The NCBS experience occurs at the UF IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station at 552 1st St., Cedar Key, FL. To customize your trip, please choose three of the field activities below (trawl NOT included for this option):

Discovery Center: 

The Discovery Center is located on the ground floor of the NCBS facility. A public education center that houses local fish and turtle species, an array of interactive exhibits about Shellfish Aquaculture, and the importance of the Suwannee River Watershed.

Scavenger Hunt: 

Ideal for grades 4-8th. Students will be given a list of items to find on the beach in Cedar Key. A few of these items range from shells, feathers, and animal tracks, to “something they’ve never seen before.” Students will be encouraged to discuss what species they believe these items belong to. They are also required to find a piece of human-made trash to bring back to throw away properly.

Seining Seagrass: 

Hands-on, feet wet! Students will walk to Cedar Key City Beach during this field lab to learn the importance of seagrass ecosystems. Students wade in the water along the beach using a long net to examine and identify marine organisms, and discuss their structural features. The relationships among water quality, habitat, species diversity, and ecosystem health underlie this module. Proper footwear required!

Fish Dissection: 

Students will dissect a fish with a Biologist! Our staff will work side-by-side with the children introducing them to the biology of a fish, showing them the location of vital organs and their functions. Students will practice their skills by pulling Otoliths and discussing how to read the “Annuli” to tell the age of the fish.

Shoreline Resiliency: 

Ideal for grades 4-8th. In this activity, students will use a model to construct an unprotected sandy shoreline and make inferences about how it will be affected by a storm surge. Students will then construct a protected shoreline using natural items like seagrass and oysters. They will use the model to compare how different alterations can effectively combat wave action and why some solutions are better for the ecosystem than others.

Water Quality Monitoring – Beach Data Collection:

Students will be given a variety of scientific equipment to collect biotic and abiotic data at the beach. Through observations and water samples we will determine and discuss parameters including: Turbidity, pH, Salinity, Temperature,  and Dissolved Oxygen. Students will then collect an independent sample to study closer in the lab under a microscope. 

The NCBS experience occurs at the UF IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station at 552 1st St., Cedar Key, FL. To customize your trip, please choose two of the field activities below (trawl included for this option if chosen):

Discovery Center: 

The Discovery Center is located on the ground floor of the NCBS facility. A public education center that houses local fish and turtle species and an array of interactive exhibits about Shellfish Aquaculture and the importance of the Suwannee River Watershed.

Scavenger Hunt: 

Ideal for grades 4-8th. Students will be given a list of items to find on the beach in Cedar Key. A few of these items range from shells, feathers, and animal tracks, to “something they’ve never seen before.” Students will be encouraged to discuss what species they believe these items belong to. They are also required to find a piece of human-made trash to bring back to throw away properly.

Seining Seagrass: 

Hands-on, feet wet! Students will walk to Cedar Key City Beach during this field lab to learn the importance of seagrass ecosystems.  Students wade in the water to seine the seagrass bed along the beach using a long net, examine and identify marine organisms, and discuss their structural features. The relationships among water quality, habitat, species diversity, and ecosystem health underlie this module. Proper footwear required!

Fish Dissection: 

Students will dissect a fish with a Biologist! Our staff will work side-by-side with the children introducing them to the biology of a fish, showing them the location of vital organs and their functions. Students will practice their skill by pulling Otoliths and discussing how to read the “Annuli” to tell the age of the fish.

Shoreline Resiliency: 

Ideal for grades 4-8th. In this activity, students will use a model to construct an unprotected sandy shoreline and make inferences about how it will be affected in a storm surge. Students will then construct a protected shoreline using natural items like seagrass and oysters. They will use the model to compare how different alterations can effectively combat wave action, and why some solutions are better for the ecosystem than others.

Water Quality Monitoring – Beach Data Collection:

Students will be given a variety of scientific equipment to collect biotic and abiotic data at the beach. Through observations and water samples we will determine and discuss parameters including: Turbidity, pH, Salinity, Temperature,  and Dissolved Oxygen. Students will then collect an independent sample to study closer in the lab under a microscope. 

Trawling (included with this experience): 

During this field lab, students will collect marine animals, and learn about seagrass beds. Through short trawls on the boat sampling seagrass habitat, marine specimens are collected. Students closely examine and identify representative organisms. The relationships among water quality, habitat, species diversity and ecosystem health underlie this module. Remember to study an animal’s features and you will learn how they interact with their surroundings.

The Seahorse Key experience takes place at an island adjacent to Cedar Key, FL (15-20 minutes by boat). To customize your trip, please choose two of the field activities below (trawl included for this option if chosen):

Scavenger Hunt: 

Ideal for grades 4-8th. Students will be given a list of items to find on the beach at Seahorse Key. A few of these items range from shells, feathers, and animal tracks, to “something they’ve never seen before”. Students will be encouraged to discuss what species they believe these items belonged to. They are also required to find a piece of human-made trash to bring back to throw away properly.

Seining Seagrass: 

Hands-on, feet wet! During this field lab, students will pull a seine through the water on the shore of the island to learn the importance of seagrass ecosystems.  Using a long net we will examine and identify marine organisms, and discuss their structural features. The relationships among water quality, habitat, species diversity, and ecosystem health underlie this module. Proper footwear required!

Fish Dissection: 

Students will dissect a fish with a Biologist! Our staff will work side-by-side with the children introducing them to the biology of a fish, showing them the location of vital organs and their functions. Students will practice their skills by pulling Otoliths and discussing how to read the “Annuli” to tell the age of the fish.

Water Quality Monitoring – Beach Data Collection:

Students will be given a variety of scientific equipment to collect biotic and abiotic data at the beach. Through observations and water samples we will determine and discuss parameters including: Turbidity, pH, Salinity, Temperature,  and Dissolved Oxygen. Students will then collect an independent sample to study closer in the lab under a microscope. 

Trawling (included with this experience): 

During this field lab, students will collect marine animals and learn about seagrass beds. Through short trawls on the boat sampling seagrass habitat, marine specimens are collected. Students closely examine and identify representative organisms. The relationships among water quality, habitat, species diversity, and ecosystem health underlie this module. Remember to study an animal’s features, and you will learn how they interact with their surroundings.