CREW Land & Water Trust receives CHNEP grant for "Strolling Science" seminars

The CREW Land & Water Trust has been awarded a Public Outreach Grant (POG) from the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) to partially fund the second year of its CREW Strolling Science Seminars. The CREW Strolling Science Seminars is a series of scholarly nature walks for adults led by professional biologists, land managers, and professors who are experts in their fields. The grant will help pay for stipends for some of the seminar leaders. "Funding from CHNEP allows us to provide these quality environmental education programs for the public," says Brenda Brooks, CREW's Executive Director. Jeff Montgomery participated in several of last year's seminars and thinks "the science is mind-blowing". What would he tell others about them? "Whether you have a PhD in ecology or had to drop out of school after eighth grade, you will find these strolls interesting and informative. It's a bit like all the fun of science classes without the tests."

Call 239-657-2253 for more information.

Other CREW Strolling Science Seminars are:

• December 15, 2012 - Snake in the Grass: Not Always a Bad Guy (Snakes) w/ Dr. John Herman, FGCU
• January 5, 2013 - Evolution & Natural Selection w/ Dr. Billy Gunnels, FGCU
• February 8, 2013 - It's a Zoo Out There! - Exotic Species w/ John Cassani, Lee Co. Hyacinth Control & Roger Clark, formerly of Lee Co. Parks & Rec.
• March 8, 2013 - Dancing Colors & Tigers of the Sky: Butterflies and Dragonflies of CREW, w/ Dr. Clyde Sorenson, NCSU
• April 26, 2013 - The Panther Tale w/ Marc Criffield, FFWCC Panther Biologist

The cost for each seminar is $15 for CREW members and $25 for non-members. The CREW Land & Water Trust is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization dedicated to the preservation of water resources and natural communities in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). The 60,000 acre project spans Collier and Lee Counties, and is the largest undisturbed watershed in Southwest Florida. The CREW trail systems are owned and maintained by the South Florida Water Management District. They include the CREW Marsh Trails and CREW Cypress Dome Trails on CR 850 (Corkscrew Road) and the Bird Rookery Swamp Trails on Shady Hollow Boulevard in Naples. Additional information about the CREW Land & Water Trust and its programs can be found on its website.