A comeback story: Vester Field Station reopens

4 - minute read

Almost two years after Hurricane Ian, Vester Field Station has been restored to its role as a key site for research and education at Florida Gulf Coast University.

 

The waterfront site in Bonita Springs was severely damaged by Ian, which hit Southwest Florida as a strong category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph.

 

“We had about an 11-foot storm surge” says Mike Parsons, The Water School professor and Vester director. “All the first floors of all the buildings were basically destroyed.”

A smiling man in a green Polo shirt stands with one hand on a railing, a boat visible behind him
Mike Parsons, The Water School professor and Vester Field Station director.

Emergency preparedness

In preparation for Ian, Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935, Vester staff took precautionary measures to safeguard their equipment, which proved vital for post-storm research continuity. Before the storm, four of Vester’s boats were transported to FGCU’s main campus and secured alongside other campus vessels. Two additional boats that couldn’t be moved due to lack of trailers were lost to the storm, but the proactive relocation of critical research equipment made a significant difference.

 

Essential tools for obtaining general water parameters were also secured before the storm. These efforts allowed The Water School faculty and staff to resume critical research activities promptly after Ian, underscoring the importance of strategic preparedness.

 

“When a hurricane makes landfall in a low-lying area and produces 10 to 16 feet of storm surge with an additional couple of feet of rainfall, any potential precautions or preparations don’t really matter anymore unless there is just absolutely nothing on the first floor and everything is elevated,” says Adam Catasus (’15, bachelor’s, marine science; ’19, master’s, environmental science), coordinator of education and research at Vester. 

Renovations “down to the studs”

Ian’s damage to the site’s buildings was extensive. In the Fish House, which faces the water, “all of the first floor flooded and so everything floated or moved into the mangroves. Everything was completely ruined. And so everything was gutted down to the studs,” says Parsons.

 

A 20-month construction schedule started with the demolition of damaged doors, windows and siding. Structural repairs included carpentry work, installation of new siding and trim, and replacement of windows and doors with impact-resistant options. Interior finishes involved fresh paint and new drywall, flooring, cabinets and countertops. The fire suppression system and elevator were replaced, and plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems were updated. According to Catasus, the renovations and purchase of new equipment amounted to $2.5 million. 

An empty room with white walls, a window, a side exit door and plain, brown flooring.
Vester staff hope this empty room, recently renovated after being destroyed by Hurricane Ian, will soon hold tanks of marine life and scientific equipment to research blue-green algae and red tide in Southwest Florida.

Return of Vester’s marine science camp

“It took a long time to get everything rebuilt. After about 20 months, we’re finally getting back,” says Parsons.

 

“We have a lot of empty space because the actual infrastructure was just finished. We have walls, we have AC, we have electricity, we have windows. Before we had none of that, so this is definitely a new luxury,” says Catasus. 

The repairs allowed Vester’s summer marine science camp to resume after going on hiatus last year. Middle schoolers from all over Southwest Florida once again explored local waterways and conducted daily field experiments. Campers learned about biology, chemistry, geology and ecology — just a few aspects of marine science that Parsons hopes will inspire a passion in the youngsters for the environment and its conservation.

 

Led by a staff of FGCU students, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders conducted water quality testing, restored mangroves and learned to identify beach erosion. Campers spent five days in Vester’s classrooms and laboratory and out in the field learning about Southwest Florida’s diverse ecosystem.

 

With hands-on activities and outdoor excursions, campers caught and identified fish and other marine life, profiled a beach for evidence of erosion, tracked currents and conducted water-quality testing in Estero Bay. During their weeklong camp, they brought collected organisms to the Vester wet lab to monitor how different species affect water quality.

Three middle school boys are back-to the camera wearing green t-shirts with the words Marine Scientist in Training.
Middle schoolers from all over Southwest Florida attended Vester Field Station’s summer marine science camp.

Returning to the science

The summer camp is a microcosm of the research and activities that Vester faculty and staff work on daily. Catasus has worked to return microscopes and other equipment stored at FGCU’s main campus to the wet and dry labs.

 

“The labs can’t be filled yet because we have to buy new equipment,” he says. “But there are classes here, and we’re training students to do a lot of water-quality testing and analysis. We have sensors deployed right now, and we’re livestreaming water-quality data on our website that’s available to the public.”

 

The renovations to second floor living quarters means that Vester can once again house visiting researchers. A group from Wales will visit in October and again in February. Catasus looks forward to getting the station fully back up and running.

 

“Hopefully in the next year we’ll be able to expand and fill all these empty spaces up and figure out what are the best ways to use it going forward,” says Catasus. 

A man in a baseball cap, t-shirt and shorts squats next to an empty aquatic tank.
Adam Catasus hopes to soon fill the wet lab with additional aquatic tanks for research.
A large room with wood cabinets and several microscopes still covered in plastic. A young woman in a blue shirt and dark shorts works over a sink.
In the dry lab, FGCU students participate in research by doing much of the water quality testing and analysis.
Wooden sections of the stair railing at the Fish House look like a sunrise. The image is reflected in a puddle.
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