Last Friday at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center a sold-out Lunch and Learn lecture on invasive pythons set off a selfie-taking frenzy as guests posed with an 8-foot python skin after the presentation. More than 100 guests enjoyed lunch and an interesting hour devoted to a relatively new and unwelcomed addition to Southwest Florida’s terrain – Burmese pythons.
Kodiak Hengstebeck, Ph.D. candidate at University of Florida and Jeff Carter, Stewardship Coordinator at Rookery Bay discussed the negative impact this non-native snake has on local wildlife. It seems pythons have a voracious appetite for native birds and small mammals.
Attendees learned about scientific efforts currently underway to monitor pythons’ movements and study their behavior.
On March 27, Rookery Bay will host the final Lunch & Learn of the 2019-2020 series – “A Tale of Two Mangroves: How Forest Health Affects Carbon Storage,” by Dr. Brita Jessen, Rookery Bay Research Coordinator and Marissa Figueroa, Rookery Bay Coastal Training Specialist.
Rookery Bay Research Reserve
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve stretches across 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest, uplands and protected waters. We are committed to preservation through research, education, and land protection.
