<i>Our Changing World</i> Kicks Off 10th Season of Biscayne National Park's<br><i>Family Fun Fest</i>

The evil Dr. Verduga reveals her plans to change the Earth's climate.

Thomas M. Strom

News Release Date: December 7, 2009

Contact: Gary Bremen, 305-230-1144, x007

So, you think you’re hot? You’re not alone. The threat of Global Climate Change is downright scary! But big problems are not solved by being overwhelmed — they’re solved by everyday people doing their part. As world leaders meet to discuss the issue in Copenhagen, the tenth year of Biscayne National Park’s Family Fun Fest takes a look at this tough issue in a way that’s easy for kids and families to understand, while giving them hope for the future. The free event takes place on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at the park's Dante Fascell Visitor Center from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Stations located around the visitor center provide a variety of interactive and hands-on activities, including:

• What’s It All About?— Play a game to discover how Mars, Venus and Earth’s climates compare.
• Acid Test— What is too much carbon dioxide doing to the ocean’s animals?
• Ups and Downs — Sea level change is an old story at Biscayne, but what’s the future hold?
• Choices, Choices!— Take a shopping trip to see how your choices everyday can lead to a cooler planet.
• Climate: 911! — Listen in on the dastardly plans of the evil Dr. Verduga in Episode 1 of this 4-part extravaganza!

Participants will receive a paper passport to be punched at each station as they complete the activities. Those who complete all five activities will earn a special button to help remember the day, and those who earn five buttons in a season will receive a Family Fun Fest Fanatic award in April.

Family Fun Fest takes place on the second Sunday of every month from December  through April — ONE MONTH EARLIER THAN USUAL. The series is made possible through a grant from the Captain Bob Lewis Boat Center Yamaha Billfish Challenge and the Bobby Duryea Memorial Fund at the South Florida National Parks Trust. Additional support this month comes from Rock Creek Park, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves and a host of dedicated volunteers.

Future Family Fun Fest events in the 2009 season are:

• America’s Best Idea — January 10 — Visit some of Biscayne’s “sister” parks: Redwood, DeSoto, Devil’s Tower and Petrified Forest.
• BioBlitz: For the Love of Diversity — February 14 — Discover an amazing array of plants and animals as Biscayne prepares for the largest survey of life in the park’s history!
• Liter-a-Sea: Oceans of Knowledge — March 14 — The ocean is the lifeblood of both the park and the planet — are you “ocean-literate?”
• The Best Family Fun Fest EVER! — April 11 — The 50th Family Fun Fest features the best activities of the first 10 years…selected by YOU the participants!

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is located at 9700 SW 328 Street, nine miles east of Homestead, Florida. Call 305-230-7275, extension 555 for more information.