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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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.

We are often lucky to experience amazing ecological occurrences on our tours. This video was taken on a 3 hour kayaking excursion to Peanut Island in Palm Beach and illustrates just such an occurrence. Watch the video all the way to the end for a surprise!

Over the years there have been numerous theories concerning the leaping of mullet. The three most accepted theories are: predator avoidance, aerial respiration and… because they want to!

Click the image to see the video

Within the first years of moving to Miami, I made the effort of exploring many of  the city’s neighborhoods.  But despite its natural beauty the island of Key Biscayne  had never struck me as something particularly interesting.  Driving down the main corridor of Crandon Boulevard I always thought it was rather uninspiring. Boy was I wrong!  One day, my visiting father-in-law and I decided to ride out some of the island’s side streets and paths.  In preparation, I started reading up on its past which uncovered a treasure trove of stories this island holds – stories of its unique connections to as well as  its disconnect from Miami.   For anybody interested, I highly recommend the book “Key Biscayne – A History of Miami’s Tropical Island and the Cape Florida Lighthouse” by Joan Blank.

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God’s vast array of winged creatures has lost a great friend and advocate this month and in so losing her, we who love South Florida and its beautiful birds have equal cause to mourn.  Wendy Fox, longtime Executive Director of the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station died of cancer on Saturday, August 6, 2011.  She was 54.  Dragonfly Expeditions partnered up with Wendy and her inspiring organization years ago to create a new type of tour.  It was designed to bring awareness and money to the brave non-profit tucked away at the end of a marina on the 79^th Street Causeway.  We called it  “Healing Wildlife at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station”  and dedicated 40 percent of the gross profits  to the seabird station.  This effort has always made me proud.

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The AroundTown Magazine is a monthly issued calendar-magazine dedicated to South Florida’s rich cultural tapestry.  Since early 2011 Charles J. Kropke has been writing a column named “Charles’ Corner” for AroundTown where he talks about cultural events and institutions in South Florida.

For the June/July issue he was given the opportunity to introduce Dragonfly Expeditions and one of our tours: the Everglades Backwater Tour:

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Developing tour routes and gathering the stories that bring an experience to life is one of my favorite tasks at Dragonfly Expeditions.  This is particularly true for the Hawks Cay Kayak Adventure, especially since it involved several days of kayaking in the Florida Keys!  I have to admit that I tend to favor our water-based tours anyway, but the waters and story around Duck Key quickly proved to be tour-worthy.

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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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We are happy to announce the upcoming release of a new tour that uncovers the exciting and challenging world of Florida’s sea turtles.  In the past months there has been an increased interest from our clients in this subject, and since one of our top guides Ann Wiley has been heavily engaged in sea turtle conservation, we asked her to help us develop a tour that allows participants a hands-on experience with these unique sea creatures.  Ann has written several posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) on this blog about the topic and has sought out the best places that will allow guests to explore the theme of coastal habitat conservation and sea turtle protection in Palm Beach and Martin counties.  Look for the full release of this new tour in June.

A favorite among guests, our Key Biscayne – A Journey by Cycle tour is a leisurely way to experience this laid-back locale. We take you on a trip past the hidden corners of this fascinating island full of  pristine nature and history. Here is a short video of the tour: