On Saturday, February 25^th, 2012, it became clear to me that people from all walks of life in South Florida still do care.  Only a few weeks earlier I had called for action for an environmental restoration workday at Broward County’s Deerfield Island Park. The call went viral and 199 volunteers RSVPed.  176 showed up.  My appeal was the following.

“This is something that I rarely do but I am requesting it now, I need your help.  Saturday, February 25^th at 10 am, I am gathering everyone we can muster at the dock that services Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach.  I am responding to a plea from my longtime friend Pat Howell on a project that is dear to both of our hearts.  The gopher tortoise habitat on the island is facing a de-listing as a critical wildlife habitat by the Fish & Wildlife Commission because invasive exotic plants are choking out the area.  I am trying to mobilize an army to eliminate the invasives and prevent the critical wildlife de-listing.  Because it is a large task and we only have one day, I need as many volunteers as humanly possible.

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Not only has our corporate main tour season started, but our multi-day Road Scholar programs for this year are well under way!  In the past few weeks we have led adventurers through many of South Florida’s ecological and cultural gems.

A walk through the Montgomery Botanical Center led by its Executive Director,  Dr. Patrick Griffith, offered an exclusive exploration of one of the world’s foremost horticultural institutions.

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Sometimes the Christmas/Holiday season slows long enough for us to savor it, and sometimes it does a head-long rush until the day is right upon us.  For me, last year was the former and this year is the latter.  I wish this season would slow down some but the likelihood is small.  Nevertheless, the greatest aspect of the season for me is the collective mood. In short, I love the love.

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By the time the sixth full-time Dragonfly Expeditions employee (with an occasional seventh or eighth in residence) came to our light-filled office with its full-sized windows facing the large Mexican-tiled patio and the looming Biltmore tower as a backdrop, the writing was on the wall.  It was time to expand into a new office.  As much as I had admired the spacious corner office that we had passed in our seven years at the Biltmore Hotel, I hardly expected that things would conspire to make it available to us when moving became inevitable.  But it did happen and we were ecstatic.  We moved in with paint and carpet samples, broke down desks and shelves; bought more bookcases for our expanding library and began the long shuffle down the hallway.

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For the second straight year, Dragonfly Expeditions partnered with the University of Miami Family Weekend program to provide new students and their families the opportunity to explore Miami and its surroundings on our tours.

The five tours that were offered throughout the weekend featured Miami’s Cuban Heritage, the historic Miami City Cemetery, Kayaking on Biscayne Bay, and two Miccosukee Indian Heritage airboat tours.

The goal of the partnership between the University of Miami and Dragonfly Expeditions is to showcase Miami as a metropolis with historical, ecological and cultural treasures beyond its usual party reputation. Here are some quotes from participants:

“Very interesting information. Loved it!” – Xavier, Cuban Heritage Tour

“Very informative and a beautiful way to see the bay” – Ann, Great Discoveries on the Bay – A Kayak Tour

“Fabulous trip, tour guide was superb. Airboat was so relaxing. Great way to see nature at it’s best!” – Sheila, Miccosukee Indian Heritage Tour

Dragonfly Expeditions would like to send a special thank you to the University of Miami Family Weekend staff (Brian Orefice, Danielle Howard, and Carrie Whiteside) for their amazing work and dedication in ensuring that our partnership was again a success. We are looking forward to Family Weekend 2012.

There have been many occasions when people have asked me why our company is called Dragonfly Expeditions. The truth is that it was already named before my business partner Uwe Doeringer and I ever came along. Dragonfly Expeditions’ founder Michael David Cushing named the company two decades ago.  There were several reasons why he liked the name.  One was that dragonflies are found the world-over in a brilliant multitude of colors and shapes.  Another reason was that dragonflies are an “indicator species,” meaning they are generally only found in healthy ecosystems, something we deeply care about.  A great recent Miami Herald article about a current abundance of dragonflies speaks about Dragonfly Expeditions’ specific subspecies, displayed in all of our literature and imagery – the Common Green Darner.  However, we always prefer to return to the simple short story found on the back of our business cards:

Common Green Darner – Anax Junius

This species of dragonfly is found in and around various water bodies throughout the tropics.  It has been lauded for its incredible gift of flight and brilliant blue and green colors.  Green Darners are also one of the few travelers found in their species. Darners have been known to travel thousands of miles with the seasons.  They can be seen sailing mostly in the early morning or late afternoon while enjoying a meal of whatever insect flies their way.  Whether sailing on an ocean breeze or perched on a rock below some island waterfall, the Common Green Darner lives up to its name Anax Junius or ‘lord and master of June.’

Wouldn’t you agree that this describes us well?

As Managing Partner for Dragonfly Expeditions, one of my driving obsessions is our company library.  It is a running joke in the office that everywhere I go, I buy books about the culture, history and ecology of Florida and the Caribbean Basin and bring them back to headquarters like prizes from the battlefield.  I occasionally attack Amazon’s online database with relish.  Whenever we broach a new subject for a tour, I buy every relevant book on the subject.  For this reason, Dragonfly Expeditions has an already extensive and growing library.  We have whole collections of books on Florida Indians, the Everglades, Miami history, piracy, sailing, seaplanes, Spanish treasure, local wildlife, Cuba, the Bahamas, Florida architecture, Florida art, cracker cowboy heritage and books on almost every village, town and city in the state.  Of course, these are just some of the many topics represented in our collection. I am fanatic about this library.

My dreams for the library almost border on megalomania. I ask everyone I know if they have Florida books with which they wish to part.  I particularly savor old and out-of-print issues.  I want to have the largest collection in the state on Florida and Caribbean subjects.

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Dragonfly Expeditions is putting out its yearly call for guides and speakers.  Due to the growth of our company, we are continuously adding knowledgeable guides to our core staff to interpret and discuss the history, ecology and culture of South Florida.  We are looking for articulate leaders who are passionate, excellent interpreters, have a flexible work schedule and are willing to learn.

The company has been on the forefront of sustainable tourism in South Florida since 1992. Our day journeys are designed to create a sense-of-place for our guests while focusing attention on many of Florida’s most unique and endangered places.

If you are interested in applying, or if you know anybody that would fit this description, please use the contact information below.

Location of job: Positions in Miami Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Naples, Fort Myers, Florida Keys, Tampa and Orlando

Qualifications: Strong background in Florida ecology and/or history, minimum of 21 years old, positive, outgoing personality, mature attitude, desire to work with groups, exceptional people and leadership skills, as well as absolute professionalism.

Recommended, but not required: Master Naturalist Program graduate; Lifeguard training and first aid; wilderness medicine qualifications (WFA, WFR)

Available: Year round, but all tours are by appointment only, so applicants need to have a flexible schedule

Submit cover letter and resume to: Megan Fries – Director of Operations

Email: mfries@dragonflyexpeditions.com

With Dragonfly Expeditions being a company that earns its money through sustainable tourism, you would not necessarily connect it to the organization of teambuilding events. But being a sustainable tourism company lets us use our expertise and transfer it to programs like community service projects, even though they commonly are not defined as tourism.

On March 1^st 2011 Dragonfly Expeditions organized a teambuilding event for a group of 180 high profile guests from a multinational company that is operating in 21 different countries.  The goal was to remove invasive exotic plants and to restore the original flora in a critical section of Markham Park , a popular county park on the edge of the Everglades close to Fort Lauderdale.

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Dragonfly Expeditions, with great sadness, notes the passing of a good and trusted friend whom we had the honor to visit many times on our Cuban Heritage Tour. On April 29^th, 2011, Ramon Puig of Casa de las Guayaberas went home to his heavenly reward.  He was 90 years old.  The idea of “going home” for Ramon Puig holds a good deal of irony.  He spent the last 42 years of his life in exile.  Leaving Cuba at the age of 48 after having his store confiscated without compensation, Ramon had already developed a reputation as a gifted tailor.  Using a pair of precision stainless-steel scissors which were already 40 years old when, as a young man, he saved up the money to buy them, Ramon hand-crafted traditional four pocket Guayabera shirts.

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