JOURNAL #5-MATANZAS PASS [ESTERO BAY]

FACT # 5: The origin of the name “Matanzas” is lost in time. The sources are few and insufficient but without being too pretentious maybe we can determine where the place name of “Matanzas” comes from. The early inhabitants of this area were the Calusas or Calos (fierce people). Carlos was their chief. The chronicles say that Ponce de Leon landed in Florida in 1513 and was killed by the natives in 1521. Matanzas means “slaughters” in Spanish. It is a very illustrative and meaningful name that probably describes the events that happened between the Calusas and first Castilians that disembarked in this land at the beginning of the sixteenth century.[source: Matanzas Pass Brochure]

On Thursday, we traveled to Ft. Myers Beach to take a behind the scenes look at Matanzas Pass. This was an important field trip for us, because not only did we get to learn about marine life, but we also got to see how 'reduce, reuse and recycle' can be a part of every day life! Just as the boardwalk at the Corkscrew Sanctuary swamp was build with an environmentally sustainable goal, so too was the boardwalk at Estero Bay. The boardwalk deck was constructed from recycled plastic containers. They were ground up, melted down and made into plastic “lumber” for the boardwalk. Go green! :)

I'm very proud of how much more comfortable I have become in the outdoors, but it's no secret that I'm still really jumpy around any creatures with more than two legs.

**A fiddler crab, sometimes known as a calling crab, may be any of approximately 94 species of semi-terrestrial marine crabs which make up the genus Uca Belonging to the family Ocypodidae, fiddler crabs are most closely related to the ghost crabs of the genus Ocypode. This crustacean is named for the fiddle-shaped large claw of the male crab. This entire group is composed of small crabs — the largest being slightly over two inches across. Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish inter-tidal mud flats, lagoons and swamps.**

Though this cute little fiddler crab is tiny and could only hurt me with a pinch, I still screamed when I saw it. I have some work to do, but I'm taking baby steps in the right direction!

The wildlife we see on our field trips is usually the highlight of my adventure, but on this particular field trip, I really enjoyed learning about the different types of mangroves! I had no idea that there were multiple kinds, and that mangroves are covered in tons of tiny mangrove trees! (Smartest plant ever)

RED MANGROVES grow farthest out in the tidal zone where their roots may be flooded by water all or most of the day. Because they grow in soft, wet mud and their roots have more difficulty getting enough oxygen from underwater, red mangroves produce long external roots that hang down from the trunk and branches of the trees. These odd-looking prop roots help to stabilize the trees from high winds and strong waves while they draw in extra oxygen for the tree. The submerged roots have special layers that filter out salt while allowing fresh water to enter. This allows the trees to survive in either fresh or salt water.

BLACK MANGROVES also grow in the low tidal zone and are flooded by incoming tides for much of each day. However, these trees are usually found growing farther inland where the land is dry at low tide. Due to the daily inundation by sea water black mangroves have also developed extra roots for oxygen intake. Thin, pencil-like tubes protrude out of the ground around the base of the trees and draw in oxygen to the underground roots. These are called cable roots or pneumatophores. These tubes grow above the water level at high tide and provide a constant source of oxygen.

WHITE MANGROVES grow farther up the tidal zone in slightly upland areas where flooding is common but longer dry periods occur. While these trees still benefit from frequent inundation and flushing, they need to have dry periods every day. White mangroves do not have aerial roots however, the lower trunk of the trees have tiny lenticels along the bark to help bring in extra oxygen when water levels are high. White mangroves are generally smaller than the other species and may be gnarled by high winds and poor growing conditions. White mangrove trees have two salt glands at the base of each leaf that expel excess salt. Salt crystals may often be seen on the lower leaf surface near the base.
[source:http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Ecosystems/Mangrove/MangroveTreeTypes.htm]

As usual, our field trip was very exciting and a wonderful break from the classroom setting. It's much easier to learn and stay engaged when you are surrounded by your topic! :)