{"id":79359,"date":"2026-05-18T16:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=79359"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T17:53:08","slug":"whales-dolphins-six-week-educational-course","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/calendar\/whales-dolphins-six-week-educational-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Whales & Dolphins | Six-Week Educational Course"},"content":{"rendered":"

Join us for a six-week journey into the world of North Atlantic Right Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins along Northeast Florida\u2019s coast. Through expert presentations, film, discussion, and a guided sunset beach walk, you’ll explore the science, conservation, and stories behind some of the ocean’s most remarkable animals.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a lifelong marine mammal enthusiast or simply curious about the incredible wildlife found along our coast, this course offers a unique opportunity to connect with the ocean in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

RESERVE YOUR SPOT<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Session Dates<\/strong>
\nWednesdays: September 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, and November 4<\/p>\n

Instructor<\/strong>
\nTerran McGinnis, Founder, Wild Lessons<\/em><\/p>\n

Time<\/strong>
\n10:30 AM \u2013 Noon
\nOctober 28 session meets at 5:30 PM for a sunset beach walk at Vilano Beach.<\/em><\/p>\n

Location<\/strong>
\nGTM Research Reserve Visitor Center<\/p>\n

Registration<\/strong>
\nFriends of GTM Members: $175
\nNon-Members: $225<\/p>\n

Course Topics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Week 1: North Atlantic Right Whale<\/strong>
\nLearn about the North Atlantic Right Whale \u2014 one of the world\u2019s most endangered whales \u2014 who returns each winter to our Northeast Florida waters to give birth and raise calves. Despite the challenges facing this species, this session offers a hopeful and empowering look at conservation efforts making a difference.<\/p>\n

Week 2: \u201cLast of the Right Whales\u201d Film Screening<\/strong>
\nExperience the powerful documentary Last of the Right Whales, following the migration of North Atlantic Right Whales and the people dedicated to protecting them. The film explores the impacts of climate change, ship strikes, and fishing gear entanglements while sharing a message of hope for the future of the species.<\/p>\n

Week 3: Marineland Right Whale Project<\/strong>
\nDiscover the incredible work being done through the Marineland Right Whale Project and learn how researchers, conservationists, and everyday citizens are helping protect these remarkable animals.<\/p>\n

Week 4: Common Bottlenose Dolphin<\/strong>
\nExplore the behavior, anatomy, hunting strategies, and social lives of our local bottlenose dolphins, along with the conservation challenges they face in Florida waters.<\/p>\n

Week 5: Sunset Dolphin Beach Walk<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019ll head outdoors for a guided sunset beach walk at Vilano Beach, traveling south toward Porpoise Point. Along the way, we\u2019ll discuss dolphin behavior and coastal ecology while enjoying one of the most scenic spots in St. Augustine. Dolphin sightings are possible, but not guaranteed.<\/p>\n

Week 6: Marineland Dolphin Adventure \u2014 Past, Present, and Future<\/strong>
\nTake a look back at the fascinating history of Marineland, the world\u2019s first oceanarium, and explore how it transformed our community\u2019s relationship with dolphins and marine conservation from 1938 to today.<\/p>\n

REGISTER NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Join us for a six-week journey into the world of North Atlantic Right Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins along Northeast Florida\u2019s coast. Through expert presentations, film, discussion, and a guided sunset..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":79846,"template":"","meta":{"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[98,82,83,144,85],"tribe_events_cat":[96,99,100,94,124,86],"class_list":["post-79359","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-estuary","tag-friends-of-gtm-research-reserve","tag-gtm-research-reserve","tribe_events_cat-community-engagement","tribe_events_cat-education","tribe_events_cat-environment","tribe_events_cat-estuary","tribe_events_cat-friends-of-the-gtm-reserve","tribe_events_cat-gtm-research-reserve","cat_community-engagement","cat_education","cat_environment","cat_estuary","cat_friends-of-the-gtm-reserve","cat_gtm-research-reserve"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/79359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/79359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79957,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/79359\/revisions\/79957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79359"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtmnerr.org\/testtheme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=79359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}