
December, 2012 published by The Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism
In This Issue: Wildside Tours Certified GOLD! Everglades Day Safari Goes for the GOLD! Membership Update Environmental Education Update EDITORIAL: Wildlife Disturbance Contribute to our Newsletter Save the date! Everglades Area Tours Annual Paddle-In To Benefit Florida SEE Find Us On The Web! MEMBER BENEFITS - DID YOU KNOW? Calendar Events MEMBER BENEFITS - DID YOU KNOW? by Erin White As a member of Florida SEE, you can submit your own events for inclusion in the Florida SEE calendar. Just log into the members area of FloridaSEE.org and submit your event. All events will be reviewed prior to publication. Once approved, your event will enjoy the additional exposure of appearing in our calendar. Login and submit your event today! Calendar Events 9th Annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival 01/18/2013- 01/20/2013 Explore the local environment through almost 40 guided field trips to 20 wildlife hot spots around Southwest Florida and lectures at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. Field trips, including birding walks, buggy rides and boat tours, are offered in conjunction with partners such as Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Big Cypress National Preserve and Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Become a member of the Friends of Rookery Bay and enjoy advance field trip registration, opening October 25. Florida Keys Challenge 01/18/2013- 01/21/2013 3rd annual Florida Keys Challenge, beginning at Long Key State Park and finishing at Bahia Honda State Park. For more information visit. www.paddleflorida.org 16th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival 01/23/2013- 01/28/2013 The largest birding and wildlife festival in the United States has been selected as a Top 20 event by the Southeast Tourism Society. Evaluating Your Programs and Tours 01/24/2013 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Presented by Joy Hazell, Sea Grant Extension Agent - University of Florida/IFAS Florida SEE Board of Directors Meeting 02/05/2013 Held via GoToMeeting Service. To join in on the meeting, contact John Kiseda for the web link. Wild, Wonderful Withlacoochee 02/13/2013- 02/18/2013 Paddle Florida's SWFWMD entry into our 2012/2013 schedule, we paddle from Lake Panasofkee in Sumter County up to the Gulf of Mexico. For more information visit. www.paddleflorida.org The Ninth Annual Everglades National Park Paddle-In 02/16/2013 MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Florida SEE Silver Certified ecotour provider Everglades Area Tours will host The Ninth Annual Everglades National Park Paddle-In. Proceeds to benefit Florida SEE. Stay tuned for further details! Wildlife Disturbance Issues/Monitoring Your Environmental Impacts 02/21/2013 Wildlife Disturbance Issues and Monitoring Your Environmental Impacts as an Ecotour Provider Presented by Liz Sparks, Recreation Planner Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission	Wildside Tours Certified GOLD! by Pete Corradino Wildside Tours – Florida SEE GOLD Certified! On December 4th, 2012 Wildside Tours became the most recent Florida SEE certified tour qualifying at the GOLD level tour! Wildside Tours operates a 20-passenger pontoon that takes ecotourists into the Thousand Island Nature Preserve of Cocoa Beach and the Banana River Lagoon. The company offers... CLICK to read more about Wildside Tours Everglades Day Safari Goes for the GOLD! by Erin White Everglades Day Safari Goes For The GOLD! Florida SEE is very pleased to announce that Everglades Day Safari, has been certified GOLD. The Certifiecation Lead for this process was John Kiseda, Florida SEE's Executive Director. Our own Pete Corradino, vice chair of Florida SEE's Board of Directors, is usually the lead for certifications; however, Pete guides excursions at Everglades Day Safari, and therefore did not participate on the assessment or certification activities for this tour operator. CLICK to read more about Everglades Day Safari Membership Update by Erin White As of December 1st 2012, Florida SEE has 110 members, comprised of 45 Individuals and 65 Associates. Do you know an individual or a business who would like to join Florida SEE? Regisration is easy! Just send them our link for new member sign-up. And thank you! CLICK for more Membership News, including new/renewing members! Environmental Education Update by Erin White ECO LEARNING AT ROOKERY BAY On December 5th, Florida SEE's executive director, John Kiseda presented a "Lunch and Learn" lecture at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve, titled "Being An Eco Traveler In Southwest Florida". The event was well-received, an indication that Florida SEE's newest educational series will be equally as appreciated - read on for more information! CLICK for more about Florida SEE's environmental education programs EDITORIAL: Wildlife Disturbance by Pete Corradino It might be difficult to understand what transpires in the mind of a person who chooses to ride a manatee, to snatch a wild alligator from its resting place or wade into the surf to pat a dolphin. Although incidents are rare, locals, tourists and tour operators alike have run afoul of common sense as well as state and federal laws that protect our wildlife from harm. Florida SEE’s Certification and Recognition Program seeks to educate tour operators by teaching those in need and rewarding those that adhere to best practices, but like a curious child, we’re sometimes left asking “why”. Why can we do this? Why can’t we do that? It’s entirely fair to ask and by doing so, it becomes a teachable moment on tour when we instruct eco-tourists in turn.... CLICK to read more about WILDLIFE DISTURBANCE Contribute to our Newsletter Do you want to participate in Florida SEE's environmental education process? We're looking for newsletter content contributions in the following categories: PHOTOS of Florida's parks and preserves ARTICLES about Florida's natural and cultural history PROFILES of Florida's flora and fauna (plants and critters!) Those interested in submitting content for consideration should email ErinWhite@FloridaSEE.org Save the date! Everglades Area Tours Annual Paddle-In To Benefit Florida SEE Erin White Florida SEE Silver Certified EVERGLADES AREA TOURS is proud to announce the date for their Annual Paddle-In - the tides will be perfect on Saturday, February 16th, 2013. Admission is free. CLICK TO READ MORE and find out how you can attend! Find Us On The Web! Our contact page - email us any time with questions or comments: http://www.floridasee.org/contact_us.php Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FloridaSEE.org Our Twitter Page: http://www.twitter.com/Florida_SEE
The Florida SEE Grapevine - December, 2012