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Rare Turtle Brought to Mote for Rehab...
...and is Released!
Photos by Mote Marine Laboratory
January
2010 started out with an unexpected surprise when one of the world's
most endangered sea turtle species washed ashore in Southwest Florida
and was brought to Mote for rehab. This rare turtle, nicknamed Lizzy,
is a leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). She arrived on Jan. 5 and was quickly returned to sea on Jan. 7.
Learn
more about why her stay at Mote was so short, the special way this
species needed to be cared for and how — with help from Tampa Fire
Rescue — she was released 23.5 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico in 66
feet of water.
Protect Our Reefs Photo Contest Closes
The
Protect Our Reefs Photo Contest has now closed, but you can check out
the weekly semi-finalists that are in the running for the Grand Prize.
Look in the Photo Contest Photo Album on the Protect Our Reefs Facebook
Page. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced February 1, 2010.
To view photo contest submissions and weekly winners, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Our-Reefs/195425750077 and click on "photos."
Behind the Science Programs
You
can discover the animals and ecosystems that fascinate Mote scientists
and learn more about what marine biologists study in Behind the
Science, a program for ages 6 and older. Join us each Saturday this
month from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium,
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. 
On
Jan. 16 and 30, you can enjoy our session called "Exploring the Bay."
You'll learn about the marine animals and plants that thrive in
Florida's coastal waters as you wade in to collect critters with dip
nets and seine nets. On Jan. 23, join us for a kayak trip and discover
the marine life of Sarasota Bay. All kayaking equipment is provided and
class begins with basic kayaking instruction.
Participants must
wear closed-toes, closed-heel water shoes and come ready to get wet!
Pre-registration is required. For price information, full descriptions
and registration forms, please visit www.mote.org/behindthescience or
contact Amy Fleischer at 941-388-4441, ext. 514 or amy@mote.org.
More Behind the Science Programs:
Behind the Science takes place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and
Thursdays in February, March and April and from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
each Saturday in February, March and April.
Happy Hour: Special Visitor Discounts in January
Spend
less but explore more by visiting Mote Aquarium for half price during
Happy Hour, from 3-5 p.m. daily throughout January. Tickets are $8 for
adults and seniors ages 65 and older, $6 for children ages 4-12.
Admission is always free for children 3 and younger and for Mote
Members. 
Please note:
Special Happy Hour pricing is not valid with any other offer or
discount and excludes group rates and special events. The Happy Hour
promotion is valid 3-5 p.m. daily Jan. 1-31, 2010. Mote Aquarium is
open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 365 days a year, including New Year's Day.
Regular ticket prices are $17 for adults and $12 for children ages
4-12. Admission for Mote Members and children age 3 and younger is
always free. Mote Aquarium is located at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway,
Sarasota. For more information, visit www.mote.org, call 941-388-4441 or e-mail info@mote.org.
Books with Bites
The
Arthur Vining Davis Library at Mote has been providing resources,
reference and research for 30 years. Its collection is maintained for
the support of marine research and education and is open to the public
by appointment. You can help support this important research resource
during "Books with Bites," a fundraiser hosted by Friends of the Mote
Library.
Mingle
with scientists and popular authors of fiction and nonfiction, get your
books signed and hear talks on the art of writing. This year, you can
also meet Mote founding director Dr. Eugenie Clark and check out the
newest edition of her book "The Lady and the Sharks." The updated book
is being reprinted to celebrate Mote's 55th Anniversary and Genie's
88th birthday. Other featured writers include James Swain, author of
"The Night Monster"; Dr. Pat Gussin, author of "The Test"; Karen Rose,
author of "I Can See You" and "Kill for Me"; and Leslie Glass, author
of the April Woo series. Tickets include hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
What: Books with Bites featuring Dr. Eugenie Clark and the new edition of "The Lady and the Sharks."
When: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.
Where: The New Pass Room of the Keating Marine Education Center, 1599 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota.
Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the door. To pre-purchase tickets, e-mail libraryfriends@mote.org, call 941-923-6399 or visit the Arthur Vining Davis at Mote Marine Laboratory.
Meet the Mote Family: Sue Stover, Library Director
As director of
Mote's research library, Sue Stover is an integral part of the Lab,
helping staff and the public research topics, doing literature searches
and helping to find and borrow resources found at other institutions.
Sue also collects, catalogues and archives all Mote staff publications
— more than 1,300 "Mote Technical Reports" produced since the mid-1970s
and 845 peer-reviewed articles compiled in the "Collected Papers from
Mote Marine Laboratory" - and oversees the preservation of several
special collections the Library holds, including the Perry Gilbert and
Eugenie Clark collections. (Find these collections online at https://dspace.mote.org/dspace/)
Photo by Mote Marine Laboratory
Sue Stover (pictured above, center).
Hometown: Punxsutawney, PA
Length of time at Mote: 13 years
What do you like most about your job:
Assisting and interacting with staff and the public; meeting and
networking with marine science librarians throughout the world;
learning new information about the aquatic environment and - of course,
the autonomy and creativity of the job.
What do you think people would find most surprising about your job:
Librarians are partners in the scientific process — we organize
resources and help researchers define and obtain the information they
need to do their work. I belong to a group of information professionals
working in marine labs, universities and government agencies around the
world. The organization is called the International Association of
Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (www.iamslic.org)
and it meets once a year. The networking within the group is important
for librarians as professionals, but it's also valuable to our
scientists: Science is multinational and multidisciplinary and
information knows no bounds.
Something people might not know about you:
I'm a Registered Nurse and I keep my nursing license current through
continuing education classes. I enjoy bicycling, kayaking and dancing.
My husband and I belong to a dance group called Two Steps West (twostepswest.com). I've also met Punxsutawney Phil, who lives at the the Punxsutawney Memorial Library.
Your favorite movie: Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, 1957
Your favorite quote:
From a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon: "Sure he was great, but don't
forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards... and in
high heels."
Coming Up in February
Free Public Forum on Red Tide
In
2008, the state created a special grants program to pay for projects
that would study ways to control and lessen the affects of Florida's
red tide. Called the "Red Tide Control and Mitigation Project," the
competitive grants program funded 12 research studies. The Project
disbursed approximately $850,000 to explore environmentally acceptable
techniques or technologies for potential control or mitigation of red
tide blooms and their effects in Florida. On Feb. 10, grant recipients,
stakeholders and other experts will gather to present an overview of
these grant-funded projects and provide information about the current
state of control and mitigation strategies to the public. The free
public forum will include a question and answer session.
What: Free public forum on red tide control and mitigation grants.
When: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010.
Where: Keating Marine Education Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1599 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, Fla.
Sponsors: The forum is
sponsored by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Mote, Solutions to Avoid
Red Tide (START) and the Marine Policy Institute at Mote Marine
Laboratory.
For Mote Members Only
The next issue of Mote Magazine is in the mail now and should arrive in Members' mailboxes soon. Mote Magazine covers the stories of sea science at Mote and is sent as a special Member benefit.
This issue's cover story is about Mote's coral nursery in the Florida Keys. Interested in becoming a Mote Member? Click here to join us now.
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Mote Begins Anniversary Celebration
Mote
Marine Laboratory staff, volunteers and supporters gathered recently to
launch Mote's 55th Anniversary Year and celebrate all that Mote has
learned since it opened its doors in 1955. The celebration also marked
the start of a year-long series of special events and programs that
will highlight a different Mote theme each month. More than 150 guests
attended a special reception that focused on Mote's history.
The schedule
of special events marking this anniversary includes a fashion show in
February and a juried ocean-themed art show in March.
Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Arrive at Mote
Photo by Mote Marine Laboratory
A cold-stunned loggerhead sea turtle brought to Mote from Bradenton by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch.
Just
as Mote released Lizzy the leatherback sea turtle, the hospital began
receiving sea turtles stunned by record-low water temperatures.
The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been
working to coordinate the mass rescue of cold-stunned sea turtles. More
than 2,000 sea turtles have been rescued to date.
Photo by Joy Hill/FWC
This picture shows cold-stunned sea turtles that were taken to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for triage.
Sea
turtles, which are reptiles, become lethargic and their internal organs
and bodily functions can shut down when water temperatures drop low
enough.
Several of the turtles Mote is treating are cold-stunned
sea turtles that are also afflicted with fibropapilloma (tumors), a
health problem that is separate from the issues turtles face when they
are cold stunned. The papilloma turtles that are cold stunned are
typically sicker and more difficult to treat. Mote is one of only a few
facilities in Florida that treats turtles with these tumors.
Mote
resources (as well as those of agencies and groups statewide) are
stretching to care for turtles during this mass stranding. Among the
items Mote needs:
- Kiddie pools, or containers that are similarly sized and can hold water such as cattle waterers
- Closed-cell foam padding (this is a high priority item and is usually available from boat fabricators)
- Spray bottles
- Clean towels and blankets in good condition
- Tarps
- Spring clamps (either all metal or plastic)
- Latex gloves
- Monetary donations to pay for food, medical supplies and satellite tags.
Click here to make a donation now or call Stacy Alexander at 941-388-4441, ext. 509, to donate an item listed above. For future updates on the turtles, go to www.mote.org/news.
Fore… Mote Aquarium
Registration
is open for the first Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium Golf
Tournament at the private TPC Prestancia. The golf scramble, being
organized by Mote’s Advisory Council, is slated for Friday, Jan. 29,
2010. Tee time is 12:30 p.m. with cocktails at 5 p.m. and dinner at 8
p.m. The course is located at 4409 TPC Drive, Sarasota, Fla. Proceeds
from the event will support an educational exhibit of live mangroves in
Mote Aquarium.
Entry Fee:
- $125 per player
- $500 per foursome
- Sponsorships are Available:
- $750 — Gold Tee Sponsorship and Foursome
- $100 — Tee Sponsorship
- $250 — Gold Sponsorship
RSVP to Tournament Chairman Rande Ridenour at rriden@aol.com or call Barbara Meyer at 941-388-4441, ext. 309.
Click here for a PDF about the event.
Click here for info about TPC Prestancia.
Special Lecture Series
Dr. Randy Wells, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
Dr.
Randy Wells, manager of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program at Mote,
will be the first speaker during the 2010 Special Lecture Series. If
you’ve been wanting to get to know the dolphins of Sarasota Bay better
now's your chance.
Wells — whose program will celebrate its 40th
anniversary later this year — oversees the world's longest running
study of a wild dolphin population. Interestingly enough, he was a
16-year-old volunteer intern at Mote when the program began in 1970.
Wells is just one of the fascinating speakers during the Special Lecture Series. See the full lineup at www.mote.org/lecture.
The Details
When: Lectures take place at 7:30 p.m. each Monday, beginning with Wells' on Feb. 8 and running through March 15.
Where: Mote’s Immersion Cinema, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota.
Mote Member Cost: $10 per lecture
Non-Member Cost: $25 per lecture
Get Tickets: On sale online soon at www.mote.org/lecture.
January News to Use
Sarasota Bay Watch Stakeholders' Meeting set for Tuesday
Sarasota
Bay Watch is holding its inaugural stakeholders' meeting for members,
volunteers, partners and the general public on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Presentations will focus on the state of the Sarasota Bay ecosystem,
including current restoration programs and new options for shoreline
homeowners. The event will include question and answer time with
panelists.
What: Sarasota Bay Watch Stakeholders' Meeting
When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. (Reception begins at 6 p.m. with meeting start time at 6:30 p.m.)
Where: New Pass Room, Keating Marine Education Center at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, 1599 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota.
Admission: FREE.
Reservations: REQUIRED. Call 941-953-5333.
Participants:
Include Sarasota Bay Watch, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Manatee and
Sarasota counties, Reef Ball Foundation, Ocean Restoration Corp.
January News to Use
Ironwood Show and Sale
If
you marvel at the graceful forms of sharks and other sea creatures,
just wait ‘til you see them in ironwood and mahogany. At Mote's
Sculpted Wood Show and Sale, you can browse and buy sea-themed wooden
artworks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 29, 30 and 31, in the Jean P.
Hendry Conference Room at Mote's Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal
Research and Rehabilitation Center, 1703 Ken Thompson Parkway,
Sarasota. Marine life sculptures are hand-crafted from ironwood — the
second heaviest and densest wood native to the United States and Mexico
that is known for its beautiful grain. There will also be sculptures
made from chinaberry (jempinis) and mahogany from Indonesia. Sculpture
prices will range from $14.99 to $1,000. Proceeds support Mote and the
show is a free event.
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