Students ‘Venture Out’ to Fl. for manatees and kayaking

    Venture Out took twelve students on a trip to Homosassa, Fla. from Jan. 25 through Jan. 27. The trip consisted of swimming with the wild manatees and kayaking in crystal clear Floridian waters.
    A program devoted to providing outdoor experiences for the students of GCSU, Venture Out presents students with the opportunity of truly experiencing the great outdoors. This trip was devoted to Florida wildlife, and in particular, the manatee.
    Traveling every winter to the warm springs, the manatee is known to be one of the rare creatures that has no natural enemy. The manatee is commonly referred to as a “gentle giant,” yet it can weigh up to two tons.
    After leaving on Friday, Jan. 25 from the Centennial Center, the students arrived late in the night and set up camp. Waking up at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, the students were anxious to see the wild manatee.
    A pontoon boat escorted Venture Out to the warm springs where the manatees were to be found. Many of the students not only had the rare privilege to swim with this endangered species, but some also had the opportunity to touch them. The students said they were surprised to learn that manatees love to have their belly scratched.
    “When I first saw them I thought they were frickin’ huge and intimidating, but after hanging out with them for awhile I thought they were chill and cool,” said Tyler Bivens, a freshman international affairs major.
    Although some would suspect that the water was warm at 72 degrees, many of the students would disagree. Even those with wetsuits claimed to find themselves cold.
    However, the manatees find these habitats are the warmest they can find.  Manatees live in shallow, coastal waters and cannot survive in water below 60 degrees.
    “The manatees were very gentle. They are so different than I thought they would be,” said Cynthia Rychtik, a freshman early childhood education major.
    Later on Saturday, Jan. 26 Venture Out took the students to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Here the students observed some of the largest manatees recorded, weighing up to 2,000 pounds, as well as alligators, bears, the Florida panther and a hippopotamus. After the day was done the students had observed most of Florida’s native wildlife.
    According to the students, kayaking at Ichetucknee River State Park on Sunday, Jan. 27 was a very relaxed, peaceful journey. The trip enabled the students to observe herons, gar fish, and turtles. A real outstanding, picturesque scene, the Ichetucknee River was truly spectacular.
    “The kayaking was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was awesome and we saw so much wildlife. It was really beautiful,” said Sara Wood, a sophomore art major.
    Overall, the Venture Out trip was a success. Most participants exclaim that the trip was an incredible experience for all involved. Not only did students get to camp, kayak, and learn more about exotic animals, they also got to swim with an endangered species. Getting in touch with nature was a nice vacation from the demands of school for the students.
    “It’s a great experience. I wish more students took the opportunity to do something like this,” said Warren Van Rooyen, a senior outdoor education major.
    Venture Out is planning many more trips this semester for all interested. Coming up on Feb. 9 is the rock climbing trip in February. Later that month there will also be a Hiking trip to Pine Mountain. More events to look forward to include skydiving, camping and whitewater rafting. For more information email Diddy at Ventureout@gcsu.edu or call him at 478-445-2960.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 1 2008. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry