Nature and Nurture

Symbiosis Is on Display at Coastal Oaks Preserve

by Chris Fasolino

IN NATURE, A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP is one wherein both parties benefit. Honeybees and flowers are a classic example. A kind of symbiosis can also be observed in some human endeavors; fittingly, this is taking place at one of Indian River County’s nature preserves.

Coastal Oaks Preserve is an Indian River Land Trust property that is used for educational programs by the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and the Brevard Zoo. Thus, these philanthropic organizations are working symbiotically.

The Indian River Land Trust has a threefold mission: the preservation of land and water resources, the protection of scenic waterfront areas, and the provision of access to the public, including access for education. The Coastal Oaks property is of considerable environmental significance because of the variety of habitats it includes.

As the Land Trust’s executive director, Ken Grudens, puts it, “Coastal Oaks is a particularly special place because it encompasses five distinct habitats. It was a pretty unique find.” The habitats are the newly created freshwater wetlands (not seen on the simplified opening graphic), pine flatwoods, oak-palm hammock, mangrove forest, and seagrasses at the lagoon’s edge. Thus, Coastal Oaks is like a microcosm of the Florida environment, and it is home to a diverse range of plant and animal species. This also makes it highly valuable for research.

Coastal Oaks is therefore a key element in the Land Trust’s new fundraising campaign. Along with highlighting the goal of additional land acquisition to provide buffers protecting the lagoon from pollution, and the need for stewardship endowments so that properties can continue to be cared for, the value of Coastal Oaks is a campaign focus. The preserve is, as Grudens says, a place of “research and restoration” as well as “a living classroom and an immersive experience.”

A nature preserve may not look like a classroom at first, but really, what better classroom could there be? And that’s where the symbiosis with other organizations comes into play. Angelia Perry, executive director of the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, has seen great benefits from student visits to Land Trust properties, and she is excited about including Coastal Oaks on the itinerary.

“It is enriching to be in nature,” she says. She recalls her own childhood adventures of climbing trees and visiting family gardens, noting that, in contrast, young people today are often disconnected from the outdoors and locked into a world of artificial media. GYAC trips to Land Trust properties can help such young people by getting them “more in tune with nature.” Children are reminded of the joys of nature, and sometimes even introduced to such joys for the first time.

These trips can also spark interest in future professions. The curriculum and staff from the Land Trust allow the GYAC students to be immersed in nature on the properties. This, in turn, “helps them realize the importance of nature, and maybe it will make some of them think about becoming scientists in these fields,” Perry adds. All of this is in keeping with central GYAC goals in terms of bringing opportunity to students and allowing them to explore a wide variety of subjects. Thus, Perry says, “We look forward to continued partnership with the Land Trust, and to having our students be a part of what they hope to establish” with places like Coastal Oaks.

The preserve has also been important for the Junior Scientist Fellows Program at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. This program allows area high school students to actively participate in research while being mentored by FAU Harbor Branch staff.

Dennis Hanisak, the head of the education program and a research professor for Harbor Branch, is enthusiastic about the initiative’s benefits: “I can tell you multiple stories of people who go on to really good schools and great opportunities,” he says.

Important research topics for the Junior Scientist fellows have included water quality issues; studies of fish and how their life cycles relate to the connections between the lagoon and the wetlands; and examinations of the health of seagrass and how that supports the manatee population. “Eventually we got into terrestrial things,” says Hanisak, a marine biologist, with a laugh. Land-based projects have included mapping invasive species incursions, and wetlands restoration studies are on the horizon.

On top of the field research, students get the experience of presenting their findings at the Indian River Lagoon Symposium, where they take questions from graduate students and scientists — an “incredible opportunity” for these high school students, Hanisak points out.

A pilot program with the Brevard Zoo offers home-schooled students the opportunity to study plants, insects and more, although one of the most valuable lessons students learn at the preserve is stewardship.

Furthermore, their perspective on nature is greatly enriched. “We don’t think that everyone will go on to environmental management,” he says, although some do. However, Hanisak explains, “They will all learn a lot about the lagoon. If somebody’s growing up in Florida, like these students are, they need to understand the natural environment — the interaction of fresh water, salt water, and land, and how humans impact all these.”

His conclusion? “In the end, I think what they learn the most is stewardship. They learn there’s a higher responsibility here.” Such learning is a perfect complement to the mission of the Land Trust, as well as that of FAU Harbor Branch.

Meanwhile, home-schooled students have also been given the opportunity to explore Coastal Oaks through a pilot program with the Brevard Zoo. The five-day themed curriculum featured such topics as “Learning From the Land.” Students ranged in age from 5 to 12, but they were accompanied by parents and sometimes older siblings, so a variety of age groups benefited. “It was a great experience,” says Jennifer Phelps, the zoo’s education manager, who explains that children took soil temperatures, looked for signs of animals, and made pine cone bird feeders to take home.

They were also given binoculars and ID cards for an introduction to birdwatching. Phelps recalls, “The kids loved looking at and identifying the birds.” And the Coastal Oaks wildlife was ready to put on a colorful display, with 14 roseate spoonbills sighted during the program. The children also learned to be observant and notice details in nature. “They homed in on this little moth called the bella moth.” These moths have an intricate pattern of orange, white and black, and they benefit the ecosystem by feeding on invasive plants.

All in all, Phelps says of Coastal Oaks, “We really enjoyed working out there. The preserve was beautiful, and the program meets part of our mission statement as far as getting kids out in nature.”

Thus, students being mentored at the Brevard Zoo, FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and the Gifford Youth Achievement Center have all been enriched by this Land Trust preserve. It is the symbiosis of Coastal Oaks. ◆