SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT During the centennial, we expanded our commitment to exploring aspects of Vizcaya's complex relationship with the natural environment, an integral element of our mission. In 2017, Vizcaya launched its participation in BayDrift, a partnership with scientists of the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. Using eco- friendly drift cards, the ongoing project tracks the flow of debris in Biscayne Bay with the goal, in part, of understanding the origins of litter in our mangroves. In April 2017, Vizcaya hosted its second annual BioBlitz, a 48-hour event in which over 350 mostly student participants joined scientists to study Vizcaya's rich biodiversity, identifying and recording animal and plant species throughout the estate. Our interest in elevating the study of science at Vizcaya also led us to join the Plant Collections Network, through which we committed to being a North American repository for preserving and researching a specific variety of staghorn fern as well as other genera of plants.
6 | VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS
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