Barrier Island Center Schedules August Programs

MELBOURNE BEACH, FL - Events celebrating sea turtles and land crabs will be held throughout August at the Barrier Island Center in Melbourne Beach.

On Sunday, August 1, the Tour de Turtles 2010 Sea Turtle Release will be held at 8:30 a.m. The Sea Turtle Conservancy and the University of Central Florida Marine Turtle Research Program will release a satellite-equipped loggerhead sea turtle. Crafts for all ages will be available on the observation deck while the transmitter is being attached. The turtle’s migration can be followed online at www.tourdeturtles.org   as she races other sea turtles released throughout the Caribbean on a 1,628-mile marathon.

On Saturday, August 7, Lookout for Land Crabs will be held at 1 p.m. Visitors are invited to create a crazy crab costume and parade about to help bring awareness of the great land crab’s spawning migration, from their burrows near the lagoon across the barrier island to the ocean to release their eggs.

On Wednesday, August 11, oyster mat making will be held at 10 a.m. Visitors can help the Nature Conservancy with their project to restore oyster reefs in the Mosquito Lagoon.

On Saturday, August 21, a beach clean-up will be held at 9 a.m. Participants will help clean the beaches for the nesting and hatching sea turtles and spawning land crabs.

On Sunday, August 29, a “Miracles in the Mangroves: Great Land Crabs, Mangrove Rivulus and Mosquitoes” presentation will be held at 2 p.m. D. Scott Taylor, world-renowned expert  on the rivulus, will speak about the great land crab spawning migration, the bizarre fish that share crab burrows, and the intrinsic value of mosquitoes in the mangrove swamps.

All events are free of charge, and will be held at the Environmentally Endangered Lands Barrier Island Center, 8385 S. Highway A1A in Melbourne Beach.

Call 321-723-3556 for more information.