A Canoe View of Miami, the Magic City

As South Florida residents happily fling open windows to cool sunny days, swirling snowflakes will remind our family and friends it’s time to visit us lucky folks. Today’s post will help you guide your guests on a budget-friendly but memorable excursion. Miami deserves its reputation as a world-class destination, but it’s not always easy to show it off to its best advantage. The photo montage is to give you a taste of a Canoe View of the Magic City.

These photos were taken during excursions skirting the mangrove preserve on the west side, near the north end, of the barrier island called Key Biscayne. You access this paddling destination at Crandon Marina. You will have to supply your own canoes or kayaks; there is no rental facility at the marina. The boat ramp is open 24 hours a day, so you can paddle out whenever the mood strikes!

This location was the first saltwater canoeing Dr. Tom Kazo introduced me to, at the beginning of Wildlife Research Team in 1993. In those days, sad reminders of Hurricane Andrew’s force were everywhere, with many broken boats rudely shoved into the mangroves. We would often launch in the very early morning, but sometimes we would wait until the late afternoon and enjoy a beautiful sunset. On occasion, we could then turn the bow of our canoe to the east and watch the full moon rise over Key Biscayne. Sometimes, Tom and I would stay out until the wee hours of the morning, marveling at the bioluminescent creatures lighting up the waves, chilled by the mist rising from the water.

The old, gnarled red mangrove trees have withstood the brunt of many hurricanes. These stalwart protectors of the shoreline also fringe a championship golf course for part of the way. The peninsula jutting out into Biscayne Bay, known as West Point, is all dense mangrove habitat. As this is part of the treasure designated as the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, you and your guests may be delighted by sharks, sea turtles, dolphins both fish and mammal, manatee, rays, barracuda, tarpon, snook, glass minnow, pufferfish, needlefish, crabs, jellyfish, brown pelican, cormorant, anhinga, herons, egrets, magnificent frigatebird, and osprey, among many others.

I seriously recommend you check the weather and tides before venturing forth. When the tide is high, you will be able to paddle into cozy coves hidden behind and beneath the mature mangroves, which we made use of just the other day to escape the sun. If there is a strong wind from the east, northeast, or southeast, you can then be fairly sheltered in the lee of the island. I speak from white-knuckled experience: the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay can kick up big time! A strong west or southwest wind, combined with low tide? Pick another day, especially if you are leading a tour of guests unfamiliar with South Florida’s dramatically ephemeral weather.

To get there, take the Rickenbacker Causeway across to Key Biscayne; there’s a $1.75 toll for cars, and if you are towing a trailer, that will jump significantly,  to over $10. My advice is to strap your canoe or kayak to the roof of your vehicle if possible! Your guests will certainly enjoy the view from the causeway; and as you pass through Virginia Key, don’t let them stop at the Miami Seaquarium! Point out University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science just before you drive over Bear Cut; and then you are on Key Biscayne’s Crandon Boulevard. (NOTE: Bear Cut overpass is under construction, so traffic might be heavier.)

Keep a sharp eye to your right for Crandon Marina, as it’s close to the bridge and easy to shoot by. Make that right turn into the marina, and work your way past the parking lots and boats being launched or landed to the very end of the docks, on the left, or south end. The safest place to launch canoes and kayaks is as far away from the big stinky powered vessels and their often erratically driven tow vehicles as possible! Fee to launch a boat is $15, but canoes or kayaks are just $4.00. There are 24-hour automatic pay stations that accept exact change, or a credit or debit card; their public restrooms are about what you’d expect. “Nuff said.

Once you launch, keep to the left, where the water is shallow, so you can get away from powerboats. By following the fringing mangroves, you are most likely to see wildlife, which cannot be guaranteed; but the fabulous view of Miami’s ever-growing skyline is always ready and waiting for a photo! Just make sure everyone has stowed their camera equipment while entering or exiting their vessel, as that’s when you are most likely to drop it overboard! The sailboats moored between the marina and the small  island/rookery make first-rate photo compositions. It’s a nice relaxing paddle along the curving shoreline of mangroves, exploring the nooks beneath the old mangroves and the tiny islands. You are likely to see stacks of glass minnows flashing beneath the surface, occasionally “skipping school” as they leap into the air. Eventually you will reach West Point, inhabited not by future officers of the US Army, but by seabirds, raccoons, and crabs. Straight out from there are sandbars and tidal flats where it’s possible to get out and slosh around with the wading birds, or even picnic, if conditions permit. It’s a stunning view, always. Look for the ivory gleam of Viscaya across the bay.

West Point can be a good turnaround, or you can follow the mangrove preserve until houses appear. At one time, President Richard Nixon’s waterfront home could have been seen further south, but it was razed years ago  Although it would be quite a workout, it’s possible to paddle all the way down to the south end of Key Biscayne and the well-known Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Key Biscayne offers many other great destinations: Cape Florida’s historic lighthouse, Crandon Park’s beach, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, Crandon Golf Key Biscayne, Crandon Park Tennis Center; and in the developed central area are hotels, resorts, shops and restaurants. Those may be for another day, though, unless the paddlers in your party are in great shape. Don’t forget the sunblock and a personal flotation device for every person in your group.

And remember, there are no two days alike on the water. Every trip will produce its own unique set of wonders, challenges and irreplaceable memories.

Thank you for your interest in Wildlife Research Team!

Hope to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

Info about Crandon Marina: http://www.miamidade.gov/parks/parks/crandon_marina.asp
Info about Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/biscayne/

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Giving Thanks

Hard to believe 2013 is drawing to a close, when to many it seems as if it never got going! Yet here we are, preparing for the holidays, whether we like it or not!

People are basically creatures of habit— we follow certain rituals that help us define who we are. Some may be subtle, some automatic, some are large, loud and imposed upon us by society. Many of these we’d like to ignore because we may not always be up to their demands and expectations, which is why many people suffer the blues during this time of year. Memories of good times and loved ones no longer here to celebrate with us at a festive table, or economic hardship when it should be a time of plenty, stab us in the heart.

No matter your mood or circumstances, remember to give thanks. Of course we hear this a LOT around this time of year, so much so that we’d prefer to tune it out. But there’s a reason! With a collective mind, all of us, as one, are dealing with the losses and successes as this unique and irreplaceable year winds down. Our moods drop very easily now when we look back and wonder where the year went. Again.

So: you have the choice to lift your spirits by remembering, and being grateful for the good people who were in your life in 2013. There’s a very good reason why “count your blessings” is a cliché: like most clichés, it’s true whether we like it or not!

Indulge me a moment as I thank, and bless, some of the wonderful, caring people who have made a difference in my life, and in WRT’s future, in a myriad of ways in 2013: Christianna Cannon, Tom Brown, Vinnie Tozzo, Jason Neer, Bob Cannon, Balu Vandor, Steve Weinsier, Craig Clark, Michelle Albus-Clark, Woody Weatherford, Audra Vaz, Nancy Lamson, Leona McAndrews, Elise Crohn, Olivia Lineberger, Frank Parker, Johnathan Johnston, Sharon Glass, Cathey Wallbank…and a few who I have inadvertently overlooked (forgive me!) or who wish to remain anonymous.

I give thanks for all of you who read this newsletter: for your advice, encouragement, and for continuing on without unsubscribing!

Earlier this year, Christianna and I totally revamped the WRT website. I supplied content but she did the heavy lifting, writing her own code from scratch, using HTML 5 and CSS3 (hope I got that right, as that’s not my personal area of expertise!). One of the things she made me do was gather together photographs of our past volunteer-members so as to honor them on our Members’ Pages. Well, she didn’t really make me do it, as I have always loved to share photos of our Team in action, but a comprehensive Members’ Page was a long-cherished goal of hers. I confess to shedding tears as I sorted through WRT’s copious photo archives. So, I must again give thanks for ALL of the people on that page, and invite you to visit our Members’ Banners, which are a work in progress. Some of them are combined into the above montage.

Even though he’s been gone from this earth since May 8, 2006, I give thanks for my soulmate, husband and canoeing partner, Tom Kazo, for many reasons, some of which are private, of course! Now, I must thank him for dreaming up the idea of Wildlife Research Team, while he was on what had been predicted was his deathbed, and then vigorously acting upon his dream. He changed my life for the better, and the lives of countless others who will never forget him or the positive impact he made upon their lives. He taught me how to handle a canoe, and that taught me strength, courage, and problem solving like no other course of study ever could. If I could possibly pass this teaching along to a few others, I will die a happy woman.

When Tom and I founded WRT with that single canoe, Do-er, in 1993, there was just no way we could not begin to pick up the trash left by others in South Florida’s waterways! We also felt as if we were the only ones who were doing it. Happy we were to be wrong! But it’s only this past year, mostly thanks to Facebook, and as a result of research for this newsletter, that I’ve learned of others who are happy to get wet and dirty, picking up garbage from canoes and other small vessels, all across the country, even the world.

This year I discovered kindred spirits in Georgia’s Jason DuPont and his Off Grid Expeditions and River Guardians; Florida’s Sea Angels Robyn and Mike Halasz; Balloons Blow, in Jensen Beach, started by 20-something sisters Chelsea and Danielle when they were just little girls who loved their neighborhood beach; California’s 5 Gyres, directed by Stiv Wilson; Captain Charles Moore, who first brought to public attention the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; Illinois’ Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands and Waters (just voted CNN Hero of the Year!); Watertrail Keeper Pride, a Facebook group with 132 members who live up to their name; and a man named Harry (who seems to prefer only his first name to be known) whose Flotsam Diaries tell about the debris he recovers from a small public beach in Maine.

Okay, the problem with lists is that someone important always gets left out. The main thing is to give thanks for the people who care about the environment and get off their rear ends and do what they can to make things better. I am grateful beyond words for them, wherever they are.

So, dear reader, if for some reason you think you have nothing for which to be grateful, I am happy to share my list with you. Wildlife Research Team has done a lot of good, exponential for such a small group, but there’s more to be done, much more.

Last but not least: I give thanks for the amazing people I have yet to meet!

Thank you for your interest in Wildlife Research Team!
Hope to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

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Ghost Power

At this very moment, an innocent creature of the sea is becoming ensnared in a fishing net. Well, you may say, isn’t that the purpose of fishing? But what if the net has been abandoned long ago, perhaps washed overboard by a storm or otherwise discarded? Even when humans are no longer manipulating them, nets, lines, ropes, traps, pots and other derelict fishing gear keep on working to capture and entangle denizens of the deep and of the coast.

The very apt term for this nightmare activity is “ghost fishing.”

As you can see from the above montage, Wildlife Research Team’s stellar volunteers have loaded up tons of this pervasive form of marine debris into our canoes over the past two decades. When discarded rope/cables/hawsers/fishing line wash into the mangroves, they weave a noxious net that may ensnare creatures as well as other types of trash, which makes an even bigger obstruction. Even the string from helium balloons can wrap around the roots, beginning the process that may develop into an unholy, unsightly, and even deadly mess; what goes up, will come down.

When WRT started doing waterway and coastal cleanups in 1994, we were dismayed by the tragic proliferation of this type of marine debris. We researched ways to recycle the many different types of line but learned that environmental degradation of the materials, which were usually petroleum-based, would not allow for much of that. At least there are now programs which place containers for discarded fishing line at many marinas. But it sadly seemed to us as if most of our haul from a typical cleanup was destined for the landfill.

Recently we learned of a nonprofit organization, founded in the Netherlands in 2012, which addresses the chronic problem of “ghost fishing” around the world. The founders of Ghostfishing.org are technical divers who have personally observed the severe consequences of ghost gear, and regularly lead dive teams to extract it from the depths. It’s truly heartening for those of us in WRT to find kindred spirits around the globe! On their website and Facebook page, they share information on other noble organizations all over the world who are also fighting the battle against marine debris. (Even though many people shun Facebook for its pettiness, it’s proven to be a great educational resource!)

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the issue of ghost fishing was first brought to the attention of the world at the 16th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in April 1985. They recognized the danger to not just sea life and habitat, but to vessels; when propellers get caught and snarled, there could possibly be loss of the ship and even human life.

Recently, Ghostfishing.org posted news of a program that converts defunct, worn-out fishing gear into clean power. Several entities have combined to reduce the menace of ghost fishing. Some ghost fishing occurs because the owners of fishing boats do not want to pay to haul their worn-out nets and gear to the dump for disposal. As long as there have been humans, the sea has been our dump site. So, over the side for unknown tons of junk fishing equipment.

Now, thanks to a partnership called Fishing for Energy, free removal services are provided at 37 ports in nine states. Through 2012, 1.8 million pounds of fishing gear had been collected. Fishing for Energy partners are NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Covanta Energy Corporation and Schnitzer Steel Industries. Since the program began in 2008, Covanta reports that more than 2.2 million pounds of used-up fishing gear have been processed at Covanta’s east and west coast facilities. For the Covanta Waste-to-Energy plant in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which is the focus of the article on Ghostfishing.org, after the gear has been collected in bins at the docks, it’s the Schnitzer company which first sorts it to recover and recycle metal, donating the hauling and recycling services. Some fishermen, reports the Schnitzer Steel website, have even found a new source of income in retrieving abandoned gear from the ocean floor, and then selling it for the value of the metal.

What cannot be recycled, Covanta turns into clean energy. According to Covanta, as much as 95% of the material that is brought into a waste reduction facility goes through a high-tech type of combustion, with the rest turned into non-leachable ash. This combustion unit reaches temperatures of up to 1850 degrees Fahrenheit; the most important byproduct is clean electricity produced when boilers of water are heated until steam is produced, then steam turbines spin and drive power generators.

Here in South Florida, Covanta operates Miami-Dade County’s Resources Recovery facility as Covanta Dade Renewable Energy in Doral. Covanta’s website states the plant processes 3,000 tons of municipal solid waste and 1,200 tons of wood waste each day, generating 77.0 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 45,000 homes. Also recovered from the waste stream for recyling: 26,000 tons of ferrous and 2,000 tons of nonferrous metals. Fishing for Energy, according to the NFWF website, offers bins at multiple locations in Miami-Dade to dispose of cast-off fishing gear. Covanta Dade Renewable Energy is a sponsor of Baynanza, the yearly cleanup of Biscayne Bay, which WRT has participated in for many years.

It bears mention that there is another waste-to-energy plant, close to our canoe storage facility in Davie, Waste Management’s Wheelabrator facility. It was opened in 1991 to serve southern Broward County, and processes up to 2,250 tons daily of solid waste; it can generate 66,000 kilowatts, enough to supply 38,000 homes with its clean, renewable energy. Although their website gives no indication of direct participation in Fishing for Energy, they contribute to the community with a yearly environmental education symposium for middle school students.

It’s good to know that such technology has been created to deal with two monumental issues of civilization: municipal waste and clean energy. For those of us in Wildlife Research Team, it’s really good to know that underwater habitats are safer for wildlife thanks to the efforts of our many kindred spirits all over the world.

For further information, please visit these websites:

www.ghostfishing.org

www.marinedebris.noaa. gov

www.nfwf.org/Pages/fishingforenergy/home.aspx

www.fao.org/fishery.topic/14798/en

www.covantaenergy.com/what-we-do/community-engagement/fishing-for-energy.aspx

www.wheelabratortechnologies.com/plants/waste-to-energy/wheelabrator-south-broward-inc/

www.schnitzersteel.com/values_sustainability_2.aspx

Thank you for your interest in Wildlife Research Team!

Hope to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

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The Delightful Dilemma

On a beautiful Miami morning, Dr. Tom Kazo and two students enjoy the companionship of a bottlenose dolphin on its morning commute down the coast.

If you are at all familiar with Wildlife Research Team, you know that since our inception, in 1993, our “trademark” black canoes have served as habitat restoration classrooms, field laboratories, mentoring corners, tool carriers, fulcrums, sleeping chambers, fishing skiffs, artists’ studios, garbage barges, ocean cruisers, river racers, swamp transports, camping conveyances, photographers’ stands, psychologists’ offices, celestial observatories, birdwatchers’ nests, tug-or-tow boats, exercise machines, scuba stations, scientist ferries, gossip containers, bravery-testing spaces, dating services, surf boards, picnic places, meditation corners, strength-building vehicles, playtime crafts, vessels of healing, hope, and enlightenment… We have yet to carry bundles of furs in the manner of French Canadian voyageurs, or Native American warriors to battle!

Every possible emotion has been expressed in our canoes, running the gamut from white knuckles on the gunwales to involuntary catnaps due to excessive relaxation, with smiles of wonder and gasps of delight in between. Our oldest passenger was 105; the youngest, born a century later. Some were millionaires; some were homeless veterans. Some were Olympic athletes; some could not walk, some could not see.

Yes, we sure can do a lot in a canoe. What a cavalcade of rich experiences. Such a simple vessel, and yet so versatile. Too versatile, perhaps, and that’s our predicament. As we ponder our Team’s future, we must choose with care the best expression of our overarching mission, which is to reconnect People with Nature in a hands-on, primary experience.

It seems to be a good idea to narrow that focus a tad, don’t you think? Let’s start with a question: who are the most important people in your world? If, like me, you are a parent, it’s your children, no question. My daughters were both in elementary school when their future stepdad, Dr. Tom Kazo and I founded WRT in 1993. Christianna and Jamie literally grew up in our canoes. Their friends were frequent passengers.

Lots of other great kids have enjoyed our Canoe View, and one of my greatest pleasures is learning about their accomplishments as adults. Our canoes have transported future Navy and Coast Guard personnel, nurses, lawyers, doctors, photographers, journalists, teachers, software engineers, artists, writers, a NOAA scientist and many more I am forgetting. Some students were earning Community Service Hours with us for scholarships; some were serving court-mandated sentences.

What a privilege it has been for this writer, to know our humble canoes have provided opportunities for these fine young people to develop into productive citizens. It keeps me going through challenging times; the certain knowledge that we have made a difference and can continue to do so. WRT seems to have created an almost magical confluence between children and Florida’s unique ecology.

So that’s the answer to this delightful dilemma of where should we now focus our resources: on this convergence of young people with South Florida’s unique ecosystem. Now more than ever, our kids need hands-on contact with the natural world, to their community’s ecology. Now more than ever, our irreplaceable region needs to be studied, understood, and hopefully rescued by the people who would like to grow up within its unique and challenging ecosystem.

Let’s face it; all of us today are overwhelmed by too much input zapping us too quickly to absorb. Attention spans shortened, sleep problems epidemic, nerves frazzled. Daily life: artificial, digitized, even meaningless. Nobody is surprised to hear on our daily dose of “news” that people of every age are suffering from noise pollution, air pollution, light pollution, pesticide pollution. Do we really want to do this to our precious children?

Happily, even as we permit technology to overpower our “analog” physiology, there is a growing body of evidence that simple exposure to the natural world restores our biological rhythms. In other parts of the country, a walk in nature can fill the prescription; but South Florida is different! Ours is a very aqueous area, hemmed in by the ocean on the east, and the Everglades to the west and south. The land in between is almost built to capacity. The good news is that it is interlaced with waterways of all sizes and WRT’s canoes have traversed most of them. Our Canoe View excursions have thus been dispensing Nature Therapy for two decades.

South Florida possesses another rich asset— an exciting assortment of first-class environmental educators. Some of them are reading this newsletter! Some of them have already been out in our canoes, usually as dedicated volunteers participating our waterway and coastal cleanups. (Thanks, folks!) And some of them have expressed regret that they were not able to reach those who needed their knowledge the most, in a meaningful manner.

So here’s how WRT can combine the needs of these three factors: our local ecosystem; our community’s children; and our frustrated environmental educators. We will do this by placing carefully selected teams in our canoes to pursue hands-on research studies of South Florida wildlife and its fast-vanishing habitat. In order to accomplish this, we will create a team-within-a-team of trained canoe guides.

Again, if you are familiar with WRT, you will know our first program was “You Point We Paddle” in which our guides were the “engines” of our canoes. Passengers were not required to paddle, which meant that people who were too young, too old, or infirm could still enjoy a Canoe View excursion.

Thus, each canoe in our wildlife research studies will be paddled by one of our trained guides, with two young naturalists-in-training per canoe. The environmental educator and Group Leader will share a canoe. The day’s lesson will be developed by the educator and WRT.

If you are such a person, would you like to share your knowledge and wisdom with a captive audience of motivated young people? Let us know!

Obviously, these will be small groups, but our results have proven to be exponential. Just a single excursion has been enough to lift a young person to a positive outlook. Permit me to paraphrase Mother Theresa; that we may not be able to do great things in our lives, but we can always do small things with great love.

Our dilemma, I hope you agree, has been delightfully resolved.

Stay tuned.

Hope to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

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What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?

This was the question the great 20th-Century business guru, the late Peter Drucker, always asked himself. It was first asked of him by a teacher when Peter was just thirteen. He said his teacher, at that time, did not expect an answer from the class. But when he and his fellow students got together for their sixtieth class reunion, each man confessed their teacher’s question “had made all the difference to him, although they didn’t really understand that until they were in their forties.”

It’s a question, I believe, that will help us to be still, take stock, and remember we don’t know the number of our days. Drucker: “It is a question that induces you to renew yourself, because it pushes you to see yourself as a different person— the person you can become.”

But how can we find a way to push ourselves, to discover within ourselves new strengths, talents, abilities? For those of us who are parents, don’t we want to be, at the least, good role models for our children, and at the best, wouldn’t it be great to be their heroes? Especially when we consider the countless allures of modern-day entertainment; parents can be, well, boring. Kids are expert at seeing who their parents really are, behind the façade of overworked human beings who may or may not yet feel they are truly “grownups.”

Parents must provide, they must do a lot of things for which they may not receive authentic, personal satisfaction. And without a sense of time passing, whoosh! their children are grown and out the door. Some may never look back. But it’s your fault if they have no reason to. Remember, one of the greatest rewards of parenthood is to get to know your child as an adult. You gave the world a gift: this high quality person! Maybe you’ll even find out why your children decided to remember you, to see you beyond your early role of Mom or Dad. You are then blessed beyond words.

Let me share with you a secret I have learned over these past two decades I’ve been a part of Wildlife Research Team: to grow yourself into a person worthy of your child’s respect, become a volunteer for a nonprofit organization. Make a point of challenging yourself! Do something new for a change! Explore another path toward self-realization as you combine your talents with others in pursuit of a greater good.

WRT has been gifted with some of the most amazing and dedicated volunteers any organization could ever hope for. These are people from all walks of life, who in another place might disagree on politics, religion, sports, or other divisive issues, but who have been willing to grab one of our canoe paddles and work in harmony with our Team for the betterment of Nature, the environment, their children’s future, Mother Earth… Every name has a special meaning to that individual, but it’s really all the same: our volunteers know they are making a difference. At that exact moment, they are doing the right thing. Tell me, is there any greater luxury to know you are doing the right thing? Not in my book.

That’s the somewhat secret idea behind volunteering: you think you are helping someone else and at the same time, you are helping yourself to become a memorable person.

However, it’s not always easy to find an organization that will really help people to feel their contributions are meaningful. Sad to say, some volunteers may even be treated like disposable units. Well, I’m here to tell you, WRT has never been like that. For one thing, what we do has an element of risk, so our people have to overcome some very normal fears. Canoes have something of a tippy reputation! What about gators, sharks, crocodiles? Yet our methodologies have maintained a splendid safety record, as set up by my co-founder, Dr. Tom Kazo.

Unbeknownst to our Team, Tom applied his professional research studies in stress and behavior to all of us (yes, me too!). He was a master at getting us to stretch beyond our previous limits. The result: we got a lot done while having fun! During our NOAA-funded habitat restoration project at Matheson Hammock/R. Hardy Matheson Preserve in Miami-Dade County, people were frequently up to their necks in tidal creeks, using hand tools underwater to cut ten-inch-diameter logs, and extracting them with great care to restore healthy tidal flushing. We matched our six grants with 10,000 volunteer hours! Ten or more years later, those good people, though now far-flung by life, look back with glowing memories. Recently, we have honored them on our relaunched website with Member Banners, along with other photos of their accomplishments. What a privilege it has been to work alongside such people! They are Lifetime Members of our Team, never to be forgotten, that’s for sure.

Wildlife Research Team pledges to provide quality volunteer opportunities to people who are seeking to realize their potential. You might be sharing a canoe with a child who needs a caring adult to simply listen without judgment. (Canoes are great for deep thoughts, reflective conversations, and mentoring, by the way.) Maybe you fall into the mud, and share a laugh with new friends as they pull you up. On a waterway or coastal cleanup, you will see for yourself the impact of trash upon innocent wildlife. You will experience deep satisfaction when your canoe is piled so high with tires and debris that you and your partner can barely paddle it! You will experience the thrill of serendipity when you see wildlife close up, not on a screen or in a zoo, but right in front of your canoe, because you learned to paddle silently.

Whoever you are, you are most welcome to paddle out with our other awesome volunteers and become a Member of our Team! You will find strength within yourself as you learn about nature firsthand. Your family, especially your children, will look at you with newfound respect. And yes, you will do something you will always be remembered for.

Would you like to learn more about volunteering and membership in Wildlife Research Team? Then please follow this Link to our website!

We’d love to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

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The Eighth Intelligence

In the photo above, pitcher plants grow abundantly in Georgia’s vast Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge. Canoes are the ideal vessel to explore the wonders of this natural treasure. The inset photo is a result of the curiosity of WRT member Paul Lamborn, DVM, who wanted to see how many insects these carnivorous plants consume.

One of the most important books I’ve read in the past ten years was Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It has helped me clarify the overarching mission of Wildlife Research Team, for one thing, that what we’ve been doing since 1993 has been to reconnect people, especially children, with nature. His term, “nature deficit disorder” put a name to something I had detected among the kids who have volunteered with us. I’ve also learned of some very cool people in its pages, and I would consider them to be kindred spirits.

Mr. Louv also wrote of Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s groundbreaking discovery of multiple intelligences. The first time I had ever heard of this was when my daughter, Christianna, entered her new school’s new sixth grade gifted program. I recall thinking that this was a big step forward, understanding that not all children learn in the same way. There have been too many children who suffered under the belief that they were stupid because they could not grasp the standard curriculum. Many educators have since embraced Professor Gardner’s 1983 work. He argued that basing intelligence on I.Q. testing was far too restrictive. He even linked each intelligence to a different part of the brain; demonstrating that if that specific part of the brain was damaged by injury or disease, that the individual lost that type of intelligence.

Here are Gardner’s seven types of intelligence: linguistic intelligence (“word smart”); logical-mathematical intelligence (“number-reasoning smart”); spatial intelligence (“picture smart”); bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”); musical intelligence (“music smart”); interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”); and intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”). People can possess more than one type of intelligence, or even all of them! Think about it: understand which types of intelligence you possess, and you are much closer to choosing a satisfying and productive career. Don’t we all want to understand ourselves, others, and most importantly, our children, so that we can effectively guide them? Professor Gardner’s work has been a revolution. Curious about the seven intelligences? Google “Howard Gardner” and you will learn a great deal more.

It’s his Eighth Intelligence that has greater meaning to Louv, to environmental educators, and to me, because of Wildlife Research Team. In the late 1990s, Gardner added naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”) to the list: “The core of the naturalist intelligence is the human ability to recognize plants, animals, and other parts of the natural environment, like clouds or rocks…our ancestors needed to be able to recognize carnivorous animals, poisonous snakes, and flavorful mushrooms.” However, neurophysiology has not yet been able to pinpoint what part of the brain is associated to this eighth intelligence.

“Nature smart” people exhibit behaviors such as (but not limited to): caring about animals and plants; greater enjoyment of nature walks and camping than others; sharper sensory skills, to include noticing small things others don’t; can easily name, gather data about and categorize patterns, species and objects in the natural world; collect their findings in scrapbooks or logs, or make collections of specimens; and just like being outside in nature. Career choices include marine biologist, botanist, veterinarian, geologist, zookeeper, and many more. Please Google “eighth intelligence” and you will be richly rewarded!

Gardner declares Charles Darwin, John Muir, and Rachel Carson, as “nature smart” people; I must add WRT’s primary founder, Dr. Tom Kazo, to this esteemed list. Tom’s doctorates were in Ethology and Olfactory Mechanisms (he was a pioneer in drug-sniffing dogs). His mentor, Karl Lorenz was the preeminent name in ethology, which is much like, but not the same as, animal behaviorism. As Tom explained it to me, ethology is the study of how animals change their behavior in response to their changing environment. I’ve read different definitions since, but his makes the most sense to me. That was the underlying reason he named us Wildlife Research Team. I know he would have agreed with Gardner, that he possessed “nature smarts.” I guess you have to, if you can live alone for several weeks in the Amazon jungle.

I witnessed the great enjoyment Tom could get out of his observations of nature. For one thing, he was never bored. Isn’t that what we all desire, to never be bored, to enjoy every moment of our brief lives as they fly by? Tom’s secret: pay attention to nature. Not only is paying attention free; it will reward you in return. Time will become meaningless if you can learn to lose yourself in the actions of even the smallest creature.

When we take people out in our canoes, we often have to overcome the “Disneyfication” that they possess. Everyone wants to see a hippo! Everyone wants to race! Everyone want to get there NOW!

What makes you crazy? The little things, right? Coming at you too quickly? I am here to tell you, conversely, it’s the small gentle wonders that have the power to soothe and delight our frazzled souls and overcome that false sense of urgency. I think everyone can be “nature smart” with the right experiences. Since neurophysiology has yet to link a specific part of the brain to the eighth intelligence, perhaps it means our whole brain can become attuned to nature, for the good of all beings. What we know about, we care about.

When you paddle a canoe, you are usually traveling at about a walking pace. Life these days is all about going ever faster, but are humans really made for speed? How fast do you really need to fly through your life? What are you running from? Instead of fleeing to new countries, you might find happiness and peace in your very own neighborhood by developing your naturalistic intelligence. Develop awareness of the gifts nature has provided to you.

To me, this explains a lot: why canoeing can be both relaxing and energizing. A change in perspective always refreshes, don’t you agree? So come and enjoy WRT’s Canoe View, increase your eighth intelligence, slow down to Mother Nature’s authentic pace, and get more out of your life.

Tom wrote an article about a creature we almost always see from our Canoe View, the seemingly humble waterbug. This little guy, you will learn, is right up there with the Batmobile in abilities! This article was previously published in Tropical Trails magazine in the 1990s and has just been added to our Articles Page on our website.

“They are commonly called a whirligig, water bug, crazy beetle and a host of other colloquial names. Scientifically, they are Gyrinidae, in the order of Coleoptera. For normal folks, that’s the beetle family…”

Follow this link to read “Gyrinidae, The Ultimate Sports Bug.”

Thank you for being part of Wildlife Research Team!

Hope to see you in a black canoe,

Donna

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Feel the Fear and Paddle Anyway

I have a confession to make. I’ve not always enjoyed canoeing. There have been times I was shaking so badly I thought my adrenaline would never kick in. Those were the mornings when my partner Tom Kazo and I had clients for a “You Point We Paddle” tour, and the early morning seas, instead of being flat calm as they usually were in the summer, were more than a bit choppy for human-paddled canoes. I began to call them “slappy” because of the sound they make when the waves smack our hulls.

I am thinking specifically of trips when I was learning to paddle solo, and he had one, two or even three people in his canoe (he was a powerful paddler!). I’m remembering how he taught me how to cut into the waves at a certain angle for both speed and safety; you’d never want to get caught in the dip between waves and broached; meaning the canoe would roll over and be swamped.

After all Tom Kazo had raced powerboats at frightening speeds from the tender age of thirteen, over the same Biscayne Bay where we were now paddling our Wildlife Research Team canoes at about 97 miles slower per hour. He knew how to handle any type of water, could read the waves like a menu in a Chinese restaurant.

I never thought to ask him if on those slappy days he wore his fluorescent yellow shirt with the words NO FEAR across his broad back to encourage me. That man of mine was a risk-taker par excellence! But he was never foolish. Our canoes were carefully packed and in top condition. After starting WRT in 1993, we quickly adopted nine-inch-bladed double paddles from Mohawk Canoes for the power we needed when he and I, as guides, were the “engines” of our canoes. This way, our passengers could enjoy the delights of nature without paddling, gliding magically over the clear water, feeling the stress melt away.

On those choppy morning excursions, we could not paddle parallel to the shore, or risk the above-mentioned fate. Nope: Tom’s methodology was to head out at an angle, southeast, triangulating our route according to where we intended to go down the coast. Which meant that the waves would get bigger the further from shore. Wonderful.

While navigating my fourteen foot canoe through these obstacles, feeling the twist and tug of the currents and tides beneath me, my mind flashed on certain things— such as the opening credits of the WWII documentary Victory at Sea, where the foredeck of the battleship crashes into an immense wave and is completely submerged. The most comforting thought was of my dad, Captain Don McVicar, awarded the King’s Commendation and Order of the British Empire for his World War II Arctic explorations piloting a ski-plane in the service of the Royal Air Force Ferry Command, and also for his courage and flying skill in the development of the Crimson Route across the most northerly reaches of the globe, so as to deliver warplanes from North America to Europe. Along with the other brave men of the RAFFC, Dad flew many deliveries across both the North and South Atlantic. The 10,000 bombers delivered were vital to the defeat of Hitler.

To feel my father’s bravery burning in me, to give it a reason to catch fire, even in a far less dramatic way, turned my fear into fuel. As Daddy had navigated over uncharted, mountainous, frozen territory where magnetic North played havoc with compasses, and weather reports were only guesses, in my much smaller way, I navigated between the ever-changing aqueous topography. I concentrated on where to place each stroke of my paddle, that the blade would bite water and not air. Every stroke mattered. I learned that a double paddle could act as an outrigger, to brace myself!

The most terrifying moment came when we had to turn towards the shore, momentarily exposing the hull of our canoes to the cresting waves. Which, were, I have to repeat, much larger out there. How far were we out? I’d like to say, Scotland was nigh, but I could be exaggerating. Let’s just say, the curve of the Earth revealed tall buildings well inland. Like maybe, Naples on the west coast.

After about a century of floundering in the trough between a couple of tsunamis, and finally turning my bow to the correct angle, Tom would exclaim, “Let Mother Nature help us out!” and we’d basically surf back to land! With my double paddle positioned behind me to keep me steady, yes, I have to admit: it was fun! The waves actually sizzled around me. Who needs a roller coaster?

After twenty years, I’ve never (touch wood!) tipped or dumped. I’ll give Tom credit for teaching me well, and my dad for genetically passing down his courage and skill. But I’m proud of myself, as Tom was proud of me. Yet I really did it for love; there is no more powerful fuel. When I became his canoeing partner, it was to help him control his diabetes; continual foot ulcers kept him in a wheelchair for many months of the last sixteen years of his wildly challenging life. Paddling burned off his excess blood sugar, so I can state with certainty that canoeing saved his life.

Now when I paddle a solo canoe off the coast like that, I eagerly seek the slappy waves. In those early days, we’d rig up ballast in the bow so my canoe wouldn’t blow around, but as my experience grew, the day came when I preferred the bow to be light, because with enough speed, my canoe can be mostly airborne as I skip across the wavetops. Exhilarating!

Tom and I later enjoyed several strenuous canoe-camping expeditions in the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge with dear friends; in my solo canoe I again challenged myself and was rewarded with wonderful memories. (Photo taken by Tom, above)

Not everyone has an Arctic-exploring pilot in their genes. But all of us have times we need courage, when our bones and muscles feel like water as we wait for the adrenaline to power up. We may never know when we’ll be called upon to overcome fear, save a life of a loved one, even to be a hero because we were strong enough. Canoeing empowered me. Not that I wish to put anyone into jeopardy! But one reason Wildlife Research Team has value is that our people have the opportunity to challenge themselves in a small way, to prepare themselves for The Big Scary Stuff that WILL come to get you when you least expect it. It’s because of experiences like this, I began to say, “Canoeing is a metaphor for Life.”

So when you pick up a paddle, and launch a canoe, you are about to experience a great combination: fresh air, restorative water, improved mood, stronger muscles, endorphins by the truckload, challenges met, fear overcome, courage and self-knowledge increased, exponentially.

Such a deal!

Hoping to see YOU in a black canoe,

Donna

www.wildlife-research-team.org

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Our Journey Ends With Our Final Outcome

Hello, dear friend,

How could I think of you otherwise? Words cannot express my gratitude for your company on this seven-day journey back in time, which, as I am sure you’ve realized, is also a journey into the future. I hope you’ve taken courage from the tale of a true Environmental Hero, Dr. Tom Kazo. I hope your imagination has caught fire as you’ve visualized yourself paddling on smooth waters reflecting the brilliant hues of a glorious Florida sunrise. Or perhaps you are thinking of how much safer the waters and shorelines are for humans and wildlife, once WRT’s volunteers have removed the debris. Or perhaps you have a dear person of delicate health in your life who could benefit greatly from a You Point We Paddle excursion.

This is the last chapter in our storytelling campaign. This has been a very emotional time for me. I am not a pushy person! But not much gets done in this busy world without a push, a shove, a stomach-churning thrust of audacity. (This campaign has given me new respect for movie-makers, for one thing!) I realize Wildlife Research Team is not everyone’s cup of tea. But your name is on our list because we believe that YOU are a concerned and caring person who would like to make a difference. WRT is known to attract the very best people!

Rest assured that in the future, The Canoe View News will appear in your inbox not more than once a week, maybe even every two weeks, just enough to keep you aware of events, but not just from our Team. There are so many other awesome environmental organizations out there!

Yesterday I went over our Five Outcomes, the plan which will help us best serve the needs of all members of the community as we pursue our quest to protect the habitat from further degradation. Before I present our Sixth Outcome, let me share with you Wildlife Research Team’s most cherished dream: Our black canoes are busy every day in the year, not just on Saturdays. A rotating team of our certified Canoe Guide/Naturalists and their assistants heads out each day on a different excursion: one day, a coastal cleanup; next day, a Canoe View University class on seagrass identification in Biscayne Bay; next day, a Boy Scout Troop works on their Merit Badges; next day, a special canoeing exercise class for over-40 people who want to get back in shape; next day, an artists’ club heads out for a painting excursion; next day, WRT Members enjoy fellowship and fun paddling together for a snorkeling adventure in the Keys; next day, six little kids from a cancer ward and their caregivers get to breathe fresh air for a couple of hours in a You Point We Paddle excursion…It’s exciting, isn’t it, all the things our canoes and our people can do?

How to make that wonderful dream come true? It starts with our Sixth Outcome: Donor-Sponsor
This very special person may live too far from South Florida to enjoy a trip in our canoes, but wants to make sure others can. Wherever this angel’s location, he or she will receive a tax break to be determined by the Internal Revenue Service’s rules. Rest assured, WRT is registered with the State of Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to accept donations which are deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We are grateful for donations of any amount! Every drop in a bucket will eventually overflow it!

My friends, in order for us to gather our forces, plan a budget, and do everything we can to insure a positive and sustainable outcome, we must have money in the bank before we launch. We cannot make progress living hand to mouth. We cannot hire people, even part time, unless we have the funds on hand.

It is our determined goal that Wildlife Research Team eventually becomes self-sustaining. Canoe View University and other fee-based programs we discussed the other day are meant to cover the many free services we want to offer to the community in order to fulfill our nonprofit mission. 

Even though a large gift makes a lovely cushion, however, we will not look to just one single donor-sponsor. For one thing, as a public charity, we are required to spread out our donor base so we don’t appear to be “owned” by any one large entity. We really don’t need as much money as many nonprofit organizations to get our work done. We have enough canoes at the moment! Our trailers take a beating, sure, and eventually we will need more of them. Of course we will always have the best volunteers, but in this economy, we must become job creators! Even a part-time paycheck that honors the person’s dedication and expertise is welcome in the average household. We won’t pay anyone “under the table,” either. We will pay for proper third-party accounting to handle payroll taxes and withholding.

The largest item on our Wish List is, of course, our own tow vehicle. The main reason, remember, that we had to screech to a halt in 2009 was that our beloved Sport Trac could not be repaired due to the economic meltdown. Even a decent older pickup truck, or a van would do the job; it would need to be a six-to-eight cylinder model in order to tow our largest, eight-canoe, trailer.

Can you help us with that?

My most cherished personal goal? To find and develop leaders, and put in place the mechanisms to pay them, so that I can hand this off in good conscience to the next generation. I would continue on WRT’s Board to provide a link to our history and keep an eye on things, of course. I would never abandon Dr. Tom’s Dream Team! When Tom was alive, everyone naturally looked up to him for everything. Nobody had as much charisma as Tom Kazo! Knowing he was terminally ill, he tried to set into place some systems to keep us paddling, but he was fighting the cancer and…After he died, I went back to college and took classes that have helped me to develop as a leader in my own right, and to run a business. It was a great feeling to graduate on the Dean’s List! (Drove to school sometimes with a canoe on top of the vehicle which got WRT some great volunteers!)

Can you help us to re-launch Wildlife Research Team’s canoes? 

It’s hard to believe, but 2013 is almost half over; so we are projecting our budget only for the next six months. Our financial goal is $24,000, or $4,000/month. If an environmental hero donates a vehicle to us, we won’t need that much! It’s PEOPLE we need to pay, because those canoes sure can’t paddle themselves. We would not ask any one of our “Environmental Angels”  to donate more than $4,000. This amount could be pledged, in chunks, over the rest of 2013.

Sponsorship is perceived by the public as more generous and heartfelt than advertising, as the sponsor has shown a dedicated interest in the success of the organization. In today’s tough economy, helping out a worthy and active nonprofit is just good business!

Can you become our Sponsor with a donation of at least $1,000?

In return, we’ll give you wonderful PR: your name and logo will be on our new website and on all of our email newsletters and advertising, and of course we will link to your website from ours. We are a grateful bunch, and will keep thinking of ways to honor you over the six months following your donation. Perhaps a special canoe picnic trip for you and your family? (After everyone has gone through Canoeing 101, of course!)

Contact me, Donna Kazo, at your convenience at paddle4research(at)yahoo.com; feel free to call me: 954.474.8194. WRT uses Paypal for our Donate button on our website, www.wildlife-research-team.org. Paypal of course extracts their fee. This is usually best for smaller donations. You may choose to write us a check for larger donations.

Well, my friends, I see the dock approaching; time to pull our canoe from this river of time we’ve been paddling together. Just one thing before our journey ends: my wish for you is that you will always find the strength within yourself to overcome any challenge. This is what I learned from being the soulmate of Tom Kazo: that there is a deep strength within us, usually brought forth only by crisis or danger. Canoeing can be dangerous. Canoes have a bad name with some people! But Life itself is dangerous, and Canoeing is a metaphor for Life, as I remarked in Part One. Challenge your muscles, break them down, and they become stronger. Challenge your fears by breaking them down a paddle-stroke at a time, and you will become stronger.

As a not-so athletic mom, I so well recall shaking with fright on some of my earliest canoe trips. I’d get really mad at Tom, when I was really mad at myself! Remember that Tom loved to say, “Knowledge eliminates 99% of fear.” As a scientist, he was always testing, experimenting. At some point I realized I was his guinea pig! When he proudly said to me, “You get into that canoe like walking through a screen door,” I knew I had passed some sort of important test.

If I can do it, so can you. Challenge yourself every day to become your best!

Thank you again for your time and attention. All of us in Wildlife Research Team thank you in advance for becoming an Environmental Angel with your sponsorship of our re-launch!

With great hope and gratitude,

Donna

Photo Credit: Donna M. Kazo. At river’s edge, a Wildlife Research Team canoe awaits the adventure of the day.

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Part 5: Canoe View University

Hello again, and welcome back to our seven-day journey; we are now on Day Five. Thank you so much for your time and continued interest! 

If you are wondering where the term Canoe View came from, it originated in our earliest years. Remember that Dr. Tom Kazo and I started Wildlife Research Team in 1993 with our You Point We Paddle program, which we found out was unique among ecotourism outfits. Well, in early 1994, we carried a film crew from a local television station on an excursion along the historic Coral Gables Waterway. When we watched the segment on the television news later that week, they named us as “one of the most fun things to do in South Florida!” And when the reporter referred to our “Canoe View” we were thrilled. Had such a nice ring to it, that we’ve stuck with it all these years. It’s true: life through our Canoe View is a lot more interesting!

Part Four discussed the first step into the fun, exciting and educational world of WRT, the basic training session we call Canoeing 101, and provided a hint of what lies beyond for those who choose to enhance their lives by learning how to paddle a canoe. I’ve also mentioned another early program, our Canoe View Classroom. Since our early years, we’ve been honored to help out many wonderful teachers and students from all grade levels with stimulating hands-on field studies in various aspects of science. But with more organization and a tad more effort, we can expand our curriculum and bring new excitement to education in a wider variety of subjects.

So without further ado, here’s a very basic description of what we call…

Canoe View University
Yes, since our beginning, WRT has nurtured close relationships with teachers and students at all levels of study. We believe that teachers are some of the most important people on the planet! We’ve helped kids in elementary school with award-winning science fair projects that originated in our canoes, and hosted field trips for high school and college students. Boy Scouts have earned their Merit Badges, all the way up to the highest designation of Eagle Scout. Several esteemed college professors have sat on our Board of Directors. “Research” is our middle name and we take it seriously! We have gladly assisted scientists of different disciplines with their research projects. During our five-year restoration of Matheson Hammock/R. Hardy Matheson Preserve’s Essential Fish Habitat, “Project Baitfish,” we performed studies of the effects of our habitat restoration methodology. Our canoes became field laboratories. It wasn’t long before we coined that happy term, “Canoe View Classroom.”

Why should learning be restricted to an enclosed space, anyway? Who hasn’t fallen asleep in a stuffy classroom? Who hasn’t been bored to tears by a Power Point presentation? Don’t our brains need oxygen to retain information? How do you feel after sitting in front of a computer for a few hours? Are your eyes glazed over, your head throbbing, your body stiff and sore? How much of that online lesson do you think you retained? Wouldn’t you love to be out in the fresh air and on the water with other adventuresome students and an inspiring teacher in pursuit of an invigorating learning experience?

Canoe View University:

• Will further our mission statement of “Environmental Education through Habitat Restoration and Conservation;”
• Will build upon our cherished programs, You Point We Paddle and Canoe View Classroom;
• Will charge a reasonable tuition fee to cover our expenses;
• Will offer scholarships to deserving students, encouraging third parties to become sponsors (for which they will receive a tax deduction to the fullest extent of the law);
• Will have teachers/instructors/professors on a surprisingly wide variety of subjects (see below);
• Will aim to pay these people, and their assistants, and some of our certified Canoe Guide/Naturalists who will lead the excursion and act as “engines” for some of the canoes;
• Will be supported by a vastly improved website that will feature a valuable assortment of original content written by WRT members and guest authors;
• Will seek to offer actual credits, perhaps Continuing Education Units, for our classes, that students may use toward graduation or certification.

What kind of courses do you think could be taught in a Canoe View Classroom? Science in its many manifestations? Yes, as mentioned above, different aspects of biology, environmental/earth science are readily absorbed when you are paddling through a living laboratory. Oceanography? Perfect subject for CVU’s hands-on field studies. Canoes excel in respectful delivery of students into the most delicate of watery habitats for fish, plant and bird identification.

But why not geology, history, archeology, painting and drawing, photography, even yoga, tai chi, qi gong?  Why not the language arts? Literature? Poetry? Shakespeare? Music? Why not a course in Creativity for its own sake? Instead of daydreaming out the window in a dreary classroom, bring the class outside, launch our canoes, charge up our brains with oxygen, renew our muscles, strengthen our bones! Can you imagine paddling out to a sandbar in beautiful Biscayne Bay to stretch and watch the sun rise as you and your classmates gaze about in childlike wonder and joy? There’s some lifelong learning for you.

How about YOU? What subjects would you like to be taught in a Canoe View Classroom? Or would you like to teach them? Let me know!

Once again, I thank you most earnestly for your time. As I sit in front of my computer, I try to imagine the response of all of you very different people who are receiving these missives in your inboxes, shared with you because I believe you have an interest in the need to reconnect humans with our fast-disappearing natural world. I hope that I’ve been able to fire up your imagination, so that you can visualize yourself enjoying life from our Canoe View, helping us in our mission.

Remember, you can always check out our WordPress blog or our website (which is in the process of being overhauled) which you can access through the links below. And of course, WRT has a Facebook Page that you can also visit to “Like.”

As we say in WRT, hope to see YOU in a black canoe,

Your future Paddle Pal,

Donna

Tomorrow, please enjoy the sixth installment of our 7-day journey: Outcomes.

Photo Credit, Dr. Tom Kazo: It’s lunchtime on a small lake along Turner River deep in the Everglades, close to the Big Cypress National Preserve, for Dr. Bruce Sharfstein‘s class from Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That’s me, Donna Kazo, on the right, keeping our tethered canoes together and out of the mangroves by paddling backward. Bit of a breeze that day. Dr. Sharfstein is my bow paddler, wearing that jaunty hat. In his “other” job as a scientist for South Florida Water Management District, he has been Division Director, and Lead Environmental Scientist for Lake Okeechobee RECOVER among other important positions. An avid canoeist, Bruce served on WRT’s Board of Directors and remains a valued advisor to our Team.

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Part Four: Where Do We Start?

Hello again, and welcome to the fourth installment of our seven-day journey. You have learned a bit of our history, and we hope you can see the benefits WRT would love to once again offer to the community and the environment.

But before we provide you with the answer to this important question, let me just say that as difficult as it may be to “re-launch” Wildlife Research Team after the Great Recession sucker-punched us, it is NOTHING compared to what Dr. Tom Kazo had to do in 1993!

When in April 1991, the Veterans Administration released him from long-term care in their Miami nursing home, they turned out onto the street this combat-wounded, decorated Army veteran without a pension, not a penny in his pocket or even a glucometer to monitor his diabetes. His two years in their care had caused all of his outside resources to disappear. Basically, they expected him to die in a few months.

My family was happy to take Tom into our home. We had known him from years before, during much better times. We knew very well he had gone out of his way to help so many others, so we were honored to be able to help him. Then came a long and agonizing process: when he applied for a disability pension from Social Security, his two doctorates counted against him! Surely a man so well educated and resourceful was not in need of government assistance, was the message they handed down, and he was denied again and again. As he put it, “I don’t need a handout, just a hand up.” Only when he appeared before a judge in his wheelchair with his feet heavily bandaged after yet another surgical procedure at the VA, was Tom Kazo granted his well-deserved pension, in early 1992.

This, then was when his dream of a Wildlife Research Team, could actually begin to become a reality. It’s a dream that literally came to him on what the VA doctors predicted would be his death bed. Tom proved them wrong, but he was always the best at cheating Death. He had another fifteen years to make it come true, as I wrote in a previous post.

So, even though times are still tough, what we have to do to get our black canoes back to work is a cakewalk compared to what I witnessed back then. I want to also take a moment to give credit to my father, Captain Don McVicar, OBE, who founded an airline in Montreal after World War II, and ran it for twenty years. World Wide Airways helped to build the DEW Line across the Arctic, among many other accomplishments. Tom was a lot like Dad: they were both big guys with huge hearts who never flinched from the hardest task. They were unsurpassed at making something substantial out of thin air. Lucky me: I seem to be genetically inclined to take on a challenge with passion!

Allow me to repeat the question: Where do we start?

Answer: a program we call Canoeing 101

Another good question: why do we need Canoeing 101?

Answer: Twenty years of observing people in canoes…

Watching people freak out and freeze and fight with their partner because they cannot for the life of them make the canoe move in any direction. Having to paddle out and literally tow them to safety.

Hearing canoes cursed hurts my heart!
Not getting to know some really awesome new volunteers who came out to our cleanups just the once, realizing I didn’t have enough time to get to know them during the event.
Waiting for someone to get hurt, and wondering if the release they signed would be enough to protect us.
Being amazed that some people, friends-of-volunteers, usually, were reluctant to share their names or emails with WRT, even though we were letting them use our equipment and represent our good name.
In short, what the heck was I thinking, letting strangers into our canoes? 

I took it on faith, that because we were doing good works, that all would be well. Based on my years of experience, I was sure that only quality people would volunteer for our cleanups, people not likely to sue for some small mishap. Happy to report that we still have an unblemished safety record!

But was this really Team-building? If we didn’t get “return customers” then we— I— had failed them somehow. And how could we fund our operations since we don’t charge dues like all the other nonprofits? We certainly couldn’t even dream of “charging volunteers” who were donating their time, love, muscles, sweat, and gasoline!

Took a while to come up with a plan. Won’t go into all of that angst! Here then is the answer…

Canoeing 101:

• Will introduce new people to the wonderful lifetime sport and skill of canoeing;
• To be held close to WRT’s canoe storage facility in Davie (west of Fort Lauderdale) at a spacious canoe launch with plenty of room for canoes to maneuver once in the water, in a sheltered location (our travel expense = nil);
• To be scheduled on two Saturday mornings per month (to begin with);
• Will have small classes so that students will receive personal attention;
• Will be at NO COST to students; providing this free service to the community furthers our nonprofit mission by removing financial barriers;
• From now on, every single person who will even step into a WRT canoe must go through this course.

(A Few) Benefits of Canoeing 101: 

• Teach important safety skills in a more controlled environment;
• Risk Management, forestall lawsuits as no “strangers” will be setting foot in our canoes;
• Provide a public service; train people in a lifetime skill that may even save their lives later on;
• Team building, fellowship, fun;
• Great publicity;
• Sponsors and donors can readily understand and support this basic training session;
• As even future excursion passengers (non-paddlers) are required to go through Canoeing 101, this will weed out those who might ruin the trip for others because they find the canoe to be uncomfortable. (We’ve seen it happen!)

Canoeing 101 will be the doorway to a cherished goal of both Tom and myself: a Team within our Team, of trained and certified canoe guides/naturalists who we will financially compensate as valuable employees (NOT independent contractors!). 

As WRT wants everyone to be able to enjoy Nature from our canoes, not just the athletically inclined, we need an A-Team of Canoe Guide/Naturalists to be the “engines” for our canoes in our unique program, “You Point, We Paddle.” Passengers won’t have to paddle, as they may be too young/old/physically challenged.

How and why:

• Volunteers become Lifetime Wildlife Research Team Members after giving us just twenty hours; they will never have to pay dues. They will be able to volunteer at cleanups and other events, and never have to pay a penny. Financial hardship should not bar good people from helping out!
• Guides begin, like everyone in WRT, as volunteers, but showing more intensity and dedication;
• These people will receive ongoing training and certification (CPR, Red Cross first aid, etc.), first, as WRT volunteer/members, and as time passes and they prove their reliability, as paid employees (we will engage the services of an accountant to keep us in compliance with all government entities).
• Although some people get all they need from volunteering, some are looking for financially rewarding part-time employment;
• Outside agencies look for accountability to the organization, and having people on a payroll meets that requirement;
• Volunteers are the lifeblood of a nonprofit organization, but the sad and ugly truth about volunteers is that they know they don’t have to show up, and if they do show up, they don’t have to do a good job. What can I say? People have their own reasons, or excuses, for everything they do, or don’t do.
• WRT has been blessed with the highest-quality volunteers any organization could ever ask for, I hasten to add.

Would YOU like to become part of a great organization with a twenty-year history of making a difference to the people and wildlife of beautiful South Florida? Or would you be happy to just learn how to make that doggone canoe move forward, so that you and your loving partner don’t turn the air blue cursing at each other? Would you like to improve your physical health while enjoying a Canoe View of Florida’s many waterways? Would you like to be PAID to paddle a canoe?

All of the above begin with good ol’ Canoeing 101.

Tomorrow: Canoe View University

Thanks so much for sticking with me! There’s been so much to cover on our journey together.
On behalf of the amazing people who have given of their time for our Team, I wish you a day of knowing you are making the right decision at every turn.

Think about it: what better gift could there be?
Your future Paddle Pal,

Donna

Photo: Members of Boy Scout Troop 254 are learning the fine points of paddling while working towards their Merit Badges, courtesy of Wildlife Research Team.

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