Working in Paradise!

Hi, my name is Fiorella Fernandez (Fio for short!) and I am excited to start working as Natural Resources intern at Biscayne National Park! I look forward to contributing to the park by assisting with different data collection and conservation projects. One of my main projects will push my fish recognizing skills to the limit by doing creel surveys for the park in two nearby marinas. My second main project will require me to search for sea turtle nests along the beaches of Elliot key, and secure the nests to protect them against predation if I do find a nest.

I did not have to move far to get to this park, just an hour and a half drive south from Ft. Lauderdale, but what a difference that small drive makes! Biscayne National Park is unlike anything I have ever seen. Off the boardwalk near the visitors center you can see different species of fish zip around or chill by the rocks. There is a tranquility present in the park that follows you whether you are on the water, its keys, or even the visitors center! The park encompasses everything I love about Florida: clear waters, beautiful mangrove coasts and the endless number of marine animals found in the waters. From the smallest needlefish to giant tarpon, this park has it all.

This is one of the beaches of Elliot key, where my coworkers and I will search for sea turtle nests. They are not like beaches usually seen in South Florida, they are rocky, rough, and have very little sand. These factors do not stop certain loggerhead sea turtles from nesting here though! This will definitely be a summer to remember. I am hoping the heat and the bugs will not be too memorable, though…

Catch y’all later!
Fiorella