Exploring Florida's Ecosystems

In the tranquil setting of the salt marsh at Kingsley Plantation, with a breeze off the water and only birds to interrupt the quiet, 15 university students gathered among the wetland grasses to learn more about the environment. It was day two of a unique five-week outdoor class — the Florida Institute of Oceanography Marine Field Course — which immerses undergraduate students in Florida’s ecosystems. The course is a partnership of five coastal schools within the Florida State University System developed to expand marine and ocean experiences for students early in their academic careers. There are students from each school in the course, and all five universities host the class for one week.

The Week in North Florida 
In mid-May, UNF hosted the first session of this year’s class. Led by Dr. Kelly Smith, associate professor of biology, students began their studies at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, better known as the GTM Research Reserve. Smith said she designed the week at various locations to look at different temporal scales. “The first day was diel or 24-hour patterns, looking at changes over the day in an estuarine environment,” Smith said. “On the second day near Kingsley Plantation, students explored long-scale change, looking at decades of change and how we might study that.” 

As the group watched, ecologist William Vervacke demonstrated equipment used to measure changes in sea level in the wetlands. He explained that rods are permanently placed in various locations and reinforced with concrete to establish a reliable benchmark elevation. From there, scientists check the levels at frequent intervals. Vervacke said the equipment can precisely measure elevation change within two millimeters. “That’s how we measure sea level rise,” he said. “If the marsh is losing even two millimeters per year, that marsh is going to drown.” 

The next day, Smith and her students were set to travel by boat with Dr. James Gelsleichter, associate professor and director of UNF’s coastal and marine biology program, to look at tidal pattern changes through shark observations. On day four, they would travel to various beach locations to look at a “spatial scale” of human impact, followed by a day to discuss the events and learning of the week. 

“This type of course is something I dreamed about as a student, and it is so exciting to be part of the team that makes it happen,” Smith said. “Not only do students get immersed in marine science, they learn to shape their academic paths and skills to achieve the careers they seek.” She hopes this course will continue to develop and build upon the collaboration already underway with community partners such as the staff at the GTM Research Reserve and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, who provide crucial assistance. In addition, the generous donation of a pontoon boat by the Webb family made it possible for students to work with Gelsleichter and his team, as he surveyed juvenile sharks in the Tolomato River, Smith said. 

At the end of the week, students had a chance to talk about their experiences. UNF junior Gabbie Nelson enrolled in the class because she was eager to get field experience. “I enjoy being in the field,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to actually be doing what you’ve heard about for years in class.” She especially enjoyed the day on the boat tagging sharks, the high point of the week for her. 

UNF sophomore Karen Asplund was also looking for hands-on experience, especially after two semesters of online coursework. “The sharks were the most exciting thing for me,” she said. “I got to see the instruments the researchers use and how they record their measurements.” She also enjoyed the opportunity to collect water samples from the pontoon boat.

The Next Stops
After the week in North Florida, students traveled to the Florida Keys Marine Laboratory, as guests of Florida Atlantic University, and next to explorations hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University, University of South Florida and University of West Florida. 

Traveling with the group to all the locations as teaching assistant was Hannah Schwaiger, who took the class in 2018 as an undergrad at the University of South Florida. She is now a graduate student at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, and said she was happy to be reliving the experience. “You learn a lot in this course, and it also gives you the opportunity to get experience in many different kinds of field work as an undergraduate student, which may help you to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your career,” Schwaiger said. She also made important connections during the class that eventually led to her getting a graduate position. 

In addition to hands-on learning and networking, students also learned a few real-life truths not necessarily part of the North Florida course curriculum. As they walked in the salt marsh at Kingsley Plantation, they found a hat and other signs of human contamination. 

“Boaters lose their hats, and I find them,” Smith said. “I used to have 30-40 smelly marsh hats. I gave up my collection, but it’s always entertaining to see what you can find on the marsh. I have found baseball mitts, baseballs, softballs, basketballs, soccer balls and even children’s toys of many types. Anything that floats and drifts, you can find it here.”