Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Aquatic Preserves have existed in Florida since the 1960s. Estero Bay was the first waterbody in Florida to receive Aquatic Preserve designation in 1966.
Aquatic Preserves are submerged lands of exceptional beauty which are to be maintained in their natural or existing condition.
Florida Legislature created aquatic preserves as a result of increased population pressures on Florida. In the early 1960s, a group of local citizens exhibiting great insight for environmental awareness and conservation help establish Florida's first aquatic preserve in Estero Bay.
Today, there are 42 aquatic preseves in the State of Florida. Management objectives include maintaining and improving existing resources such as seagrasses, mangroves, aquatic plants, birds and fish for the continued enjoyment of Florida residents and visitors.
The first aquatic perserve established in Florida, this is one of the most productive estuaries in the state.
An estuary is a partly enclosed body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.
Estauries from a transition zone between river environments and ocean movements and are subject to both marine influencs, such as tides, waves and influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. The inflow of both seawater and freshwater provide high levels of nutrients in both the water column and sediment, making estuaries among the most productive habitats in the world.
Most modern day estuaries were formed during the Holocene epoch by the flooding of river-eroded or glacially-scoured valleys when sea level began to rise aout 10,000-12,000 years ago. Estuaries are typically classified by their geomorphologial (the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them) features or by water circulation patterns and can be referred to by many different names, such as bays, harbors, lagoons, inlets or sounds, although sometimes these water bodies do not necessarily meet the above criteria of an estuary and may be fully saline.
Estuaries are amongst the most heavily populated areas throughout the world, with about 60% of the world's population living along estuaries and the coast. As a result, estuaries are suffering degradation my many factors, including sedimentaion from soil erosion from deforestation, overgrazing and other poor farming practices; overfishing, drainage and filling of wetlands, EUTROPHICITION due to excess nutrients from sewage and animal wastes, pollutants including heavy metals, PCBs, radionuclides and hydrocarbons from sewage inputs and diking or damming for flood control or water diversion.
Eutrophicition is movement of a water's body trophic status (the quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and other biologically useful nutrients in a body of water) in the direction of more plant biomass by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilization or sewage to an aquatic system. In other terms, it is the "bloom" or a great increase of phytoplankton (tiny free-floating aquatic plants)in a water body. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia (an inadequate oxygen supply to the cells and tissues of a body), the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations.
Estero Bay is a long, narrow and very shallow body of water located in Southwest Florida. The estuary is bordered on the west by a chain of BARRIER ISLANDS which include: Estero Island, Long Key, Lovers Key, Black Island, Big Hickory Island and Little Hickory Island. Within the estuary are hundreds of islands, many with no upland area. The principal freshwater inflows come from a number of small rivers and creeks including the Estero River, Spring Creek and the Imperial River.
A Barrier Island is a coastal landform and a type of barrier system are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen.
Located in the northern half of Estero Bay is Florida's first aquatic preserve, Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, which was dedicated in 1966. Estero Bay contains several community types, the most dominate being mangrove forests. Salt marshes, seagrasses, oyster bars and tidal flats are also common. The estuary also serves as a nursery area for a variety of commercial and sport fisheries. It is also an important home for bird nesting colonies and a valuable stopover for migrating birds.
NOTE: Please park at the following coordinates:
26 26.975
081 56.278
Please use mosquito repellent. There are lots of them out here.
Please E-Mail the answers to the following questions:
1. What type of islands are you looking at?
2. Look to the north and west; what is the reason for the Preserve?
3. Do you see any evidence of eutrophicition?
4. What are the signs of eutrophicition?
Congratulations to Tigerrd23 for FTF!!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)