Families can wade into the shallows at Crandon Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, drag a net through the seagrass beds and see what surfaces — sea urchins, pipefish, starfish or something else entirely.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center is hosting its Public & Family Seagrass Adventure from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the center's home at 6767 Crandon Blvd. Registration is $15 per person, capacity is limited and spots must be reserved in advance at biscaynenaturecenter.org/calendar.

Spots are limited.

The program pairs participants with a naturalist guide who leads them into the calm, knee-deep water just outside the center's doors. Waders haul a seine net through the grass, scoop what they find into buckets for a closer look, then release everything back into the bay. According to the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce, the seagrass beds at Crandon Park shelter mangrove snapper, parrotfish, crabs, shrimp, sea stars and puffer fish.

Biscayne Bay has lost between 70% and 90% of its seagrass flats over the past decade, according to a July 2026 report by WLRN and the Biscayne Times. What participants pull from the water Saturday is a snapshot of what remains in one of the bay's healthier stretches.

Jackie Kellogg, the center's manager and naturalist, oversees programs like the seagrass adventure, which are scheduled at low tide and led by naturalist guides. The nonprofit sits at the northern end of Crandon Park near the 165-acre Bear Cut Preserve and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its solar-powered building houses saltwater aquariums, a live mangrove habitat and interactive exhibits.

The center's Summer by the Sea Camp for ages 7–12 wrapped up July 31; the Aug. 8 seagrass adventure is a standalone public event open to all ages. Registration opened July 27 and tickets were listed as available at that time. The center's August calendar lists 42 events for the month, and residents can browse the full schedule at biscaynenaturecenter.org/calendar.

Upcoming at the Biscayne Nature Center

  • Saturday, Aug. 8, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Public & Family Seagrass Adventure, $15/person, registration required
  • Daily, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. — Nature center open for self-guided exhibits, aquariums and gift shop

For the full August lineup, visit biscaynenaturecenter.org/calendar.