Continued cold as we head into a new year.

The cold weather in December 2010 set records in South Florida.

We awoke to another morning of frost as we approach the new year.

Cold Start for William Jewell

Night one of the William Jewell course course saw a hard freeze here on Sunset Island.  There was frost on the docks (above) and greeted Mary as see donned a puffy jacket before starting breakfast.

Swamp Swap 2010!

The evening of December 25th played host to this season's annual holiday swamp swap.

The William Jewell staff were on day one of precourse.

It was the eve of the sea kayak precourse

The Gray Family was fully represented.

And of course Anne Lovett was full of cheer

Not to be outdone, our new Logistics Manager, scored some nice loot on her inaugural Swam Swap

 Start to make you plans now and be sure not to miss this once a year gala.

December 25... SWAMP SWAP!

It is that time of year again when we look deep into our recesses and find the perfect swamp swap gift. That's right, this year December 25th at 5 pm please gather in the Sunset Island Lodge armed with a wrapped gift and get ready to swap.  We will laugh and cry and steal each others gifts.  Please keep in mind that the object is to provide someone else with either a recycled gift that you are no longer using or a purchased gift that is 10$ or less.
We will have a large dinner following the swap around 7 pm.  William Jewell instructors are on duty and homefolk and guests are on preduty.  Thanks in advanced for a wonderful festive gathering!
cheers,
Anne

A new addition to the Sunset Island Times -

Looking out across Chokoloskee Bay from my office the day started off with some morning fog.  I'm working diligently to wrap up loose ends before Trish, Anne, and I head out to sail C'est la Vie from Wilmington, NC to our Sunset Island Basecamp.

Before we depart I wanted to share with you all an addition to the Sunset Island Times.  Scrolling down the page you will discover recommended book lists on the right side of the page.  The book lists are divided into genres...
Everglades Ecosystem & Restoration
Local History Resources
Flora & Fauna Guides
Nautical Resources
Fiction, Inspiration, Other
I hope that placing these lists on the Sunset Island Times will provide staff easy access to resources.  Many of the titles listed are available in the basecamp library.  If staff wish to purchase a book and use the link on this blog then 4% of the purchase price will go into a fund for purchasing new materials for the Sunset Island library.  If you are planning to purchase any of these titles, then I encourage you all to use these links.  If anyone has other books they would like to see added, then please send me an email.

Jeff




 

Fall 2010 Work Weekend - Thanks for all the hard work and good times!

The Fall 2010 Fall Work Weekend has come and gone.  Thanks to everyone who chipped in to make the event a huge success.  We reached an apex of 26 participants on Saturday, November 6th.  Here is a pre-banquet dinner group photo.

For more photos of the event please check out the on-line photo album... Fall 2010 Work Weekend Photo Album.

Here is a link to the list of all the projects completed (highlighted in green) and some project projected for future work weekends (highlighted in orange)... Final Project List Fall 2010 Work Weekend

Anyone interested in participating in the 2011 Spring Work Weekend the tentative dates are April 1-3, 2011.

Thanks again for everyone's efforts.  You all make a huge difference in the success of our programs and the quality of life here on Sunset Island.

FL Semester Phase course start

International Semester Students arrive from NC!

The Everglades welcomed the International Semester students on Monday, November 1st for their 2nd phase.  The welcome party included Trish, Julie, Kat, and of course thousands of excited mosquitos!

After arriving in Fort Lauderdale the students headed to Homestead for their Swim test.  They all passed swimmingly and headed to Robert is Here. 

Sadly, Robert was not there and will not be there until November 3rd for all those interested in knowing.  Once arriving in Flamingo, everyone crowded into the bug tent that Julie and Kat so graciously set up. 

Pita pizzas eased their tired and hungry bellies.  Soon after eating everyone gladly laid their weary heads down for the evening.  Visions of dolphins, manatees, and panthers danced in their heads. 

Duffle Shuffle commenced the following morning and the students were introduced to their surroundings for the coming weeks.  Some were very eager to try out  fresh coconut milk and were very creative with ways to extract it.  After loading all the gear back into the vehicles, the students were ready to be transported to the put-in.  

Everyone was in awe of the beauty of Flamingo! Julie and Kat left the students, Trish, and Jimbo with happy hearts!  Good luck semester and we will see you at resupply!

Blog entry by: Kat Triplett

Fall 2010 Work Weekend Project List

This weekend, Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 7.  Sunset Island will be hosting it's semi-annual Work Weekend.  We are preparing in earnest and eagerly awaiting the arrival of all the Work Weekend volunteers. Currently there are 26 confirmed participants, a mixture of alumni, staff, and friends of the Outward Bound School.  Here is a link to the current project list - Fall 2010 Work Weekend Project List .

We will post a report post work weekend of the projects completed along with a photo album of the progress, sweat, and laughs.

Please contact Program Director, Jeff Lovett, via email, JLovett@ncobs.org if you are interesting in receiving information about future Sunset Island or NCOBS Work Weekend Dates.

Let the projects begin...

FL Semester Phase Precourse

We are into day two of precourse preparations for the FL Phase of the fall semester course.  Julie Springsteen is working behind the scenes as course director.   Trish Haitz is co-instructing with Jimbo Schley. Jimbo is still in NC with the crew, but Trish is here in FL  course planning...seen below working on her 72 hour plan.

Meanwhile our new Logistics Manager - Kat Triplett is growing familiar with the field libraries in the front office.

The semester students fly into Fort Lauderdale on Monday and will drive directly to Flamingo to begin their 15 day canoe expedition.  So the season begins here on Sunset Island.  I'll sign off with a parting image of our first gear pile of the 2010-11 season all wrapped up and awaiting tomorrow morning's loading party...

Can you hear me now?

We are making steady progress towards opening up the base on most fronts.   Despite open box surgery on the heart of the phone system we are still without our primary phone lines.

We're Back!

Anne and I arrived on Sunset Island a few days ago.  The base looks great due in no small part to the efforts of the 2010 caretakers Billy and Shannon Snyder.  All the major systems are up and running except the phones.  If you need to contact us please use the ferry phone 239.695.0014.  We are working with Sanjay to repair the phone system and hope to have it back online by next week.

The staff working the FL Fall Semester Phase will begin arriving next week; our first students arrive on November 1; and the Fall 2010 Work Weekend is scheduled for November 5-7.  There is so much to get done so the updates may be few, but we will do our best to keep everyone updated.

FL Programs 2009-10 Photo Album

Trish and I have spent the last couple days working on the FL Programs 2010-11 staffing.  Reviewing work requests, professional summaries, and work histories is dredging up memories from past seasons.  These memories and a renewed excitement for the upcoming season inspired me to post an album of images from last season.  Enjoy... FL Programs 2009-10

2010-04-08 FL Spring 2010 WW

Thanks to all the volunteers and staff that chipped in to make the Spring 2010 Work Weekend a success.  Please follow the link to the right under the Photo Albums Heading to view pictures from the weekend.

Progress on the Sunfish!

Above is the progress as of January 2010. The images below were captured this morning.
After three seasons of slowing picking away at repairing the Sunfish we have made significant progress over the last two months and nearing the launch date. Thanks to all the staff the have chipped in to help out and add inspiration to complete this project.

happy valentine's day

happy valentine's day from Sunset Island. It was a crisp, cool valentines day here in Everglades City. Berkley Prep is the only crew out on course. Many of the staff fresh out of the field from the Savannah/Canterbury course block slept in and then went to the skunk ape headquarters to check out the snakes.

Anne made cupcakes to celebrate the day. After dinner we had a cupcake decorating party.

Hear ye, hear ye hear ye...

Some news and requests from your friendly sea programs director.

• Welcome back to all the Canterbury Staff!
• Thanks to some leg work and research by Ryan Havner we now have the resources and contacts to report sightings of sawfish and nesting horseshoe crabs.  A link to the online Horseshoe Crab Survey is now listed in the links pane on the right side of the screen.
• The FL Working Dinner is scheduled for March 1, 2010.  If you are on base please plan to attend.  In an effort to ensure all voices are heard and that we cover the topics important to field staff, I would like everyone that has worked in FL this season to complete a brief questionnaire.  If you do not receive an email from me in the next couple days, then please send me an email requesting a copy of the questionnaire.
• Buffalo Award.   I hope that the Buffalo Award can be presented at the Working Dinner, March 1.  To make this feasible all votes need to be submitted to me by February 19, 2010.  Votes may be deposited in the ballot box in the lodge or sent to JLovett@ncobs.org.  If you have worked in FL this season you are qualified to vote for the FL staff person you believe best represents the belief that, "A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in  a little thing is a big thing."

Thanks!

Our First Junior Rangers!

Congrats to Lark & Ryan for being the first NOCBS staff to meet the rigorous requirements and officially be sworn in as ENP Junior Rangers. Lark & Ryan are establishing lofty expectations for their peers.

An now for something completely different.

The lighter side of Sunset Island

Fl Programs 2010 Staff Photo

Thanks to everyone for their contributions to the 2009-10 season!