SanCap Audubon Presenting ‘Florida Bay’s Pink Wadding Birds’

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society will host a webinar program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 entitled “Florida Bay’s Pink Wading Birds” presented by Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Lorenz, State Director of Research, Audubon Florida, Everglades Science Center.

Over a 30-year career, Dr. Lorenz has studied the ecology of Florida Bay focusing on Roseate Spoonbills and, more recently, American Flamingos. He will present some of his scientific findings regarding both species with a focus on conservation and restoration of the Everglades and Florida Bay. With Flamingos, he presents why the state of Florida considered them an introduced species and why historic and recent data indicates that they are indeed native to Florida. Using Spoonbills as an ecosystem indicator species he will review the reasons for the decline of this species since the early 1980’s, what Everglades Restoration is doing and should be doing for this species, and why climate change and sea level rise are further threatening what was once the sole nesting place for this species in Florida.

Dr. Lorenz’s research focuses on the impact of water management in the southern Everglades on the coastal ecosystems of Florida Bay. Specifically, he examines the linkages between fresh water deliveries from the Everglades, the abundance of aquatic plants and prey fishes in the mangroves and the success of nesting Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay. In 2000 Jerry became Research Director at Audubon Florida’s Everglades Science Center after completion of his Ph.D. from University of Miami. He was promoted to Research Director for Audubon Florida in 2005. He currently serves as a member of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and on the Monroe County Climate Change Advisory Council

This is the second of eight Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Zoom webinars to be held in January and February of 2021 on Thursday at 7 p.m. To register for a webinar go to the Programs section of the San-Cap Audubon website up to five days prior to the specific webinar’s scheduled date and click on JOIN in that webinar’s description. After registration a link to that webinar will be emailed to you. Each webinar has a different link. All are always welcome to join.

There is no charge to join the webinars. The normal source of San-Cap Audubon lecture support has been the $10.00 suggested attendee entrance donation for the pre-pandemic live presentations at the Sanibel Community House. It is suggested that webinar attendees donate directly by mail to the address on the web site home page or via PayPal. All donations are much appreciated and after costs are used to promote conservation on Sanibel, Captiva and in Florida. For additional information, call (239) 395-1878 or visit the San-Cap Audubon Web site http://www.san-capaudubon.org.