Citizen Science: Searching for Microplastics

While our 6-month commitment to daily turtle patrolling is the most significant volunteer activity of our summer, we are also involved in another interesting citizen science project through ANERR (the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve). In our second gig, we are sampling Gulf of Mexico water and beach sand and analyzing it to determine the … Read more

Citizen Science: Losing Sleep Over Turtle Patrol

Since we are not traveling this summer, we decided to volunteer with sea turtle patrol during nesting season, which runs from May 1 through October 31. Five species of sea turtles nest on Florida beaches, all of which are endangered or threatened. The most common are loggerheads, greens, and leatherbacks, while Kemp’s Ridley and hawsbill … Read more

Too Tired to Come Up with a Title, and Other Hazards of Construction Work

A single family house is perhaps one of the most artisanal products most Americans will ever own. Despite the use of tilt-up, pre-fab, and even 3D printing in larger commercial applications, with single family homes it seems that just about every component is custom made by hand. And when you are anxiously awaiting completion, all … Read more