Transcript: Wildlife Biology

Host 1: Sixty miles northeast of Big Cypress is another vital part of the restoration effort. The Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. This 221 square-mile park is made up of freshwater marsh, tree islands, and wet prairie.

Host 2: Dr. Laura Brandt is a Senior Wildlife Biologist at the refuge. Her days are spent studying the tree islands and the different animal and plant species that live here.

Dr. Laura Brandt: OK, here we are at an alligator net.

Host 1: To determine if the restoration project is working, Laura and Camille track certain plants and critters called indicator species to help them determine the health of the refuge.

Dr. Laura Brandt: Alligators are one of these species, wading birds are one of these species, and tree islands are another indicator that we're using. Alligators are very tied to hydrology and when the water is right, then the alligators do very well.

Host 1: Camille is a college student and she spends three days a week studying bugs, another indicator species.

Dr. Laura Brandt: Alright, let's go ahead and get a good sample there and see what else we can find, insect-wise. Eww, look at all these guys.

Camille: I basically am field support for the projects that are going on but I'm also doing my own project here on insect diversity on the tree islands. It's nice working with Laura because I always learn a lot and she's always willing to share her knowledge with me. She knows a lot about the system.

Dr. Laura Brandt: I think wildlife biology is one of the fields where there are going to be a lot of opportunities. Nationwide we're beginning to realize we need to do a better job of protecting our natural resources and in order to do that we need to know something about them.

Host 2: Here in the Everglades, the water is returning. As the habitat returns, hopefully, so will the wildlife.