Afternoon: Check in at the Magnuson Hotel front desk and pick up your arrival packet.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: Our Program Coordinator will begin with an orientation and introduction session. We’ll review the updated itinerary for the week and begin getting to know one another in anticipation of the program ahead.

Lodging: Magnuson Hotel - Marina Cove

Meals Included: Dinner

Lecture and Walking Eco Tour of Eckerd College Campus/Tampa Bay Times outdoor writer Terry Tomalin

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel with at least one hot item. Assorted fruit, juice, coffee and tea.

Morning: ACTIVITY: We begin our day with a lecture about Florida habitats, especially those on the Eckerd College Campus. We then take a walking tour of campus to see first hand the habitats described in the lecture. Learn about the variety of Florida ecosystems and how they are threatened by invasive species. Our expert lecturer and tour guide is Kevin Van Dien, Public Programs Supervisor of The Florida Aquarium in Tampa. There will be a short refreshment break mid-morning. PLACEMENT OF CLASSES AND FIELD TRIPS ON THE SCHEDULE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. IN ADDITION, SOME LECTURE TOPICS MIGHT BE ALTERED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.

Lunch: Lunch at the campus dining hall. A selection of various entrees to choose from in a self service format with trays.

Afternoon: An expert lecture will enlighten the group about Florida wildlife

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: LECTURE: "A Walk on the Wild Side" Terry Tomalin, Outdoors/Fitness Editor, Tampa Bay Times, will share with us his many outdoors adventures.

Lodging: Magnuson Hotel - Marina Cove

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Field Trip to South Florida Museum and Parker Manatee Aquarium/ /Field Trip to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel with at least one hot item. Assorted fruit, juice, coffee and tea.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: We will visit the South Florida Museum, the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The museum interprets the region from the Pleistocene to the present. Highlights include fossil evidence of Florida’s earliest mammals and marine species and the Montague Tallant collection of prehistoric and early post-contact archaeological artifacts. Recently opened is the Environmental Wing focusing on Florida’s ecology and bio-diversity in the Pine Uplands and Riverine Galleries. Our special focus of interest at the South Florida Museum is the Parker Manatee Aquarium. The aquarium is part of Florida’s manatee rehabilitation network and is home to Manatee County's most famous resident and official mascot, ‘Snooty’, the manatee, the oldest known living manatee. The Parker Manatee Aquarium, designed to house three adult manatees, holds nearly 60,000 gallons of water. The pool offers both deep and shallow water, allowing the manatees to maintain natural feeding behaviors. An exhibit area within the facility helps to educate the public about manatee anatomy, physiology and habitat, and provides above and below water viewing.

Lunch: Enjoy a boxed lunch after the tour

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is an oasis of wild Florida nestled on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the middle of a residential area in St.Petersburg. Our tram tour takes us to a variety of distinct habitats, where we may see an anhinga sunning itself, an eagle high on a branch, and, if we're lucky, baby aligators hiding by the bank of a stream or adult 'gators floating by. While at the preserve the group will be treated to a presentation about birds of prey.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: An evening program at the hotel will enlighten and entertain.

Lodging: Magnuson Hotel - Marina Cove

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Field Trip to Mote Marine Aquarium/ Tour of Save our Seabirds/ Presentation about Egmont Key, historic island and nature preserve

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel with at least one hot item. Assorted fruit, juice, coffee and tea.

Morning: FIELD TRIP Founded by Dr. Eugenie Clark in 1955, Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research on sharks, red tide and other environmental toxins, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs, fisheries, coastal ecology and aquaculture (sustainable fish farming). Mote has about 1,400 volunteers who contribute more than 200,000 volunteer hours to the organization. Mote Aquarium is proud to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and has met rigorous, professional standards for animal management, veterinary care, wildlife conservation and research, education, safety, staffing and more. During our visit you will have time, in a self guided tour, to explore the secrets of the sea through touch pools, viewable-working labs and high-tech interactive exhibits that showcase the world-renowned research of Mote Marine Laboratory. You will see sharks, manatees and sea turtles, along with more than 100 other species of marine life.

Lunch: Lunch at Deep Sea Diner at the Aquarium

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Our afternoon is devoted to visiting Save our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center, a non-profit wildlife conservation and education organization located on the former site of The Pelican Man Bird Sanctuary on City Island in Sarasota, Florida. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured birds, and to educate the public about nature and environmental sustainability. Birds that have been rescued but are unable to be returned to the wild are given permanent homes in their Wild Bird Learning Center. Our tour guide will enlighten us about their work.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: LECTURE Located strategically in the mouth of Tampa Bay, Egmont Key has a unique natural and cultural history, including a lighthouse that has stood since 1858. Captain Richard Johnson shares the history and nature of the island in his informative and entertaining lecture..

Lodging: Magnuson Hotel - Marina Cove

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Lecture and Field Trip to Eckerd College Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory/Boat Trip around Boca Ciega Bay/ Evening Program

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel with at least one hot item. Assorted fruit, juice, coffee and tea.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: This morning we take the short bus ride to the Eckerd College Campus, to the Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory. Chair and Associate Professor Professor of Biology and Marine Science Nancy Smith will share her passion for her research on mangrove ecology. After the lecture, we will head outside to the waterfront to see the different species of mangroves first hand. A tour of the complex will give you a glimpse of the many types of research occuring at Eckerd, where marine science is a popular major.

Lunch: Lunch at the campus dining hall.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: After lunch, we will take a short walk from the cafeteria to the waterfront where we will board a pontoon boat for a ride around the waters of the college exploring the natural beauty of Boca Ciega Bay led by Associate Professor of Biology and Marine Science, Bill Szelistowski. We have been lucky in the past to see dolphins playing in the Bay and also been up close to various kinds of fish, including sting rays.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: Evening Program

Lodging: Magnuson Hotel - Marina Cove

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the Continuing Education Dining Room with at least one hot item. Assorted fruit, juice, coffee and tea.

Morning: Our final field trip will take us to Fort DeSoto Park, the largest park within the Pinellas County Park System, consisting of 1,136 acres made up of five interconnected islands (keys). These keys are home to beach plants, mangroves, wetlands, palm hammocks, hardwoods and scores of native plants. Each of these species plays a vital role in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. We will experience the park's natural beauty and see why Trip Advisor named it America's Number One Beach in 2009, Our main purpose, however, is to visit the Fort DeSoto Park Bird Sanctuary now protected for threatened shorebird and seabird nesting and foraging habitat. We will be led by advocate Lorraine Margeson of the Suncoast Shorebird Partnership. After our visit, we will return to campus, where Beth Forys, Professor of Environmental Science and Biology will share her expertise about seabirds.

Lunch: Lunch at the Continuing Education Center Dining Room.. Program concludes with lunch today.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch