Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex
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| Location |
Red Reef Park 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. Boca Raton, Florida |
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| Coordinates | 26°21′59″N 80°04′14″W / 26.366336°N 80.070434°W |
| Type | Nature center |
| Website | Official Website |
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, also known as the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, is a nature center owned and operated by the city of Boca Raton, Florida, located at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. in that city. Gumbo Limbo sits on twenty acres of protected barrier island, the area between the Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean. It is on land which is part of the beachfront Red Reef Park, though Gumbo Limbo does not have land directly on the beach (though it does have Intracoastal Waterway frontage). Its name comes from the popular name of the Bursera simaruba tree species, which is abundant in the park.
The complex includes an indoor museum with exhibits, a fish tank, and a gift shop, and some outdoor facilities including several large tanks for fish, turtles, and other sea life, a plank trail through the adjacent woods with an observation tower, and a clearing for observing butterflies. Events organized by the center include observations of sea turtles during their nesting season. Volunteers from the local community assist in the operation of this center and its events.
Sea Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation
Gumbo Limbo is best known for its involvement with protecting the area's sea turtles. The beaches of South Florida serve as a nesting habitat for the hawksbill, leatherback, Kemp's Ridley, and green sea turtle. Unfortunately, every species of sea turtle alive today is either classified as a threatened or endangered species. Gumbo Limbo works together with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect the area's sea turtles. The Boca Raton Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center has Marine Conservationists and Marine Sea Turtle Specialists that monitor, record, and study the sea turtle activity on the five miles of Boca Raton's city beach. This group also deals with reports of dead or injured turtles from the Boynton Beach Inlet to the Boca Raton/Deerfield Beach border.
For over two decades, Gumbo Limbo's sea turtle conservation team has come to the aide of sick and injured sea turtles in the Boca Raton area. In 2010, Gumbo Limbo opened up a rehabilitation facility to treat the wounded turtles on campus. The goal of the rehabilitation program is to treat the turtles until they are able to survive in the wild. The rehabilitation center is one of only six Florida sea turtle rehabilitation centers to accept turtles with Fibropapillomatosis. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is related to strains of the herpes virus. There is a correlation between warm polluted waters and cases of FP. A majority of Gumbo Limbo's turtles with FP come from lagoons and bays close to densely populated areas. The runoff into the water is filled with fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, and other pollutants resulting in very poor water quality. FP usually manifests itself as benign tumors resembling cauliflower. Tumors located on the flippers can impede with the turtle's ability to swim, and tumors on the eyes and mouth can impact the ability to find and eat food. The tumors are removed surgically at Gumbo Limbo.
Research facility
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex is also home to a research facility for Florida Atlantic University's Department of Biological Sciences. Research has focused on sea turtle behavior, shark sensory perception and salt levels on seagrasses.[1] Visitors are able to view the facility and chat with the researchers.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. |