Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center to educate students on Everglades

Paul Ivice - 

Because of increasing interest lately in the Florida Everglades, the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center has developed a range of educational programs for the thousands of schoolchildren who will visit the center this school year.

Of the 50,000 or so people a year who visit the center, which began leasing its 57-acre site on Hutchinson Island from Martin County in 1985, about 2,500 are students and their teachers, usually in groups of 25 to 50.

Center Executive Director Mark Perry gave River Coalition members a little tease of the new programs at their meeting Thursday at Stuart City Hall.

Perry also talked about the River Coalition's new River Kidz program and introduced its two founding members — 11-year-olds Naia Mader and Evie Flaugh.

Students still will get to spend time observing and interacting with the turtles, fish and other wildlife during their field trips to the center at 890 N.E. Ocean Blvd.

Since it opened in 2006 the 750,000-gallon lagoon that serves as a habitat for dozens of marine animals is one of the center's most popular features.

"It's such an incredible facility," said Ellie Van Os, the center's director of education and exhibits. "There are so many opportunities because we have the fish and the habitat and the great water coming from the ocean."

The lagoon also is used to help educated anglers "to know what they're looking for and what they should not catch," Van Os said.

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