The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is awarded an NSF planning grant to expand its collaborative network with visiting scientists, formalize educational programs, create new education and research opportunities, and improve its research and training capacity. Sanibel and Captiva Islands have a rich history and both inhabitants and visitors have a genuine connection to the land and the surrounding waters. SCCF has been the unrivaled leader in southwest Florida in: (1) preserving habitat through land acquisition; (2) removing exotic species; and (3) being involved in addressing problems related to freshwater releases by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). More recently, SCCF has also been at the forefront by informing policy decisions related to tackling complex environmental problems in Florida using data collected by its staff and real-time water quality observing network (River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network, or RECON, a network of nine in-water sensors which provides real-time, hourly sampling of key water quality parameters across a 90-mile area; data and related information are available through its dedicated website, http://recon.sccf.org). SCCF has forged a solid reputation in Florida in the past 43 years as evidenced by the reliance of local governments, federal and state agencies, and local universities on SCCF for leadership, problem solving and scientific expertise. Overall, SCCF owns and manages over 1,850 acres of land on the barrier islands with convenient access to diverse coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems representing a transition between tropical and subtropical zones. The funding will aid SCCF in developing a comprehensive plan to guide the Foundation and its Marine Lab (ML) over the next 3-5 years. The focus will be to reemphasize its research and training efforts, including the development of an overall strategic plan to house several multipurpose research labs, accommodate a growing research staff, and provide space and housing for visiting students and researchers. An Educational Center will be a part of the plan, as currently there are no educational facilities at the Laboratory to display the diverse marine life of the area and related science despite the fact that Sanibel and Captiva are among the most visited barrier islands in Florida and adjacent to one of the busiest National Wildlife Refuges. Given the recent shift in green construction technologies and the lack of its use on the islands, specific details and a vision will be developed involving outside experts and examples from other marine laboratories to incorporate and maximize the Foundation's use of these novel technologies into its new bricks and mortar facilities, including using available sustainable practices. The five-year overall SCCF Strategic Planning effort will include: (1) conducting two large planning charrettes involving broad participation of the scientific community outside SCCF with participants to include lab directors/facilities managers, SCCF ML staff, the ML Steering Committee, SCCF Board members, stakeholders (e.g., City of Sanibel, South Florida Water Management District, FGCU planners) and a LEEDs accredited architectural consultant; (2) visits to other marine lab sites; (3) as well as several smaller workshops on Sanibel both before and after the charrettes to involve a subset of the larger group mentioned above to develop fully the diverse elements related to research, education, and outreach that support the Lab?s mission while stimulating collaborations among scientists across disciplines. Site selection will also be incorporated into the process.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is at a critical junction in its development as a science-based land trust with a 45 year successful history of acquiring land for conservation. In 2002, SCCF started the Marine Laboratory with two Ph.D. resident scientists and an excellent network of oceanographic moorings throughout the Caloosahatchee, Pine Island Sound, and Gulf of Mexico. A concerted, long-term strategic development plan is needed to guide the research and education activities of SCCF’s Marine Lab. To this end, a six step plan to evaluate the current and anticipated research and educational goals was initiated with the help from outside experts to point out insufficiencies and strengths of the programs. A planning Charette was held on Sanibel Island in February 2011 and the findings were summarized in a draft white paper for SCCF Board and staff. These findings included the need for visiting space and housing, continued formalization of an internship and graduate programs, a space for educating and engaging the public, and LEED-certified design and construction of a core facility. The panelists agreed that the current facilities were limiting research and training capacity and that the staff had been productive despite these limitations. The inadequacies of the current facility were apparent to all of the visitors and much more discussion centered on the development of essential research and educational elements for SCCF to become a hub for visiting scientists and students. Subsequent visits to a model marine lab (Pritzker, New College, Sarasota, FL) and a field station (Archbold, Venus, FL) further crystallized the concepts of deep collaboration between resident scientists and visitors and the value of housing for research and training. Three Internal Workshops were held between July 2011 and July 2012 with key staff, SCCF Board members, an architectural consultant, builder, and USFWS leadership staff (federal partners). The workshop findings included a strategic plan that meets the research and training needs for the next ten years and a plan for a new Marine Lab Core facility. The strategic plan outlines 5 focus areas that include; demonstrating scientific leadership in research, building a Core facility, acquisition of a larger vessel and new laboratory technologies, meet a need for marine education and outreach, and building a Visiting Scientist program. Further planning and discussions of our ten year strategic master plan focused on the elements of the core facility. The core facility will have 2 dedicated labs, an analytical or ‘dry’ lab and a wet lab. There will also be a conference area for at least 10 people to discuss research design, analyses, results, and for presentations. Under building rainwater collection tanks (cement) will capture water and other green technologies including passive cooling, geothermal cooling, natural lighting, and efficient design will also enhance research functions. Training functions will provide flexible office/lab space for interns, graduate students and visiting scientists. An exhibit area for informal education and outreach will be at the entrance and will provide a place for Volunteer Events check-in and for public that drop in for various purposes. The Marine Lab does not have a formal education program so a dedicated classroom space in the Core facility was not included in the design. Housing is also not in the Core facility plan and will have to be addressed at another location. In terms of the siting of the new Core facility, several options were weighed. In a workshop with our federal partners, USFWS, a plan to replace the existing facility was discussed. The SCCF Board is very interested in continuing these conversations to rebuild at the existing site under the USFWS deferred maintenance plan. We are early in the process but we have provided our NSF planning outcomes to the USFWS architect.
