6th annual Fall Paddle Florida - Suwannee River
10/12/2013- 10/17/2013

4th annual Wekiva/St.Johns River Ramble
12/06/2013- 12/09/2013

Chair: CHARLES WRIGHT, owner, Everglades Area Tours

Vice Chair, Certification Committee Chair: PETE CORRADINO, Director of Operations, Everglades Day Safari

Secretary, Grapevine editor: ERIN WHITE, Master Naturalist

Treasurer, Finance & Logistics Chair: NANCY MacPHEE, Program Manager, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau

Education Committee Chair: KATHLEEN HILL, Education Coordinator, Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program

BEN EVANS, owner, Wildside Tours

AYOLANE HALUSKY, founder, Earth Kinship LLC

JONELL MODYS, PR & Communications Manager, Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB

WENDY RICHARDS, Managing Principal/Consultant, Noetic Marketing & Development Group

Executive Director: JOHN KISEDA, Sustainability - Education Coordinator, Lee County Parks & Recreation

On the last weekend in June, more than 50 participants from all over the state of Florida and beyond gathered in Cocoa Beach for the 13th Annual Ethical Ecotourism Meeting hosted by The Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism.

Attendees included ecotour providers, destination management directors, educational organization staff, eco-travelers, and Florida Master Naturalist trained citizens.

THANK YOU!
We are so grateful for our members! Without you and your support, we could not continue to provide quality environmental education to Florida's eco-tourists and providers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

DID YOU KNOW?
Membership has it's benefits! Free environmental education is just the tip of the iceberg.  When you're a member, you can add your tour operation's events to our calendar, list yourself and your services in our directory, and much more.

Here are a few familiar Floridians, plus a discussion of their conservation status.

Black skimmer
Rynchops niger

Habitat loss is one of the most significant threats the black skimmer faces. As human development encroaches, the black skimmer's breeding grounds, the beaches, experience an increase in foot traffic.  Since each "nest" is not much more than a scraped-up depression in the sand, and since the eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged against predators, humans may unwittingly stumble into a nest without realizing they have done so.

Dam to the Bay on the Ochlockonee River
March 16-22, 2013

by Mim Duncan, embellished by Jill Lingard
Reprinted with permission

Paddle Florida trips are well organized and it's so convenient to have our luggage and camping gear carried to each campsite rather than having to haul it in our kayaks. Meals are provided by caterers, so the trips are more relaxing than non-assisted trips. Paddle Florida's leadership works hard to make our trips easier. Many of us have formed friendships through these experiences and have paddled numerous trips with this group. It's always a joy to reconnect with established friends and to meet new ones.

At the Annual Members Meeting on June 30th, two new members were elected to the Florida SEE Board of Directors; AyoLane Halusky of Jacksonville and Wendy Richards of Gainesville. They bring representation of two new regions, Northeast and North Central, to the non-profit educational organization. At the same meeting, Pete Corradino and JoNell Modys were re-elected to represent the Southwest Region and Kathleen Hill was re-elected as representative of the Central East Region...