A Few of My Favorite Things

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Seining: What's That?

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I was first introduced to the estuary when I started working there as the public information officer. People kept talking about the free family seining event twice a month on Saturday mornings at Guana Dam ... how popular it was with families. Now, I didn't want to sound too uninformed, but I honestly didn't know what they were talking about. 

 "What's that," I asked. Luckily, one of the educators at GTM ResearchReserve overheard me. "Well," she said, "the phrase 'seining' comes from a seine net. Whenever groups of students come out for a field experience, that's one of the things they participate in."

Pulling a seine net through the water.

Someone else told me that if you fish, you are probably familiar with the phrase. For those of you who are new to this activity, here's a link to a seining instruction video. Basically, you pull a net through Guana Lake, collecting different types of fish, crabs, shrimp, shells and other habitat living in the lake. This activity is a wonderful way for you and your family to learn about the animals and their roles in the habitat. When you pull the net out of the water, your GTM seining volunteer will use a card called Fish Identification Guide, which you will use to match the fish and other creatures you catch. Click here to view the Fish Identification Guide.

Students learn about fish in the net.
If you're not completely exhausted after this adventure, I recommend you pack lunches to enjoy at the Trailhead Pavilion or take a hike through one of the trails and have lunch at a picnic table overlooking the Tolomato River! Or you can walk across the street to the beach and ocean. If you don't want to walk that far, follow the sidewalk near Guana Dam and visit the Environmental Education Center's Exhibit Hall. There, you can see the terrapin turtle exhibit I shared with you last week!

I highly recommend that if you live in the region or are planning to visit the Jacksonville area, you bring your family out to the reserve for the seining activity! Don't worry about gear because the reserve will even provide waders and booties, which you will need. And best of all, it’s free! You just pay $3 to park your car. Now, how many things can you do as a family for $3?

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