2010 Habitat Report
NEWS RELEASE: Grant for native plants - Volunteers
We are pleased to announce that the Southeast chapter of the American Littoral Society is the recipient of a $5000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota, made possible through the Robert R. Harlan and Susan H. Lowy Harlan Fund.
The grant is for the purchase and nurture of native plants and trees for a variety of coastal restoration projects in Sarasota County. Our first goal is to restock our native plant nursery at Osprey Preserve.
We have an immediate need for volunteers for nursery work. This is at your convenience, both when and how long. Call John Sarkozy at 966-7308 for information.Home-grown Habitat:
It’s been about one
and a half years that our “new”
coastal native plant nursery has been
up and running. Since we are growing
from seeds that we collect, it has
taken awhile. We now have several
hundred plants ready (in 1 and
3 gallon sizes) to plant in one ofour habitat restoration/enhancement projects.
These are plants such as seagrape , live oak , gumbo limbo, coontie,
wild coffee, Florida privet, and
others. We have a small area of our
Palmer Point Park project that is waiting
to be planted. We are also looking
into planting a 2-3 acre spoil island
near Venice, which was overrun
by invasive Brazilian pepper.
If
you’d like to help with our
call John
Birthday
Party -2009
This
year marks the 200th anniversary
Charles Darwin‘s birth and the 150th year since the publication of
“On the Origin of Species”. Although
he wasn’t aware of mutations (Mendel’s work went unnoticed for many years),
he was fully aware of the work of animal breeders, the fossil record, and
changes brought about by geographic isolation.
His
main themes tied together life’s enormous diversity and core commonality. All life is connected by common ancestry .
Species undergo random variation which is either sustained or lost in the
struggle for existence and change evolves through natural selection.
The corollary to this, which has engendered considerable consternation in
ecclesiastical circles, is that the direction of change is random and
purposeless; ‘non-teleological’ in philosopher’s lingo.
From
this beginning, followed by the rules of genetics, the elucidation of DNA, and
the structure of the gene, a plethora of ideas and innovations have followed.
The field of
developmental biology- ‘evo-devo’, the evolution of developmental sequences-
is presently in an explosive growth phase and full of surprises. The conservation of body plans, nearly identical in a host of
organisms that appear unrelated externally, led researchers to believe this was
a universal attribute. But it is
not. Work in the 1990’s found
that, at the gene level, different mechanisms often lead to similar outcomes.
Belief that
evolution works strictly at the individual level is being challenged.
The notion of the ‘superorganism’ (eg.bees, ants, bacteria) and group
natural selection are making news.
Ideas
on how evolution should be incorporated into our view of life range from Dawkins
atheism (The God Delusion), the Dalai Lama’s acceptance and revision of
Buddhism to outright rejection and the creationism alternative.
Science
is young and much of it is hard to grasp without a rigorous education. Whether faith and reason can reconcile their differences is
something only the future can tell-if we humans have a future.
The Need for Active Volunteers
As an all-volunteer group, we have a continuing need for people to help on existing projects and events as well as starting up new ones. Some current activities are in jeopardy and some earlier activities have gone defunct because we don’t have the people to handle them . Take a look below and see what you think might interest you;
Restoration work - First Saturday of the month, half a day either removing exotics or planting or nursery work - Call John for information (941) 966-7308.
Picnic - Twice a year probably at Blackburn Point or you choose the place. Saturday. - Call Dave (941) 377-5459.
Exhibits - A few time a year; Earth Day for example - Prepare a new (simple)exhibit and get a core of volunteers to serve at the exhibit (usually outdoors). Call Dave (941) 377-5459.
Marine Conservation Guru - Attend meetings of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, SWFMD Environmental Advisory Committee, ECOSWF, Charlotte Harbor NEP etc . Follow what is happening what is happening on the marine scene. Call Dave (941) 377-5459.
Do you have an idea for an activity and are you willing to develop it? Call Dave at (941) 377-5459.
Think about finding a friend (or friends) to help you. It will make sustaining an effort much easier.
Look forward to hearing from you.