Harlem Students Preserve Darter
By Wendy Victora, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
Apr. 4–EGLIN AFB — In East Harlem there are no beaches. No sand-bottomed, clear winding creeks. No Okaloosa darters. For eight high school students from New York, spending spring break restoring habitat for a tiny endangered fish seemed like a great opportunity. "It’s exactly what I pictured," said 18-year-old Cynthia LaGuerre, sweating in the morning sun. "Hard work, blisters and a lot of fun." The girls attend East Harlem Young Women’s Leadership School, an all-girls city high school founded to emphasize math and science for girls.
They are spending three days this week working at Eglin Golf Club, assisting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists restore Okaloosa darter habitat.
The wildlife service, with the help of other state and federal agencies, has carved a creek through portions of the golf course to form an unbroken waterway for the small endangered fish.
The original creek was interrupted during golf course constr uction, which took place before the government began protecting the Okaloosa darter.
In order to restore water flow, biologists had to cut through several fairways.
While the students worked, golfers teed off nearby, occasionally chiding the crews for making too much noise.
The students dug up and moved aquatic plants, laid down coconut mats to prevent erosion and planted trees and shrubs.
Their teacher, Susan Vincent, said some fun was planned as well. They would go to the beach in the evenings and travel to New Orleans at the end of the week to volunteer at the Audubon Zoo.
Her former professor at Loyola University in New Orleans arranged the week of activities, which were funded by a grant.
The girls were happy with their adventure.
"We don’t really get to see stuff like this," said 18-year-old Desiree Colon.
"We don’t really see golf courses," she added.
Daily News Staff Writer Wendy Victora can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 478.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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