WETMAAP: Wetland Education Through Maps and Aerial Photography
At WETMAAP workshops in St. Petersburg, educators trained in methods to study coastal wetlands. These teachers and coordinators left the training with resources and knowledge to develop wetland teaching exercises for their future students.
In June 2003, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute joined with the United States Geological Survey’s National Wetlands Research Center, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to host WETMAAP workshops in St. Petersburg, Florida. These workshops used a geographic and ecological approach to familiarize educators with wetland values, functions, and threats to wetland existence. The workshop participants trained in the use of aerial photographs, topographic maps, satellite imagery, and wetland habitat maps.
The St. Petersburg workshops focused on Weedon Island. Expert ecologists provided classroom training and guided field studies at Weedon Island Preserve. Educators who attended the WETMAAP workshops left with a new appreciation for the value of wetland habitats, increased knowledge of societal wetland issues, reference materials for further learning, and tools to lead wetland studies with future students.
For more information on the valuable WETMAAP national program and to view materials specific to the Weedon Island workshops, visit the informative
www.wetmaap.org Web site.
