Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Native Plant Day
2026-01-31 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)

February Programs
2026-02-01 08:00 - 2026-02-28 17:00
February Schedule

Flamingo Paint Class- February Friends Night Out
2026-02-21 13:00 - 15:00
Tickets:
https://donorbox.org/events/903261

February Delicate Balance of Nature- Flamingos
2026-02-23 18:30 - 20:30
Join us for a very special lecture on flamingos given by Jerry Lorenz.
In late August 2023, Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a category 3 hurricane in the big bend region of Florida. Along with the devastation typical of such storms, Idalia also brought along hundreds of American Flamingos that were unceremoniously scattered across the eastern US as far north as Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. In this presentation, Jerry Lorenz presents not only the fate of these flamingos but also the convoluted history of this iconic and once abundant species in Florida; how and why it was largely extirpated in the United States more than a hundred years ago and why, until recently, the State of Florida considered it to be non-native species. He also explains why it finally seems to be re-establishing a resident population in the state centered here in Florida Keys, Florida Bay and the Everglades.
Jerome J. Lorenz is an estuarine ecologist whose research focuses on the impact of water management in the southern Everglades on the coastal ecosystems of Florida Bay. Specifically, he focused on the linkages between fresh water deliveries from the Everglades, the abundance of aquatic plants and prey fishes in the mangroves and the success of nesting Roseate Spoonbills and other wading birds in Florida Bay. In 2000, Jerry became Research Director at Audubon Florida’s Everglades Science Center after completion of his Ph.D. from University of Miami. He was promoted to Research Director for Audubon Florida in 2005. Beginning in about 2015, he also began participating in research into the potential re-establishment of flamingo populations in southern Florida. After more than 35 years directing long-term ecological studies in the Keys, he retired from Audubon in April 2025 but continues to participate in the study of water birds in the Keys, particularly the pink ones.
We will start with a reception at 6:30pm and begin our lecture promptly at 7:30pm. Join us via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83999152613

March Programs
2026-03-02 - 2026-03-31

April Program Schedule
2026-04-01 08:00 - 2026-04-30 17:00

April Delicate Balance of Nature- Lion Fish
2026-04-27 18:30 - 20:30
