Abstracts and Summaries of Talks
Bob Barry
Palm Beach Community College
Palm Beach Community College's Institute of Environmental Studies
PBCC has taken a holistic approach to environmental training by developing a Program that offers students one-on-one interactions in lecture, lab and field settings.
Our classroom instruction is supported by an extremely strong student environmental society, an opportunity for international study in the tropics, internships with local environmental agencies/businesses and a wetlands restoration project underway on our campus.
Students may receive an A.S. degree in Environmental Science Technology with concentration in one of the following tracks: (1) hydrology, (2) site assessment, or (3) conservation ecology.
Michael Renda
Restoration Biologist
The Nature Conservancy, Blowing Rocks Preserve
574 South Beach Road, Hobe Sound, Fl 33455
(561)744-6668.
Coastal restoration, monitoring and management at Blowing Rocks Preserve.
Blowing Rocks Preserve, located on Jupiter Island in Martin County, is a 73-acre coastal preserve owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy since 1968. The preserve has over a mile of shoreline along the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean. A rare, nearshore sabellarid worm reef and associated fauna occur on the submerged rocks along much of the ocean shoreline. This reef system, extending from Cape Canaveral to Biscayne Bay, has been understudied and is currently impacted by several human-created disturbances throughout its’ range. Three species of sea turtles heavily nest on the preserve’s beach. The dune is also the location for several rare plants (Ernodea, Glandularia, Limonium, Okenia, Polygala, Remirea and Suriana), some of which require re-introductions.
Coastal strand, tropical and oak hammocks, mangrove swamps and non-native plant dominated areas occur on the preserve. Thirty-four acres of native community types have been restored since 1985 using volunteers, an on-site nursery, and contractors. Vegetation and faunal monitoring studies as well as regular non-native plant maintenance have been incorporated into the program. Further research in the functioning of restoration sites would assist with refining procedures for similar local and regional projects. Mangrove swamp restorations require a physical connection to the lagoon to facilitate hydrologic processes and reduce mosquito breeding sites. Culverts, siphons and open channels have been constructed but further options should be tested. Both natural and aided Rhizophora establishment on the lagoon shoreline usually fails due to the high-energy created by boat wakes. An encasement technique using PVC material has been utilized for propagule protection, but additional testing of this technique and alternative construction materials are desired.
Meg Smith
Palm Beach County Planning Division
Brownfields: Redevelopment Opportunities
What are brownfields?
Brownfields are abandoned, idle or underused industrial and commercial
facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
The brownfield designation process is highlighted; and the benefits of being a designated brownfield are reviewed. Various programs encouraging brownfield redevelopment are mentioned, along with some redevelopment activities in Palm Beach County.
B1: Submit