GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Families who missed the last Seahorse Key open house have another chance to encounter history, wildlife and more on March 14 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will get to see aquarium critters, tour the island’s pre-Civil War lighthouse and learn a bit of local lore.
Recent open houses have attracted more than 250 people to the small island 3 miles off the coast of Cedar Key in the Gulf of Mexico. Seahorse Key is only open to the public four days a year during these open house events.
As with previous open houses, a pop-up aquarium of “creature tanks” will let families get up close to marine animals from the Cedar Key area.
“The animals are collected the day before, so we don’t know what will be in the tanks until then,” said Savanna Barry, a regional UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant agent. “We usually have a large assortment of sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, decorator crabs, seahorses, sea squirts, file fish, pipe fish, puffer fish, flounder.”
Visitors will also learn how to help conserve the ecosystems where these creatures live.
“We will share information about the threats to seagrass, which supports fisheries and other wildlife on the Nature Coast,” Barry said. “We’ll talk about what people can do to protect seagrass while boating, and we’ll be giving away free “Be Seagrass Safe” stickers,” she said.
T-shirts, water and other items will be for sale, with proceeds going to support the building of a public aquarium at the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station.
Seahorse Key is accessible by water taxi or personal vessel. Water taxis are available through Tidewater Tours (352-543-9523), and Cedar Key Boat Rentals and Island Tours (352-231-4435 or 352-278-0065).
Seahorse Key open house events are made possible through partnership with the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. The Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory is managed by UF/IFAS, with contributions from the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Santa Fe College.
To learn more about Seahorse Key events and research, go to the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station web site.
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
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