2023 Florida Keys and Everglades: Day 3


Dear Bullis families and community,

Students rotated through 3 different fabulous itineraries today, Wednesday, March 22!

  1. At Mote International Center for Coral Reef, students got a behind the scene tour and classroom lesson on coral health and disease. We also heard about the importance of coral restoration and the methods that are being implemented to aid this process. They are well prepared for our trek to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which protects North America's only coral barrier reef.
  2. At Crane Point Hammock, students took a guided tour in a "gulf cart," learning about all sorts of natural features of the Keys, such as hammocks, and wildlife flora and fauna. We visited a bird sanctuary full of Ibis, horned owls and pelicans, squealed at Orb spiders the size of our firsts, and got a "fish pedicure" in the lagoon.
  3. The last rotation was a beach excursion, where students participated in dip netting and critter collection with our Grand Classroom guides. It was a live-action treasure hunt. Students caught, identified, and released baby parrot fish, shrimp, sea worms, and more. And we even stumbled upon a family of manatees grubbing on seagrass in the harbor right before we loaded the buses for dinner.

It was exciting to see so many students order local seafood for our dinner tonight at the Keys Fishery along the water: menus included fried shrimp, local grouper, grilled mahi-mahi, as well as the tried and true chicken fingers, caesar salad, and french fries. As long as they're eating and staying hydrated, it's a win-win situation!

We concluded the night with a sunset recap of the day with our guides, where we gave accolades and shout-outs of gratitude for the days multiple adventures. We are fully prepped for our big snorkeling excursion tomorrow on the reef!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow night.

Enjoy today's photos (click on any image to enlarge and view a slideshow)!













Location: Florida Keys, Florida, USA

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