Download - Mote Magazine, Autumn 2013

MOTE MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2013 M1

I N S I D E M O T E M A G A Z I N E

Events Calendar 2

Restoring Life to Florida’s Reef 3

Snook: A Comeback Story 6

Shark On! 8

Cool Cuttlefish 11

Hands-On Science 12

Mote Milestones 14

Born to Give 16

A U T U M N 2 0 1 3

2 MOTE MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2013

SPECIAL EVENTSMote 2013 Events Calendar

OCTOBEROctober 18. Night of Fish, Fun & Fright. 6:30-9 p.m. Safe trick-or-treat event in The Aquarium at Mote. $6 online in advance; Mote Members pay $8 at the door. Non-members, $10 at the door. Kids 3 and younger get in free. mote.org/halloween.

October 26. Oceanic Evening, Mote’s annual black-tie fundraiser at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Call Stacy Alexander for info, 941-388-4441, ext. 509, or email [email protected].

NOVEMBERNovember 15-18. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. 4th annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition on Siesta Key Beach. 10 teams of expert sculptors from the U.S. and abroad will meet at the No. 1 beach to compete for the title. Proceeds help support Mote’s sea turtle conservation and research programs. Admission $5 per person, per day.

November 15-16. Youth Ocean Conservation Summit and Film Festival. Details to be posted at mote.org/education.

Three years after a cold snap closed snook fishing, it reopens this month on the Gulf Coast.

COVER PHOTO

PRESIDENT & CEOMichael P. Crosby, Ph.D.

EDITORNadine Slimak

CREATIVE DIRECTORLawson Mitchell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rachel Easterbrook, Hayley Rutger, Nadine Slimak

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSErich Bartels, Lawson Mitchell, Kassie O’Brien, Jason Robertshaw, Nadine Slimak

PUBLISHING PARTNERMote Magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota Magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota Magazine at 941-487-1109.

AUTUMN 2013 • VOLUME 65INFO: 941-388-4441 • MOTE.ORG

MOTE MAGAZINE n A unique mission.Mote Magazine (ISSN 1553-1104) is published by Mote Marine Laboratory, a nonprofit organization dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans. By telling the stories of sea science, Mote hopes to enhance public understanding of marine research and conservation.

Taking The Plunge?

Mote AquariumVenue Rentals

Call Paula Clark for details:

(941) 388-2252 or e-mail

[email protected].

MOTE MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2013 3

RESTORING LIFE TO FLORIDA’S REEFCombat Wounded & Injured Veterans, SCUBAnauts Team Up With Mote

FLORIDA’S CORAL REEF got a boost in July when volunteers from the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge and SCUBAnauts International St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs Chapters joined

scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory at

work in Mote’s coral reef nursery in the

Florida Keys.

More than six years ago, Mote established an underwater coral nursery where scientists grow fragments of coral — par-ticularly the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) — for replanting on decimated or damaged sections of reef within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

When the corals reach a suitable size, new coral fragments are snipped off, or

propagated, to create new corals — similar to the way new plants are grown from cuttings of existing plants. To give Mote’s gardening efforts a boost, youngsters and veterans helped Mote scientists hang snipped fragments of coral on special “trees” constructed of PVC and anchored to the ocean floor where the corals could continue to grow.

By joining forces, Mote is able to involve citizen scientists in reef restoration. It also helps produce more coral fragments to help restore Florida’s reef. By the end of the two-day mission, the SCUBAnauts and Veterans produced nearly 2,000 coral fragments, bringing the number of staghorn corals growing in Mote’s nursery to about 10,000.

The partnership allows the SCUBAnauts to learn more about real-world conservation and it helps the veterans demonstrate to other combat wounded veterans that anything can be overcome. “Vulneror non Vincor: I am wounded-not conquered,” is the team’s inspirational motto. Through this cross-mentorship program, SCUBA-naut youth and veterans overcome personal challenges to create a positive change for the reefs and each other.

PARTNERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

This is the second year that the SCUBA-nauts and participants in the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge have worked with Mote to help maintain and propagate corals from the nursery. “We worked with the SCUBAnauts and veterans last year and were really impressed by their enthusiasm, efficiency and skill,” said Erich

By Nadine Slimak

© Erich Bartels/Mote Marine Laboratory

Bartels, manager of Mote’s Coral Reef Science and Monitoring Program who oversees the coral nursery project. “Having these groups with us really gives our project many extra sets of hands so we can propagate more coral for restoration.”

SCUBAnauts International’s mission is to guide youths ages 12 through 18 along a pathway for personal development by involving them in the marine sciences. Twenty SCUBAnauts and two snorkelnauts

participated this year.

The Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge

improves the lives of wounded and

injured veterans through rehabilitative

high-adventure and therapeutic outdoor

challenges while furthering the physiologi-

cal, biomedical and pathological sciences

associated with their injuries. Eight combat

wounded and injured veterans partici-

pated.

“This is the second year I’ve come out for this challenge,” said U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Billy Costello, a transfemoral amputee who lost his right leg after stepping on a landmine when he was deployed to Afghanistan. “It’s amazing to see how much some of the coral had grown since last year and to see the progress that Mote’s doing on the science. And teaming up with the SCUBAnauts — it’s just great to see these kids know what to do underwater and take com-mand of the situation when they need to. This is a really impressive set of kids.”

The kids were no less impressed by the veterans. “I can’t help but feel excited and proud of what I’m doing to help the ocean and the fish that live in the ocean,” said Mia Foisy, 13, of Tarpon Springs, after spending the morning working side-by-side underwater with John Kremer, Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 1st Class (Ret.), who lost both legs after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan. He was making his first dive since his injury. “It is really amazing to work with the veterans. Sometimes I think I have a problem, but to watch and see the problems they’ve overcome, well, I think how could I not overcome my own problem?”

That’s exactly what SCUBAnaut and combat wounded veteran Challenge organizers hope both groups come away with, said Dr. Elizabeth Moses, chief scientist for SCUBAnauts International. “Through a team-based approach between youth and the Combat Wounded Veterans, we expect to see not only an increased appreciation and understanding of our ocean’s natural resources found within our National Marine Sanctuaries but an appreciation for the amazing feats of our nation’s veterans and youth.”

The underwater challenge — along with other expeditions the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge participants undertake — also allows the veterans to lead by example, said David Olson, the group’s founder. “Our wounded servicemen and women make a powerful impact and example on youth and those who face similar circumstances. Through these


Participants in the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge and teens from SCUBAnauts International work side-by-side in Mote’s underwater coral nursery.

Dive equipment manufacturer Oceanic provided fins and other gear for the combat wounded veterans during their expedition to Mote’s underwater coral nursery.

© Erich Bartels/Mote Marine Laboratory


Get the plate that supports them all.

REEFPLATE.COM Support coral reef restoration and conservation.

FREESet of Mote

Tervis tumblers with purchase of a new

“Protect Our Reefs” plate.Visit reefplate.com

for details.

challenge experiences, they demonstrate to others that despite their injuries, they too, can overcome seemingly insurmountable personal challenges, while advancing rehabilitative research. Challenge, research, inspire are the principals that govern our program.“

During this mission, combat wounded veterans also collected valuable information and medical data through a partnership with St. Petersburg College. The data they’re gathering contribute to the science of human performance, rehabilitation and recreation in extreme aquatic environments.

“Without a doubt, the hardest mission these combat wounded and injured veterans have ever been on is the mission of continuing to serve a purpose in their life and to improve the quality of their lives with their families,” said Aviation Ordnanceman Master Chief Will Wilson, the Deputy Chief of the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge. “It’s good for us to dive as a team and to help science and reestablish a coral reef. We’ve got one ocean and we’ve got to take care of it. And anytime you get top side from a dive and you’re seeing people smiling from ear to ear… well, that’s all good.”

The restoration is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Nature Conservancy’s Community-Based Restoration Program, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (www.nmsfocean.org), private donors, Fury Watersports in Key West, Mote and its Protect Our Reefs license plate program, Naval Air Station Key West, Trumbo Point, and the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School, the J.E. Hanger College of Orthotics and Prosthetics at St. Petersburg College, Derby Lane, Dive Key West and the Oceanic Warrior Program.

—The Florida Keys transplanting activities take place under permit FKNMS-2011-150 from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.


© Dave Claussen

THEIR NUMBERS already reduced in the wild due to years of recreational fishing pressure, snook suffered a devastating hit after severe cold weather descended on Florida in

January 2010. The record low tempera-tures resulted in the loss of thousands of snook — about 20 percent of the spawning stock — and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission closed the fishery that month.

Now, after three years of closure, snook have been recovering, and the state is reopening the fishery on Florida’s Gulf Coast beginning Sept. 1. “The recovery efforts have gone great,” said Dr. Kenneth Leber, Associate Vice President for the Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mote. “Recent estimates clearly show

that the abundance of adult snook is

strong enough to support a well-man-

aged fishery.”

While the snook population has rebound-

ed from the deep freeze, the fish’s

popularity among recreational anglers

means that advances in captive spawning

and rearing techniques have never been

more relevant.

Just a few years prior to the freeze,

scientists at Mote Aquaculture Park were

able to close the life cycle on snook –

that is, raise wild snook to reproductive

maturity and then get them to spawn in

specially designed breeding tanks. Their

efforts at fine-tuning the process

continued after the 2010 freeze. “One of

the things we’re working on is evaluating

the potential of stocking hatchery-reared

snook into the waters of Florida to see if

we can help increase the abundance of

snook in localized areas,” Leber said.

With the ultimate goal of supplementing

the fishery with hatchery-reared snook,

Mote scientists have been focusing on

ways to raise the greatest number of

strong, healthy snook. But getting snook to

spawn is just the first step. After the

scientists have snook larvae, they then

have to grow the snook to a suitable

release size — and doing so is the focus of

other studies.

Postdoctoral scientist Dr. Carlos Yanes-

Roca, an expert in snook larval rearing and

husbandry, regularly conducts experiments

on snook larvae to determine which

environmental factors enhance larval

growth. “We just finished a light exposure

study, where we expose the larvae to

different amounts of light to see which

Story by Rachel Easterbrook • Photos by Kassie O’Brien

SNOOK: A COMEBACK STORY

To collect snook sperm and eggs, a group of staff and interns deploy a large seine net to catch the fish. The snook are transferred to smaller floating pens

where eggs and milt, or sperm, are collected from adults.

Once the samples are collected, the fish are released alive and unharmed. Then the eggs and milt are combined with seawater to fertilize the eggs,

which are then transferred back to the lab.


exposure promotes better growth,” he

said. “We’ve found that 24 hours of light is

much better for the larvae. Their develop-

ment and growth increased and this led to

much higher survival levels.”

Mote scientists are also working with

Osprey Biotechnics to determine the

influence of probiotics on larval develop-

ment. By identifying which bacteria

promote growth of healthy microflora in

the snook digestive system, scientists can

increase the chances that larvae grow to

adulthood.

“We’re doing experiments with wild snook

larvae to learn more and be able to apply

what we’ve learned on our lab-reared

snook,” said Carole Neidig, staff scientist.

“We want to do anything we can to

enhance their chances of making it to

fingerling size.”

Mote scientists have also been conduct-

ing pilot stocking experiments to evaluate

release strategies. “We’ve found that we

can improve survival of hatchery snook

released into the wild by 10 times just by

choosing the right habitat,” Leber said.

“We also know that there are limits on

how many fish you can put in each

habitat before you start to lose hatchery

snook.

“The breakthroughs we’re making at Mote

Aquaculture Park are solving riddles that

people have been working on for 25 or

30 years with snook,” Leber said. “The

progress in the last 10 years has been

enormous, and if we make the kind of

progress I’m expecting in the next three

years, it is going to enable large-scale

snook stock enhancement in Florida.”

The breakthroughs we’re making at Mote Aquaculture Park are solving riddles that people have been working on for 25 or 30 years with snook. — Dr. Kenneth Leber

Mote’s 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan includes a focus on supporting the next generation of scientific leaders. This profile on Postdoctoral Scientist Dr. Carlos Yanes-Roca is part of an occasional Mote Magazine series on these up-and-coming scientific experts.

Carlos Yanes-Roca, 36, grew up surrounded by the ocean on Spain’s Canary Islands so it was only natural that he made his way to marine science as a career. “I grew up fishing, diving and surfing and I decided to pursue a career that would keep me close to my favorite environment and a career that would help me to protect such an environment and its creatures,” Yanes-Roca says. In 2006, he received his Ph.D. in larval fish rearing and husbandry and today he works in Mote’s Marine Stock Enhancement Program helping to rear a number of species, especially common snook. He first came to Mote through an internship program then later became a full-fledged staff member. “I specialize in fish larval culture — mainly growing snook larvae, but I also work with other species such as pompano, red drum and even zebra fish.” He hopes to eventually be able to answer the question of where snook spend each segment of their lives in the wild. “What is a snook’s overall lifetime migration pattern from egg to adult?” he wonders.

If there was one piece of advice he could give to students considering science as a career, it would be this: “Try it! If you love it, go for it. There’s nothing better than getting up in the morning wanting to work and enjoying every minute.”

Dr. Carlos Yanes-Roca


SHARK ON!WORKING WITH CAPTAINS IN BOCA GRANDE PASS TO FURTHER SHARK RESEARCH

ON A CLEAR, calm day in mid-June, Dr. Bob Hueter and Mote Senior Biologist Jack Morris drove down to Boca

Grande with a pair of students in tow for a

long day on the water. The task at hand?

Tagging sharks in Boca Grande Pass.

Spring and early summer is tarpon season

in the Pass, and for Dr. Hueter, director of

Mote’s Congressionally Designated Center

for Shark Research and leader of Mote’s

Shark Biology and Conservation program,

that means it’s prime time for tagging

large sharks.

Waves of tarpon migrate to the Pass

beginning in late April and by May and

June, tarpon have taken over. Following in

the tarpons’ wake are the anglers who

target them and the bull and

hammerhead sharks that feed on them.

Bulls and great hammerheads are two

shark species that scientists wish to

understand better.

For Hueter and his team, learning more

about the sharks’ life cycles and breeding

and migration patterns is top priority. “We

are trying to discover whether these sharks

are the same individuals coming back

every year,” Hueter said. “We are also

trying to learn how many of each species

are out here and whether these animals

are long-term residents of the Pass.”

To find out, the team must catch, tag and release a representative sample of sharks in the Pass — a not-so-simple task. Luckily for Mote, this summer local fishermen teamed up with the Lab to take a hands-on role in the research project being undertaken as part of Mote’s Boca Grande Initiative.

In January 2013, Mote opened a satellite office in Boca Grande to help engage the community research undertaken by Mote in Charlotte Harbor. “A lot of people think that scientific knowledge flows only one way: from scientists to the community,” said Mote President and CEO, Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “But over Mote’s nearly 60-year

A female bull shark is hooked in Boca Grande Pass to be tagged and released by Mote scientists.

Story by Rachel Easterbrook • Photos by Kassie O’Brien


SHARK ON!WORKING WITH CAPTAINS IN BOCA GRANDE PASS TO FURTHER SHARK RESEARCH

“As an independent organization not tied to government or a university, we’ve always depended on strong ties to the communities that we work in. We’ve often found

that we have as much to learn from local residents as we have to share.“ — Mote President and CEO, Dr. Michael P. Crosby

history, we’ve shown that isn’t true. As an independent organization not tied to government or a university, we’ve always depended on strong ties to the communities that we work in. We’ve often found that we have as much to learn from local residents as we have to share.”

The local community has rallied to provide operational support to the Mote shark tagging team.

In this shark study, Mote scientists hope to learn more about the interplay between sharks and tarpon by using conventional and satellite tags on bull sharks and great hammerheads to understand their short and long-term movements and behavior. They’re also looking at the abundance to

quantify the number, size, sex and seasonality of the large shark population. The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation has provided funding to Mote’s Center for Shark Research to begin the shark project in Boca Grande.

During the tagging project, the science team based its operations aboard the Boca Barge, a mid-sized cargo barge, while fishermen fished for sharks in the pass from their own vessels. Once a fisherman made a catch, he or she brought their boat alongside the barge then stepped aboard the barge — all while controlling the shark and taking care to keep it hooked so the science team could quickly gather data and tag the shark before releasing it.

“The owner of the barge, Hal Coleman, offered the use of his boat for free,” Hueter said. “For this project, the Boca Barge is phenomenally valuable. All this deck space is very useful for us. Normally we’re on just a small boat with very little space to maneuver, so having this big, flat surface is really ideal.”

The Mote team has a contact list of about 20 local boats, and “on any one day that we’re out here, there will be four or five boats fishing for us,” Hueter explained. “And other anglers out here in the Pass who knew nothing about the project have offered their help as well.”

Less than an hour into one trip this past summer, Hueter’s radio crackled with the

Director of Mote’s Center for Shark Research, Dr. Bob Hueter, graduate student Lisa Ailloud and Senior Biologist Jack Morris measure a female bull shark.

Boaters watch as local fishermen Lee Crosby (red shirt) and Brent Theriault (orange shirt) help Mote scientists catch, tag and release a female bull shark.


news that Capt. Lee Crosby’s boat had a shark on the line. The Mote team revved into action, setting up equipment on the deck as the boats jockeyed into a side-by-side position. Crosby and angler Brent Theriault — controlling the bull shark on his line — scrambled aboard the barge.

“What do you need us to do?” Crosby asked as he jumped aboard, carefully holding the line taut in his gloved hands as Theriault pulled the huge bull alongside the boat. The Mote crew quickly collected data on the shark — measuring length and girth and preparing its dorsal fin to be tagged — as Theriault crouched barefoot on the edge of the barge, straining to keep the 7.5-foot female bull at bay with Crosby’s help. “I’m not a fan of this no-walls thing!” Theriault exclaimed, as he leaned inches from the water, struggling to hold the shark.

With Dr. Hueter and Morris flat on their bellies handling the shark, graduate student Lisa Ailloud handed over the pop-up tag. Within minutes, the big fish

was tagged and freed to swim the pass. Crosby and Theriault, out-of-breath and grinning with post-shark-catch adrenaline, shook hands with Morris and “Dr. Bob,” snapped a quick picture then hopped back onto their boat.

“The local fishermen contribute so much to the tagging process,” Dr. Hueter said. “And their involvement leads them to become personally invested in our research.”

As the shark-catching buzz died down after the first catch, Dr. Hueter radioed back to Crosby to offer naming rights for the female bull. “How about Madeline? Madeline! After my daughter, ” Crosby replied.

The resulting data transmitted by the electronic tags will help scientists and local fishermen track the progress of the sharks and, over time, see their patterns of migration. Bull sharks tagged in the Pass in previous years have migrated as far away as the Bahamas.

At the end of a long, hot seven-hours day on the water, the team had tagged four sharks.

“We’re really working hand-in-hand with the people who the results will affect personally,” Hueter said. “A lot of these fishermen are natives who grew up on this island… I find it incredibly satisfying to come out here, work with these guys, learn from them and help them gain scientific knowledge about the marine life they so love.”

If Mote is able to raise additional research funding, scientists hope to add an array of underwater receivers and begin tagging sharks and their prey — the tarpon — with acoustic transmitters in order to follow movements of both. According to Hueter, “our ultimate goal is to ‘wire’ the Pass and Charlotte Harbor region to track these animals on a fine scale. Combining that with our long-term satellite tracking will pull back the curtain on the mysterious lives of these magnificent predators.”

Dr. Bob Hueter prepares to measure and tag a female bull shark. The data transmitted by the electronic tags will help scientists and local fishermen learn more about the shark’s movements.

MOTE MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2013 M1110 MOTE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2013

This dwarf cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis) was born and raised in The Aquarium at Mote by Cephalopod Specialist Brian Siegel, who leads our cuttlefish breeding program. These cool critters are kings of camouflage covered with chromatophores. These special cells allow cuttlefish to display visual effects that help them blend into their background or — in the case of this adult male — warn other males to “back off, Buster!”


SIX STUDENTS FROM Booker High School conducted independent research on climate change and ocean acidification — major threats to coral reef ecosystems — through a

science education program launched this summer in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory.

The week-long program at Mote’s Tropical Research Laboratory on Summerland Key allowed the students to join scientists from around the globe at the Lab’s innovative testing facility focused on ocean acidification.

This hands-on experience — supported by a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County — focused

on increasing the students’ science literacy and knowledge of climate change and ocean acidification, which are significant challenges for marine scientists and resource managers working to preserve coral reefs.

Ocean acidification occurs when oceans absorb excess carbon dioxide from manmade sources such as fossil fuels in the atmosphere, making the pH of seawater lower, or more acidic. This chemistry change can make it more difficult for marine life to form and maintain calcium-rich structures like the skeletons of corals or the shells of many commercially important shellfish.

Mote’s Ocean Acidification Program has been studying this process using Ocean Acidification Flow Thru Experimental

Raceway Units, a special seawater system that can be adjusted to different levels of acidity that scientists have predicted for the near future. This research setup made the perfect training ground for Booker students getting their feet wet in marine science.

“They jumped in head-first,” said Dr. Emily Hall, manager of Mote’s Ocean Acidifica-tion Program. “All the students wrote proposals to talk about what they were interested in researching, and then we sat down and reviewed the proposals. From there, it was 100 percent hands-on. They ran their own projects with our guidance and support.”

From day one, the students were in the field alongside Mote scientists, collecting samples and gaining practical experience

HANDS-ON SCIENCE for High Schoolersby Rachel Easterbrook

Dr. Emily Hall, manager of Mote’s Ocean Acidification Program, and Booker High School student Olivia Goodfriend work on a research project at Mote’s Tropical Research Laboratory on Summerland Key.

© Jason Robertshaw/Mote Marine Laboratory


in hypothesis-driven scientific research. With the help of their Mote mentors, the students set up a mesocosm study that mimicked a natural coral reef ecosystem in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Each student’s project focused on the impact of ocean acidification on a particular animal or plant within the larger community. Their results are currently under review by Mote scientists.

Booker student Laura Alston, who graduated in June, studied the growth of a calcifying macroalgae — algae that can be seen without a microscope and forms calcium-based structures — and how it is affected by ocean acidification. “I chose to study algae growth because algae are such an important part of the marine ecosystem,” she said. “As an indicator species, algae can help determine if the

environment is healthy and if the other

organisms are doing well.”

Certain kinds of algae might thrive in more

acidic oceans and possibly overtake reefs.

Fellow graduate Carolyn Silverman studied

black sponges — reef dwellers that filter

water and may provide habitat in areas

where corals have declined. Back in the

lab, she injected pieces of sponge with

fluorescent dye to test the rate and

distance the dye was pumped out, which

indicated how well the sponges were

doing their job of pumping and filtering.

Silverman could then determine how

changes in temperature and pH levels

affected the sponges. “I’ve enjoyed the

whole experience — it’s a great mix of fun

and work,” Silverman said, noting that it

gave her a real insight into the detailed

process of science. “Some of the chemical work is a little bit tedious, but I’m still enjoying it. I think I’m actually going to major in chemistry in college.”

While the students had some background in science, the program “created an environment for them to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and see it put into place,” said Booker High School teacher and program chaperone Michelle Anderson. “It’s something they never would have gotten in a regular classroom setting.”

—Mote is seeking donations to support more student researchers from Booker. To make a donation, please call Mote’s Development Office at 941-388-4441.

Booker High School teacher Michelle Anderson helps student Laura Alston as she conducts experiments on macroalgae to determine how the organism is impacted by ocean acidification.

© Jason Robertshaw/Mote Marine Laboratory


CRITTER RIDGE

Critter Ridge Landscape Contractors generously provided landscaping services for the area surrounding The Aquarium’s shark habitat. As the largest exhibit in The Aquarium, the 135,000-gallon shark habitat is certainly an eye-catching attraction for many visitors, including Critter Ridge President Steve Nielsen himself.

“My wife and I were recently at Mote with our granddaughters to see the sea lions and the first thing that struck me was what a great facility Mote has,” Nielsen said. “I thought updated landscaping would help make it look even better. Since that’s what we at Critter Ridge do, I thought we could help. We’ve been blessed to be here in the community and be in business for the past 30 years, so we like to be able to

give back to the community. And Mote is one of the best organizations in the community, so we wanted to support what it does.”

Luckily for Mote, Critter Ridge’s help came in the provision of a wide array of landscaping materials. This generous gift is an invaluable resource for Mote, as the Lab depends on donations such as this to continue to conduct vital marine research, provide educational opportunities for students and offer entertaining and informative exhibits for the local community to enjoy. “In-kind gifts allows Mote to direct funds to other programs — to pay for things like biomedical research studies and educational opportunities,” said Tom Waters, Mote’s Chief Advancement Officer. “It really supports the organization so we can maximize what we’re able to accomplish.”

SARA ROBERTS FOUNDATION

Mote recently received a grant for $123,000 from the Sara Roberts Foundation to support rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals. The funds will provide operating support for Mote’s hospitals for dolphins, whales and sea turtles. This is the second grant awarded to Mote’s animal hospitals by the Sara Roberts Foundation, a Sarasota-based family foundation that supports animal protection and welfare.

“We recognize the value of Mote Marine Lab’s research and animal care, and we consider them an integral part of our community,” said George Famiglio, Jr., Trustee of the Sara Roberts Foundation. “We are more than happy to support Mote’s hospitals in any way we can.”

Mote depends on local support for its hopsitals. “Without continued support like this, we could not sustain our commitment to rehabilitate and release these animals,” said Lynne Byrd, Rehabilitation and Medical Care Coordinator.

To help support Mote’s animal hospitals with a donation, visit mote.org/hospitalhelp.

WELLS FARGO

Wells Fargo recently awarded a $50,000 grant to Mote for research and outreach designed to benefit sea turtle conservation. The grant is part of Wells Fargo’s 2013 Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program, which helps community-based nonprofits support land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure and educational outreach in communities where Wells Fargo’s customers and team members live and work.

“Wells Fargo is proud to support Mote Marine Laboratory, a nonprofit that leads

MOTE MILESTONES

MOTE MILESTONES


internationally significant research while keeping the health of our local marine life at heart,” said Greg Natiello, a financial advisor for Wells Fargo and member of Mote’s Advisory Council. “We’re confident our contribution will go a long way to benefit sea turtles, a vital part of marine ecosystems on Florida’s west coast and an icon of marine conservation worldwide.”

The Wells Fargo grant program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

RECENT VISITORS

U.S. REP. JOE GARCIA visited Mote’s Tropical Research Laboratory in the Florida Keys to learn about our innovative efforts to study, conserve and restore coral reefs. Garcia, a lifelong

resident of South Florida whose 26th

District includes Monroe County and

part of southwest Miami-Dade County,

visited the Lab on Summerland Key,

where Mote scientists are growing coral

colonies for reef restoration and

studying how corals will fare amid

environmental change, especially ocean

acidification.

“Mote Marine Laboratory is a national

resource that offers hope and protection

to our endangered oceans and sea life,”

said Garcia, who said he couldn’t wait to

visit again. “My visit only served to

solidify my belief in the invaluable work

that they do.”

STATE REP. JOSE DIAZ toured Mote’s

main campus in Sarasota to learn about

Mote’s world-class research and discover

its public Aquarium with his family — an

experience he said was inspiring.

Diaz, who resides in Miami-Dade County

and represents Florida’s 116th District,

was visiting Sarasota for a family vacation

when a fellow representative suggested

he visit Mote. “It’s been eye-opening — I

didn’t know there was so much going on

here,” Diaz said. “It’s impressive that the

Lab attracts such a significant amount of

private research funding support that it

leverages to also serve a public purpose,

and it’s deeply integrated within the

community while promoting conservation

and positive attitudes toward the ocean.

I’m excited to build a new relationship

with Mote. Mote has a new friend in me.”

AT LEAST IT SEEMS THAT WAY when you first meet Pamela Siderski. She and her second husband Charlie have only lived in Southwest Florida for four years, but she has been a whirlwind at Mote. She quickly qualified as a docent, became a member of Mote’s Advisory Council and education committee and helped raise $5,000 for Mote’s animal hospitals. More recently, Pamela has been volunteering in Mote’s Development Office to support fund-raising efforts for Mote’s programs.

Together, the Siderskis make annual donations and promote and participate in the annual 36-hour Giving Challenge community fund-raising event.

The sights, sounds and smells of what you experience early in life shape interests and attitudes you carry for the lifetime thereafter. In New Jersey where she was born, Pamela often went to the shore — her first exposure to the salt sea and its creatures. After growing up, she never lost this fascination. She later earned her degree from Upsala College in theater arts, married, bore and raised two lovely children and settled in Cape Ann on Massachusetts’s North Shore. There she turned her natural compassion for others and a talent for fund raising into a career — first running her own nonprofit then as Executive Director of the Cape Ann chapter of the Red Cross in Gloucester.

Living in this important fishing port rekindled Pamela’s interest in the sea. She worked with the U.S. Coast Guard on a program to teach fishermen — many of whom could not even swim — safety measures to help them survive in dangerous seas. Her children also inherited her love of the ocean world as the family explored the beautiful New England coast where they lived.

Pamela later married Charlie, a marine veteran of the Vietnam war, who in his quiet way shares her interest and unbounded enthusiasm for all things marine. Together they are moved to help ensure Mote’s future as a world-class research center.

Today, the Siderskis are members of Mote’s Legacy Society, which means they have included a percentage of their estate in their will as a bequest for Mote.

If you’d like to support Mote as the Siderskis do, consider looking into the various ways you can support Mote research and education through your estate plans. Talk to your financial planner and make an appointment to meet with a Mote Development Officer.

b o r n t o g i v e

There are many ways you can add your solid financial backing to support Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. For a start, talk to Tom Waters, Chief Advancement Officer, at 941-388-4441, ext. 352, or e-mail [email protected].

NON PROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage

PAIDLebanon Junction, KY

Permit #698 1600 Ken Thompson ParkwaySarasota, FL 34236-1004

(941) 388-4441www.mote.org

Download - Mote Magazine, Autumn 2013

Top Related