Marine Biology and Field Lab

Instructor: Chris Whitt, Marine Biologist

Become a student of marine biology and learn about marine life (including mollusks) at Sanibel’s Gulfside City Park. This hands-on course will cover finding and identifying micromollusks, phytoplankton collecting, and the role of phytoplankton in local food webs, invertebrate diversity, and more.

Prerequisites: Ability to walk in wet sand and mud, crouch down, and stand for periods of 30+ minutes. This is a rain or shine class but will be rescheduled for dangerous weather.

Materials Required: Transportation to and from Gulfside City Park ($5/hour parking fee not included). Students must provide their own field-appropriate clothes (shoes, hat, jacket, poncho, etc.).

Materials Recommended: Florida’s Living Beaches by Blair and Dawn Witherington

Materials Provided: Mini field lab notebook, pencil, laminated shell guide, and all materials necessary to collect micromollusks, phytoplankton, and conduct water quality testing.

Cost:$75 ($60 for Museum Members)

Maximum 8 students.