Saturday, February 17, 10:15 am to 3:30 pm
(Palm Beach County, FL – January 16, 2024) The Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter is inviting friends and supporters to a combination general meeting and road trip on Saturday, February 17, at the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), 5600 U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce, FL 34946. This visit can be a great learning experience for both children (ages 12+) and adults. Arrive early for easy parking.
The visit to one of South Florida’s premier research institutes will begin at the 10:15 am loading on a pontoon boat for a 90-minute tour of the Indian River Lagoon. The guide will conduct real-time data collection, survey underwater habitats with a remotely operated vehicle, and help identify some of the Lagoon’s more than 4,000 plant and animal inhabitants, including over 50 threatened or endangered species.
Following a bring-your-own-lunch break, participants will enjoy a 90-minute tram tour of HBOI’s 144-acre waterfront campus and research facilities, including the marine rescue area, necropsy lab, and aquaculture labs. There will also be a Photo Op in front of the iconic Johnson Sea Link deep-sea submersible that conducted critical research following the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill of 2010.
This exploratory event will conclude with a self-guided tour of the Ocean Discovery Visitor’s Center to view exhibits and live displays of current research projects, notable discoveries, marine life, and environments from coral reefs to seagrass beds, including demonstrations of HBOI’s sustainable aquaculture.
The cost to participate in this enlightening environmental experience is only $75 person, with a maximum limit of 25 people. Tickets are nonrefundable but are transferrable. You must register online to attend:
Supporters of the Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter will meet at 10:15 am at J. Seward Johnson Education Center on the HBOI campus. The pontoon boat departs promptly at 10:30 am. For more information, please contact Mary Mertz at marymertz@me.com.
To learn more about the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, please visit https://www.fau.edu/hboi/.
About the Sierra Club Florida Chapter Loxahatchee Group:
One of 17 local Sierra Club Groups in Florida, it serves members in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties in Southeast Florida. Our group offers members and prospective members opportunities to explore, enjoy, and protect the environment by volunteering, going on outings and becoming environmental activists.
Sierra Club mission statement is “to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment, and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.”
The primary duty of the Sierra Club is to maintain the stability of the environment by combating all elements of destruction. This organization has been championing such issues through its advocates, community of volunteers, and other supporters. Sierra Club understands the essentiality of nature to the survival of humanity. It, therefore, commits all its resources to rally like-minded individuals to join its course and create a world where people can flourish and achieve their potential.
For more information, please visit: https://www.sierraclub.org/florida/loxahatchee.