Local Projects

Help Restore Oyster Reefs

Oysters:  One Selfless Shellfish

The oyster restoration project is as unique and diverse as the estuary it works to restore.  The Indian River Lagoon is the most biologically diverse estuary in the continental United States with over 3,500 plant and animal species considering it home.  This treasure exists right here in our own back yards and needs our help!

Why oysters?! Oysters are filter feeders that improve water quality and clarity by filtering water –one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day! Oysters are also a food source and provide habitat for many species of fish, birds, and invertebrates, and oyster reefs stabilize and protect shorelines. But, oysters face a number of threats including overharvesting, habitat degradation, reduced water quality, disease, and boat wakes.

The Oyster Reef Restoration Project was started in 2005 by Dr. Linda Walters of the University of Central Florida and now includes Brevard Zoo and The Nature Conservancy as partners. The oyster mats—constructed from mesh and oyster shells—are placed in the Indian River Lagoon to provide a natural substrate for oyster larvae to settle. Results show that the oyster mat restoration technique as very successful - after one year in the water, an average of 79 new oysters settled on each mat!

This project is a community based restoration project, which means that without YOU we can’t help save our lagoon.  Thanks to approximately 25,000 volunteers since the project started, together with the project partners, we constructed more than 28,000 oyster restoration mats to restore 50 reefs in Mosquito Lagoon.

The project is recognized in schools, parks, and even in the lagoon by boaters as a community project that is working to save these selfless shellfish.  If the oyster population becomes stabilized, it will mean a cleaner, clearer, less eroded lagoon with an abundance of habitats for 149 species.  All of these goals are possible, with the help of community volunteers eager to help.  Come join our team! Consider one of the following two options:

1. Become a Brevard Zoo volunteer and help with the oyster project as well as assist in other areas of the Zoo ranging from administration to animal feeding.
2. Visit one of our local public events held at Brevard County Parks.  See Schedule.
3. Contact Project Coordinator Jody Palmer at JPalmer@BrevardZoo.org to learn more.

Oyster Schedule:

April                      

• April 4 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary
• April 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Erna Nixon Park
• April 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Riverwalk: A Family Park
• April 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Enchanted Forest Earth Day Festival
• April 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brevard Zoo

May                      

• May 2 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary
• May 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Goode Park for 4^th Annual Space Coast Waterfest on Turkey Creek
• May 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Erna Nixon Park
• May 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary for ‘Once Upon a Barrier Island’ Celebration
• May 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Riverwalk: A Family Park
• May 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brevard Zoo

June

• June 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary
• June 12  from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Erna Nixon Park
• June 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Riverwalk: A Family Park
• June 26 from 12 to 2 p.m. at Enchanted Forest 

July

• July 3 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary
• July 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Erna Nixon Park
• July 24  from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Riverwalk: A Family Park

August

• August 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Barrier Island Sanctuary
• August 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Erna Nixon Park
• August 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Riverwalk: A Family Park                

Please note, mat making workshops are free and open to the public. Workshops do not include Zoo admission if the event is held at Brevard Zoo.

If you are interested in booking a private event for your class or group, or for more information about this project, please contact Jody Palmer at Jpalmer@brevardzoo.org or call 321.254.9453 x 265.

For more information about Oyster Reef Restoration, please click here.

Restore and Protect Mangroves

 The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) recently reported that mangroves worldwide are being destroyed up to four times more quickly than other types of forests. Mangroves are more than just a plant. They not only protect our shorelines from erosion and storm surge, improve water quality and clarity, but also provide an essential habitat that supports many animals including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, most sport fish, and commercially-important marine species in Florida.

Brevard Zoo recently initiated a project to help restore local mangrove habitats in partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection’s Indian River Lagoon Shoreline Restoration Program. Mangrove seeds are collected locally; planted by Zoo guests and other Brevard residents including local schools; and cared for until the seedlings are ready to be planted along the Indian River Lagoon.
 

Indian River Lagoon Shoreline Restoration Workshops

Workshops are held from 6 - 7 p.m. in Brevard Zoo's Education Department with a field trip to the Indian River Lagoon exhibit in the Paws On area of the Zoo. Topics covered in the workshops include the history of the FDEP IRL Shoreline Restoration Project, the importance of mangroves and shoreline restoration, plant care, and how to get involved in more conservation projects. At the end of the workshop, participants will take home a plant to "foster".

2012 Workshop Schedule:

• October 4
• October 6
• November 14
• November 17

For more information or to attend a workshop please email Amy Reaume at areaume@brevardzoo.org.

Save the Florida Scrub-Jay

 Development of scrub habitat has caused a sharp decline in the Florida Scrub-Jay populations. Brevard Zoo continues to monitor local populations and is working with local scientists to move family units of jays in areas of decline to managed conservation lands in Brevard County.

The Florida Scrub-Jay is a unique bird dependant on xeric oak scrub and scrubby pine flatwoods that lives only in Florida. This species is one of the few cooperative breeding birds in the United States, whereby offspring remain with parents to act as “helpers.”

For more information on this project please contact Tracy Frampton at tframpton@brevardzoo.org or call 321.254.9453 x 323.

FrogWatch

FrogWatch USA is the Association of Zoos Aquariums' flagship citizen science program that allows individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads. FrogWatch USA volunteers will be trained to identify local frog and toad species by their calls during the breeding season and how to report their findings accurately. Brevard Zoo launched FrogWatch in February 2011.

Each training session will include a background on citizen science programs, the history of FrogWatch USA, wetland information, amphibian biology, and monitoring protocol. The training session will also go over Central Florida frog and toad calls, and will include take-home material, including an audio C.D.

Please don't plan on being a frog and toad call expert after this 4-hour training course, as the training will cover quite a bit of information! The idea is to go over frog and toad calls in the training session and to review more at home.

2012 FrogWatch USA Dates

Join us from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Zoo on the following dates:

• February 8
• February 11
• April 11 - We are excited to host two guest speakers at this training session!
  

  Rachel Gauza is the FrogWatch USA National Coordinator from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ headquarters in Maryland. Rachel will bring along a special guest - amphibian ambassador, Kermit the Frog! This will be Kermit’s first visit to the Space Coast since his mission on the Space Shuttle Endeavor on March 11, 2008. We are excited to welcome him back!

  Our second guest speaker for the evening is Nicolette Zahner, a graduate student from Florida Institute of Technology. Nicolette’s field of study is ecology and conservation biology, with a focus on wetland ecology and amphibian biodiversity. Nicolette is working on WhatFrog, an application for smart phones. In addition, Nicolette is resurveying wetlands that were monitored in 1998 to assess the mitigated wetlands’ and near-natural wetlands’ diversity. She will then compare the data to 1998, to determine how mitigated wetlands respond over time.

• April 14
• May 23
• June 20
• July 25
• August 22
• August 25

Please note, participants must be at least 7 years old, and children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information on this project or to attend a training session please contact Amy Reaume at areaume@brevardzoo.org or call 321.254.9453 x 265.

A Future for Florida Butterflies

 Florida’s butterflies are responding to the same kinds of environmental problems that have been responsible for the decline of such species as the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee. The chief threat to most wildlife in much of Florida is the area’s expansion of urban areas to accommodate a skyrocketing human population and the inevitable loss of habitat.

The Zoo is working with the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network (FBMN) and a number of Florida partners to create a future where man, butterflies, and development can all exist together. Citizen scientists all over Brevard County and throughout Florida are monitoring butterfly populations year round. If we become aware of the needs of our wildlife today, we can still save many species for tomorrow.

For more information on this project or to get involved please contact Tracy Frampton at tframpton@brevardzoo.org or call 321.254.9453 x 323.

Protect the Perdido Key Beach Mouse

 This critically-endangered Beach Mouse is native to Perdido Key in Florida’s panhandle. Beach mice help stabilize dunes by creating tunnels for aeration and acting as seed dispersers. This mouse is in danger from development, feral cats, and a devastating hurricane in 2004 named Ivan.

Brevard Zoo and partners have released captive born mice into the wild where they have successfully reproduced and reared young. Brevard Zoo is supporting this important species by maintaining a captive population and working with state and federal agencies to stabilize the wild population.

For more information on this project please contact Tracy Frampton at tframpton@brevardzoo.org or call 321.254.9453 x 323.