week Award nominees were nominated by their peers and winners were voted on by a selection panel of members in the hospitality industry.

2012 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins

Sea turtle nesting season began slightly early in Mote Marine Laboratory’s patrol area — the first loggerhead sea turtle nest was confirmed on Wednesday, April 25 in Venice. The official season runs from May 1 – Oct. 31.

“Sea turtles don’t know when May 1 is — but they know the water temperature is warm and that’s one of the signals they use to know when it’s time to start mating and nesting,” said Kristen Mazzarella, senior biologist and volunteer coordinator for Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol. This season marks the 31st year that Mote Marine Laboratory has coordinated sea turtle conservation on local beaches.

Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol — a group of Mote scientists, interns and more than 300 volunteers — monitor nesting activity each day of the season on 35 miles of Sarasota County beaches. Mote scientists also tag nesting sea turtles for identification and use state-of-the-art satellite tracking systems to follow the turtles as they swim hundreds of miles in the sea.

• Click here to follow nesting numbers from week to week and to review some tips for keeping beaches safe for nesting turtles.

More Sea Turtle News…

New Turtle Mural in Mote Aquarium: Two students from the Ringling College of Art and Design recently hung a mural showing the life cycle of a loggerhead sea turtle as part of the second phase redesign of the Mote Aquarium exhibit Sea Turtles: Ancient Survivors in Mote’s Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center. This phase of the exhibit redesign is focusing on upgrading educational signage showcasing conservation issues related to sea turtles, as well as Mote’s Sea Turtle Hatchling Hospital. The exhibit also showcases how nests are monitored by Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol.

The redesign is being funded by a grant from the Sea Turtle Grants Program, which is supported from proceeds from the sale of the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate. (Learn more at www.helpingseaturtles.org.)

Students Dillon Endico, 21, and Matthew Decker, 21, did the mural as a volunteer project. “I grew up around the reefs in Key Largo and would see turtles there all the time,” says Dillon. “I’m very passionate about the environment and protecting it and about sustainability and this sounded like a pretty cool project.”

Matthew, who spent his high school years in St. Pete after moving to Florida from New Jersey, said he and Endico spent several weeks completing the mural after speaking with exhibit coordinator Holly West, who has been spearheading the exhibit redesign. “We talked to Holly a lot about what she wanted to show and then Dillon and I mapped out the concept,” Decker said. “Over the last couple of years, I’ve become more passionate about conservation and I hope to work on more projects like this in the future.”

Book Signing Benefits Turtle Hospital: Bestselling Author Mary Alice Monroe will sign copies of her new novel “Beach House Memories” during a special event hosted by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Circle Books, 478 John Ringling Blvd. on St. Armands Circle. Purchase of the book includes the book signing, light refreshments and the opportunity to hear Monroe speak about her passion for sea turtles beginning at 5:30 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds will support Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, which has treated more than 398 endangered and threatened sea turtles since 1995.”Beach House Memories” is the prequel to Monroe’s New York Times bestsellers “The Beach House” and “Swimming Lessons.” Monroe, who volunteers in sea turtle conservation efforts on Isle of Palms, S.C., is currently on a book tour that includes selected signing events designated as fundraisers benefiting local sea turtle hospitals.

• Click here for more info.

Mote Summer Camps are Filling Up Fast: Register Your Campers Now!

Mote offers a variety of camps for kids of all ages and interests… and there’s a even an exciting new offering for adults coming up as well.

• Click here for camp details, pricing and registration forms. Preregistration is required for all camps.

Have Your Next Celebration at Mote Aquarium 

Each year, millions of visitors travel to Sarasota to enjoy its beautiful beaches and exotic and fascinating marine life.At Mote Aquarium, we showcase the best that the region has to offer in several unique settings perfect for your wedding or other special event — venues that don’t require you to get wet to have a great time!

Mote Aquarium is one of Sarasota’s premier attractions, hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our venues offer you and your guests a departure from the ordinary with spectacular animal exhibits and breathtaking views.

Our waterfront location showcases everything that is special about Sarasota and her islands.

• Click here or on the cover of our new brochure above  to review our venue rental options.

Brown Bags to Beggar

Bad eating habits and poor nutrition are an issue with America’s youth… and Sarasota Bay dolphins? 

Join us from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday June 7as we explore nutrition in humans and dolphins during the next Science Café sponsored by Mote Marine Laboratory. Mote Science Café’s are informal, community discussions that give everyone the chance to participate.

The Café will feature Dr. Katie McHugh, a researcher with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, a partnership of the Chicago Zoological Society and Mote, and Adriel Zahniser, a registered dietitian working for Sarasota County Schools as a nutrition educator and chef.

The Dolphin Research Program conducts the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population and, through her research, McHugh has documented numerous human interactions of a dolphin nicknamed “Beggar.” Beggar is notorious for his unhealthy and dangerous relationship with humans who illegally feed him. Zahniser teaches area youth about healthy eating habits and nutrition.

• Join us for the next Science Café and a conversation about healthy eating habits from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 7 at the Half Shell Oyster House, 1991 Main St., Sarasota.Come early to get a good seat — doors open at 5:30 p.m.
• Please RSVP to Mote at 941-388-4441, ext. 172.
• Food and drink specials available.