UF Wetlands Club

SEEP Maintenance Day - 24 March, 2012

2012-03-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

The UF Wetlands Club will be holding SEEP Maintenance Day on Saturday, March 24. The Wetlands Club has been very active in the development of SEEP, which functions as both a storm-water retention basin and a thriving wetland ecosystem. For more information on the development of SEEP, visit http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/seep.htm. SEEP is located on UF campus, and this convenient location makes it easy for us to conduct a Maintenance Day each semester.

Potential activities this Saturday will include:

1. Girdling Salix caroliniana, and trimming back invasive plants such as Ludwigia and Panicum repens

2. Installing benches along the trail

3. Controlling erosion along the trail leading into SEEP

Time: 9 am -Noon.

Meeting Location: Across the Entomology and Nematology Dept. (Behind Lacrosse field, Natural Area drive)

We hope to see many of you there!

Upcoming Speaker Event - 1 March, 2012

2012-02-27T07:53:00.001-08:00

The UF wetlands club will be hosting Mr. Chris Bird, Director, Director Alachua Country Environmental Protection Dept. for our spring invited speaker event. Mr. Bird will be talking about the challenge of environmental protection in the current economic scenario. The title of his talk is - "Protecting the Environment During the Great Recession"

March 1^st (Thursday) 6:00 pm

Room # NEB 202 (New Engineering Building on Center Drive)

This event is open to public.

Successful Clean up event - 25 Feb, 2012

2012-02-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for participating in the spring clean up and making it successful. We collected collected some 370 lbs of trash, separated out in recyclables and regular trash in just about 3 hrs!

As tradition has it, we found some interesting items as well, - an old leather travel bag, a soccer ball, 1 automobile tyre, a window screen/frame, and a part of vacuum cleaner. The winner for the most interesting item of trash was the leather travel bag!

We also had a student from digital media class who has chosen wetlands to be the subject of his project for this final project. He is working with the UF wetlands club to prepare a short film that will help increase the awareness about issues related to our local wetlands and promote club's actions in the local community.

Tumblin Creek Clean up - February 25, 2012

2012-02-23T07:46:00.004-08:00

The UF wetlands club is seeking volunteers to participate in the upcoming Tumblin Creek Clean Up.

When: Saturday February 25.

Time: 9:00 am – 11:30 am.

Meeting location: Parking lot of America’s Best Value Inn

1900, SW 13th Street,

Gainesville, FL 32608.

Please wear tightly fitting shoes and clothes that can get dirty. There will be water and some refreshments for the participants.

Another Successful Educational Event!!!

2012-01-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

WETLAND TOUR : On Monday. January 30th, members of the Wetlands Club led about 90 4th grade students from Norton Elementary school on an interactive tour of SEEP. The students made stops at 6 stations, and learned about soils, aquatic life, wetland vegetation, mega fauna, hydrology & water quality, and enjoyed a wetland walk. The weather was perfect for the event, and the students seemed to have a great experience, so thanks to all the club members who helped out!

Holiday Potluck (Taco Themed): 7th Dec, 2011.

2011-12-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Tumblin Creek Clean up - Sunday, November 13th

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Seeking volunteers for upcoming Tumblin Creek Clean Up. Join us for spending a morning outside picking up items that does not belong to the creek. You will be surprised with the 'interesting' items this creek may have!

When: Sunday, November 13

Where: Parking lot - America’s Best Value Inn

1900, SW 13th Street,

Gainesville, FL 32608.

Time: 9:00 am – 11:30 am.

Please wear tightly fitting shoes and clothes that can get dirty. There will be water and some refreshments for the participants.

Next Club Meeting November 1st @ 5:30pm

2011-10-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Next UF wetlands Club meeting 4th October @ 5 30 pm

2011-10-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

First fall meeting : September 6th @ 5pm

2011-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

The UF Wetlands Club is excited to invite you all for its first fall 2011 meeting.

We will be meeting on Tuesday September 6^th at 5 pm, Seminar Room, Phelps lab.

Phelps lab is across the street from UF bookstore.

Our members are involved in organizing

One day /overnight camping trips to rivers and coastal areas
Educational and awareness events involving local school kids and common public
Clean-ups around creeks on UF campus or around the city.
Cypress tree sale events to celebrate ‘World’s wetlands day – 2 Feb’
Semester end pot-luck social in coordination with ‘Agronomy and soils club’.

And much more….

There will be Pizza and drinks while we talk about our planned events this semester. Membership (free) and meetings are open for all.

See you all then!

New Officers Elected!

2011-05-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the Executive Committee of the UF Wetlands Club for the 2011-2012 school year:

President: Rupesh Bhomia
Vice-President: RJ Sindelar
Treasurer: Julia Maki
Secretary: Alexandra Rozin
Fundraiser Chair: Ashley Phillips
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Clark

Congratulations to you all. We are looking forward to another awesome year!

Wetlands Club Meeting 4/7, 6 PM, Phelps Lab

2011-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings Wetlands Club members-

The final Wetlands Club meeting of the Spring 2011 semester will be held tomorrow, Thursday April 7, at 6 pm in the Phelps Lab conference room. Pizza will be provided, and we will be discussing the following topics:

1. Luke will present a brief overview of our accomplishments this year, including our recent Tumblin Creek Clean-Up, SEEP Maintenance Day, and Sustainable Solutions Award.

2. We will hold elections for officers next year. There is still time to submit a nomination for yourself or someone else for the positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Fundraiser Chair. Please e-mail Luke at luke04@ufl.edu with any nominations before tomorrow's meeting.

3. The final Cypress Tabling Sale of the Spring 2011 semester has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 20 from 9 am - 4 pm. We'll be selling cypress seedlings for $5 at either Turlington Plaza or the Plaza of the Americas. We hope to use this event to raise both student awareness of Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 27) and funds for our organization. If you are available and interested to table, please contact Luke at luke04@ufl.edu and include your availability, or come to the meeting and write your availability information on our sign-up sheet.

4. An end of the year potluck has been scheduled with the Agronomy-Soils Club. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 20 at 6 pm. The address of the event is 103 NW 23rd Dr in Gainesville; because parking is limited, please park at the Law School and walk north to cross 2nd Ave and University Ave and then walk one block to the location. Feel free to bring whatever tasty meals or treats you can provide. For more detailed information, please e-mail Angie at angelala@ufl.edu.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to any individuals or organizations that would be interested, or invite your fellow friends to join us on Thursday evening for pizza and the meeting. We hope to see many of you there.

UF Wetlands Club Wins Sustainability Award

2011-04-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that the UF Wetlands Club was presented with the 2011 Sustainable Solutions Water Conservation Student Organization Award by the UF Office of Sustainability! We look forward to continuing our efforts promoting water conservation for many years to come.

SEEP Maintenance Day - April 2, 2011

2011-03-29T14:40:00.002-07:00

The UF Wetlands Club will be holding SEEP Maintenance Day on Saturday, April 2. The Wetlands Club has been very active in the development of SEEP, which functions as both a storm-water retention basin and a thriving wetland ecosystem. For more information on the development of SEEP, visit http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/seep.htm. SEEP is located on UF campus, and this convenient location makes it easy for us to conduct a Maintenance Day each semester.

Potential activities this Saturday will include:

1. Girdling Salix caroliniana, and trimming back invasive plants such as Ludwigia and Panicum repens

2. Installing benches along the trail

3. Controlling erosion along the trail leading into SEEP

Time: 9 am -Noon.

Meeting Location: Across the Entomology and Nematology Dept. (Behind Lacrosse field, Natural Area drive)

We hope to see many of you there!

Tumblin Creek Clean-up, 19 Mar, 2011

2011-03-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

A big applause for all the participants for this spring clean up of the Tumblin Creek. I think this year we set a new record for the youngest volunteer ever participated in the creek clean up. We collected a total of 826 lbs of trash including regular non-recyclable trash, and some 4-5 big bags full of glass bottles, plastic containers and drink/soda cans, and all of this in about 3 hrs!

As tradition has it, we found some interesting items, - an empty briefcase, a tackle box, a calculator, a lady’s dress… The winner for the most interesting item of trash was ofcourse lady’s dress!

- Photos from spring clean up event -

Jay with Evelyn - our youngest volunteer...

Getting ready for the vote for most interesting piece of trash.

The contenders...

Voting in progress...

Finally, the winner!!!

The team

Next Meeting March 1 at 6 PM, Phelps Lab

2011-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

The next Wetlands Club meeting will take place tonight, Tuesday, March 1, at 6 PM in the Phelps Lab conference room. Pizza will be provided, and we will be discussing the following upcoming events and topics:

1. Tumblin' Creek Clean-up: The next Tumblin' Creek Clean-up will take place on Saturday, March 19. We'll meet at the parking lot of Americas Best Value Inn (1900 SW 13th St) at 9 AM and collect trash and recyclables until noon. We'll provide all the pickers, buckets, and bags - all we need are more hands! There will be a sign-up sheet at the meeting if you are interested to join this effort. If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would still like to help out, please contact our Secretary Rupesh at rbhomia@ufl.edu.

2. Continuing our Cypress Fundraiser: Our website (www.ufwetlandsclub.blogspot.com) is now equipped with a page "Buy or Donate a Cypress Fundraiser." The link takes websurfers to a form were they can either purchase a cypress or donate money to have a cypress planted at a local wetland. We'll provide a color flyer announcing our sale to attendees at the meeting for posting around town/campus. We'd also like to hear suggestions from our members if you have any other ideas regarding how we can increase awareness of our fundraiser.

3. SEEP Brochure Committee - We'll begin work on our interpretative brochure this month to encourage visitors of the Florida Museum of Natural History to visit the nearby Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project. If you're interested, please sign-up at the next meeting, or e-mail Luke at luke04@ufl.edu.

4. Officer nominations for 2011-2012 academic year: The Wetlands Club will be holding elections for next year's officers during our meeting on April 5. To prepare, we'll call for nominations for President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary at our meeting on March 1.

Please feel free to forward this information to individuals that would interested in our activities or invite your fellow, wetland-oriented friends to join us. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Next Meeting Tuesday, February 1, 2011

2011-01-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

The next Wetlands Club meeting will be Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 6 PM in the Phelps Lab Conference Room. We'll be discussing the following upcoming events:
1. World Wetlands Day Cypress Seedling Fundraiser (February 2, 2011)
2. Campus Clean-up with UF Office of Sustainability (February 5, 2011)
3. Formulation of Brochure Committee regarding SEEP/Natural History Museum (ongoing)
Pizza will be provided as always. We hope to see many of you there!

Celebrate World Wetlands Day - Buy A Cypress Seedling!

2011-01-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

The UF Wetlands Club will hold a cypress seedling fundraiser on Wednesday, February 2 (World Wetlands Day) from 9 AM - 4 PM at the Reitz Union Colonnade. Seedings are ~3 feet tall and planted in reclaimed compost in 3 gallon pots. Seedlings will be sold for $5 each but are also available for a bulk discount. Please e-mail Luke Gommermann at luke04@ufl.edu to pre-order.

Great Suwannee River Clean Up a Smashing Success!

2010-12-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 4, UF Wetlands Club volunteers participated in the last clean-up of the Great Suwannee River Clean Up. This effort was composed of many small clean-ups over the past three months from the Georgia line all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico and was organized by Current Problems, the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail Working Group, and the Suwannee River Water Management District.

Despite a cool start, the weather turned beautiful as the day progressed and volunteers collected trash from the cypress floodplain beyond the river. By the end of the day, over 500 pounds of trash were collected! Special thanks go to Fritzi Olson of Current Problems and Pam Darty of the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge for coordinating this successful event.

Tumblin Creek Clean-up, 20 Nov, 2010

2010-11-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Tumblin Creek Clean-up, 20 Nov, 2010
Thank you all for participating in the fall clean up and making it successful. We managed to collect half a dumpster of regular non-recyclable trash, and some 8-9 big bags full of glass bottles, plastic containers and drink/soda cans, and all of this in about 3 hrs!

As tradition has it, we found some interesting items as well, - a vacumm cleaner, 3 automobile tyres, a florida highway sun pass, a driving license issued in seventies, and a soft toy. The winner for the most interesting item of trash was this soft toy which was unanimously named as 'RJ junior', and was christened as the creek clean up mascot for the season.

It was a beautiful day and a satisfying feeling to be out there walking in the creek, taking out all that does not belong there. Thanks for your help and support.

Tumblin Creek Clean Up: 20' Nov, 2010

2010-10-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Tumblin Creek Trash Clean Up : 20' Nov, 2010

The Wetlands Club has adopted Tumblin Creek through Adopt A River. Wetlands club is responsible for organizing trash cleanups in the creek and the floodplain twice in a year. Over past many years the club has been providing excellent service by collecting the trash brought in by the Tumblin Creek on to the flood plain of the Biven’s Arm lake. Last semester we collected a huge volume of glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans which were then sent for recycling. This activity therefore not only prevents pollution in the water body but also helps in recycling some of the waste.

Information about Tumblin Creek:

Tumblin Creek is a spring fed creek that travels through portions of East Gainesville. The watershed of the creek is heavily urbanized with 60% impervious surfaces. Due to the impervious surfaces, trash, pollutants and sediments are rapidly mobilized during storms in to the creek. The creek along with the trash and sediments enter a 30 acre floodplain wetland. This floodplain facilitates sediment and trash deposition, which is where the Club cleans up trash.

Meeting Time: 9 am, 20' Nov, 2010.

Directions:

-Travelling south on Hwy 441 (NW 13th St) cross over University Avenue and SW 16th St.
-Just past SW 16th Avenue you will see The America's Best Value Inn on the right hand-side.
-Turn right at the southernmost entrance to the Motel and drive all the way back. Park anywhere next to the big grassy field.
-The clean-up will occur at the end of the channel. So follow the creek westward until you see the group

-Wear field clothes and shoes that can get dirty.
-We will have some drinking water.

Suwannee River Overnight, Oct. 23-24, 2010

2010-10-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Wetland Club will be embarking on a weekend paddling and camping trip, Sat and Sun, Oct. 23-24, 2010 on the beautiful Suwannee River! Bring your own boat or rent a canoe at the Suwannee Canoe Outpost (paid for by the club, if you are member).

Details:

- leave from UF campus at 9:00am on Sat.

- carpool to Canoe Outpost (near Live Oak, ~45 min from G-ville)

- bring your own lunch for Sat. and breakfast for Sun., snacks, water, and other drinks

- Sat. dinner will be prepared as a group

- make sure to pack a sleeping bag, warm clothes, water shoes, flashlight, and tent (borrow from friends or rent from the Reitz Union Outfitter 352-846-3003, outfitter@union.ufl.edu if you don't have your own)
- we will be shuttled 13 miles upstream (Pine Grove launch) by the Canoe Outpost, then float/paddle downstream
- we will camp on a public sandbar along the river

If you want to come...
- email Lisa Gardner (lisagardner@ufl.edu) ASAP to get your email address on the trip emails
- get a $10 deposit to Lisa by OCT. 14th (drop it by her office at Rm 102 Newell Hall, or put it in her mailbox in Rm 106 Newell Hall- include your name!)

Cypress Weeding/BBQ This Weekend!

2010-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

October 9th -Cypress Weeding/BBQ
Come help give our cypress seedlings some much needed care! We will be clipping away the weeds from the cypress seedlings we have planted in containers, so that an herbicide can be applied to help keep down future weeds. After the work is done, stay and enjoy a BBQ. Details on transportation and the time will be updated soon.

Planting Seedlings

Weed Free!

Lots and lots of weeds!

Successful Education Activities

2010-10-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

SEEP TOUR : On Thursday September 30th, members of the Wetlands Club led about 45 5th grade students from Rawlings Elementary school on an interactive tour of SEEP. The students made stops at 5 stations, and learned about soils, aquatic life, vegetation, hydrology & water quality, and enjoyed a wetland walk. The weather was perfect for the event, and the students seemed to have a great experience, so thanks to all the club members who helped out!

DR. DISCOVERY at the Florida Museum of Natural History: This summer, members of the Wetlands Club were involved with the Dr Discovery series organized by the FMNH. In this event we had an interactive session with the young kids (3-5 yrs age group), and used some small exhibits to demonstrate the differences between a wetland and an upland. The idea behind this event was to introduce young kids to the differences between the wetlands and uplands and point out the importance of wetlands. There were live plants, some wetland fishes, a green tree frog and leeches, which got all the attention from the kids.

Some 15-17 kids attended this presentation, mostly accompanied with their parents. This was the first educational even organized by the club in coordination with the FMNH, and we are hoping that the club will have more opportunities in the future to collaborate with the museum.

Welcome to the Wetlands Club

2010-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Wetlands Club is excited about the 2010-2011 academic year! We are looking forward to getting involved with some fun activities this year, and excited to meet new members.

The officers for the 2010-2011 year are :

Luke Gommerman, President luke04@ufl.edu
Lisa Gardner, Vice President lisagardner@ufl.edu
Julia Maki, Treasurer, jmaki@ufl.edu
Rupesh Bhomia, Secretary, rbhomia@ufl.edu

Please feel free to contact us with any questions!

The Wetlands Club at the University of Florida was created in 1995 by students and staff who share an understanding of wetlands and their values. The Club, an official UF student organization under the Benton Engineering Council, is open to all students and staff regardless of their majors.

Field Trip and Social Events
Because learning about wetlands is an important part of being a member, the Wetlands Club sponsors field trips every semester to natural areas. Recreational opportunities include canoeing, hiking, birding, swimming, and camping.

Service Projects
Club members educate the public through public service projects.Since the summer of 1995 members have restored wetlands in Paynes Prairie State Preserve, planted trees in stormwater retention ponds at a Gainesville elementary school, picked up litter in the Hogtown Creek in Gainesville, and taught about wetlands through a three-day wetlands lecture series. The Club also made interpretive signs for a boardwalk in Paynes Prairie, Stromwater Enhancement and Educational Project (SEEP).

Research Opportunities
The Wetlands Club provides a clearinghouse for members who need help on research projects. Members volunteer to assist others in the field and often provide new ideas for research efforts.