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No Child Left On Shore

 

Earlier this summer, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) and Captiva Cruises hosted 24 middle-schoolers from The Immokalee Foundation as part of their long-time No Child Left On Shore initiative.

The environmental education outreach program provides Southwest Florida youths with an informative and fun way to gain experiential knowledge about the ecology of the region’s marine environment.

Accompanied by foundation staff and SCCF environmental educator Richard Finkel, the youths hopped aboard Captiva Cruises’ vessel The Santiva for a day of dolphin and seabird sightings and a visit to Cayo Costa State Park.

The students observed life along the surf zone such as coquina clams and mole crabs, measured water salinity using a refractometer, examined water clarity with a secchi disc, and enjoyed a trawl activity.

According to the middle-schoolers, they discovered how:

– Pelicans use pockets of air directly above the water to glide, expending less energy in the process.

– The Pine Island Sound and back bay waters serve as an estuary, a nursery for marine life.

– Baby dolphins have a thin layer of hair just like humans.

– Every shell once had a living organism inside.

– Despite being “evergreen,” mangrove trees drop thousands of pounds of leaves each year and serve as a base of a vast productive food web.

– Barrier islands like Sanibel, Captiva and Cayo Costa are critical to protecting the mainland.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for our students to continue learning about the environmental sciences in our area, and we hope that they’ll carry this experience forward with them into their education and potential future careers,” Michael Gutierrez, healthcare pathway coordinator at The Immokalee Foundation, said. “We’re grateful to have been part of this program.”

Student Abigail Salazar said her favorite part was learning about seaweed and mangroves, while also getting to spend time with her friends.

“This trip gave us a chance to learn about new things and opportunities that we didn’t know about,” she said.

The No Child Left On Shore initiative was founded in 2010 by Captiva Cruises, Finkel and Paul McCarthy, the former owner of Captiva Cruises, as a collaborative effort with the SCCF.

The Immokalee Foundation was the first participant of the program in 2010.

“We hope to continue inspiring local youth to form a deeper connection to their coastal surroundings and to spark their curiosity,” Finkel said. “Everyone deserves that chance.”

For more information about the No Child Left On Shore initiative or to sponsor a field trip for local youths, contact Finkel at Captiva Cruises at [email protected] or 239-472-5300.

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