Though Beach University is not an official college, the environmental education program is free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend the hour-long outdoor sessions with exceptional instructors and hands-on curriculum. All courses relate to the coastal environment and how to best care for the ecology. This year’s classes cover shells and their inhabitants, turtle tagging and tracking, human behaviors on the environment, prescribed fire and how humans interact with sand.
Beach University will be on all Thursdays in March from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road on Siesta Key. The classes are free and all held at the main pavilion.
No registration is required. Limited seating is available. Bringing your own chair is acceptable.
For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000 and ask about “Beach University.”
| Beach University Speakers |
| Date |
Name |
Title |
Organization |
Presentation |
| Thursday 3/2/2023 |
Jonathan Poyner |
Siesta and Lido Beach Coordinator |
Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources |
"Got Sand?" |
| Thursday 3/9/2023 |
Jason Robertshaw |
Program Manager for Virtual Learning |
Mote Marine Laboratory |
Human Behaviors on the Environment |
| Thursday 3/16/2023 |
Armando J. Ubeda |
Florida Sea Grant Agent |
UF/IFAS Extension, Sarasota County |
Where Do Shells Come From? |
| Thursday 3/23/2023 |
Jim Grimes |
GIS Professional |
Sarasota County EIT - GIS Services |
Turtle Tagging and Satellite Tracking |
| Thursday 3/30/2023 |
Matt Brady |
Environmental Specialist |
Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources |
Fire In Coastal Ecosystems |