Changing Times and Seas

Changing Times and Seas. . , Amidst the Rising Water , Just 250 years ago, during the occupation of Fort Mose, the area surrounding this boardwalk was dry land used for farms, ranches and forts. Human actions such as dredging, canal construction and development contribute to the changes in sea level. Estuaries and swamps exist where dry land used to dominate., Global climate change is also having an impact. Can you imagine our local coastlines if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, raising global sea levels by as much as 20 feet?, Island Living - A Rookery in Our Midst , To the north there Is a rookery, a nesting colony of gregarious birds such as wood storks, egrets and herons. The birds showcase their breeding plumage from mid-March through July., One of the largest birds to nest in this area is the wood stork. This area is ideal for nesting because the changing water level reveals higher concentrations of fish during lower tides. Females lay two to five eggs, which both parents incubate for about one month., The Wood Stork , in the 1930s, there were an estimated 20.000 breeding pairs of wood storks; today the population is approximately 8,000. The numbers have declined drastically, mainly from loss of feeding grounds due to land development, logging and draining. A pair of nesting wood storks and their young need approximately 443 pounds of fish during the breeding season to survive!, (Sidebar) , This illustration of Florida represents the coastline 20,000 years ago. It was the height of the Ice Age, when sea levels were 400 feet lower than today, and there was a lot more land to go around., This illustration of Florida represents the coastline 20,000 years ago. It was the height of the Ice Age, when sea levels were 400 feet lower than today, and there was a lot more land to go around. (caption) Great egret Arden alba