 |
|
Celebrating Our Seagrass Success
More than 100 community leaders joined us at Picnic Island Park in Tampa recently to celebrate our collective success in restoring more than 20,000 acres of seagrass since 1990. The 40,295 acres of seagrasses documented this spring is the most observed in Tampa Bay in 60 years!
This achievement was made possible by reductions in nitrogen pollution that have led to clearer bay waters. Seagrasses, which are the underwater fish factories of the bay, require clean water to thrive.
Speakers at the celebration included elected officials from area communities, the Southeast Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. and staff members for Tampa Bay Congressional representatives. They noted the importance of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program partnership in fostering a culture of cooperation to improve the bay, engaging cities and counties, key industries, scientists, and citizens. Tampa Bay plays a critical role in our region's economy, with 1 in 5 jobs within the bay's watershed depending on a healthy bay.
 After the formal program, attendees waded into the bay for a ceremonial seagrass planting.
We would like to thank all the Bay Champions past and present who attended the celebration at Picnic Island for their commitment to making the bay better!
And, a speciial thank you to the City of Tampa Parks Department, Tampa Bay Watch, Sea and Shoreline LLC, and Janicki Environmental for their assistance with this fun and uplifting event!
More photos from the event are at: https://tbep.smugmug.com/Roots-Shoots-and-Shovels/
|
|
Help Us Chart The Future of Tampa Bay
|
We are continuing to update our 10-year management plan for Tampa Bay, called "
Charting The Course."
The first actions, addressing Fish & Wildlife and Invasive Species, received preliminary approval from our Management and Policy Boards in August. The Bay Habitats
actions now in draft form will be reviewed by our Boards at their upcoming meetings on Nov. 19 and 20.
Throughout the next 14 months, we will be updating, adding or consolidating priority actions addressing a wide range of issues. The final document, slated for adoption in early 2017, will guide bay restoration, research and education efforts for the coming decade.
Your input is important to ensure we make meaningful and measurable progress in improving Tampa Bay. We look forward to hearing from you!
|
The Forgotten Coast: Return to Wild Florida
Film Premiere
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is pleased to partner with
WUSF Public Media
and the Tampa Theatre to bring you the world premiere of the film "The Forgotten Coast: Return to Wild Florida."
Join the Glades to Gulf Expedition team and the filmmakers from Grizzly Creek Films as they share the story of a journey through forgotten Florida.
|
TBEP Give A Day For The Bay
Volunteer Workday
Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve
3709 Gulf City Road
Ruskin
***
Saturday, Nov. 14
8:30 -1 p.m.
Believe it or not, there is a place called Cockroach Bay, and it's one of the most beautiful areas of Tampa Bay!
But, like many parts of the bay's shoreline, invasive plants have moved in and are muscling out more beneficial natives. For this workday, we will partner with park staff to remove invasive Brazilian pepper trees, Caesar weed and Balsam apple at the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve in Ruskin.
Afterwards, all volunteers will receive lunch and volunteers can enjoy the preserve -- which includes a kayaking trail and hiking paths -- for the rest of the afternoon!
Lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts and sturdy shoes such as old sneakers are highly recommended. Sandals, flip flops or other open-tied shoes are a definite no-no.
Registration for this workday is required. Sign up here
|
Help Harvest Salt Marsh Grass
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY for an upcoming Habitat Restoration project in Hillsborough County!!!!
Volunteers are needed to harvest plugs of salt marsh from FWC's Marine Hatchery at Port Manatee during the weekday mornings
November 9th-13th, from 9 am until Noon, and again for the epic planting event at the Rock Ponds on Saturday, November 14th (see below).
Volunteers should plan to arrive at 9:00 am daily and bring sunscreen, plenty of water to stay hydrated, and wear clothes that can get muddy and wet. Wear old tennis shoes, boots, or dive booties, but do not wear sandals or crocs, as they will come off. All volunteers will be trained on how to harvest, count, bag and replant the Spartina plugs.
|
Help Monitor Endangered Golden Asters
Weedon Island Preserve
Thursday, November 12
Saturday, November 14
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
McKay Creek Greenway
Tuesday, November 17
Saturday, November 21
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Volunteers needed to help count the endangered Florida golden-aster. This is the sixth monitoring event since the plants were installed in 2010. These are "all day" workdays but we can certainly accommodate folks who can only work partial days. Everyone staying for the entire day will need to bring their lunch. Do not wear open-toed shoes.
We will be recording the following data for each number-tagged plant
1)
Survival status (dead or alive),
2)
Stage (new seedling or adult), (reproductive or not)
3)
Measurements (height and width of each plant)
If you are interested in planting this endangered species please call Pam Leasure, Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources, at 727-453-6505. Your help will be very much appreciated.
|
Red tide confirmed in Florida: What you need to know
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) researchers are currently monitoring two blooms along Florida's Gulf coast, one located in northwest Florida and the other in southwest Florida.
"We confirmed the presence of both blooms in September, and they have persisted since that time," said Alina Corcoran, FWC research scientist. "The bloom in the Panhandle is currently affecting Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf counties. In southwest Florida, patchy blooms have been confirmed along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Extensive fish kills and respiratory irritation have been associated with the bloom in the Panhandle but in southwest Florida the effects have been less."
 Red tide is a naturally occurring, higher-than-normal concentration of microscopic algae. In Florida, the species that causes most red tides is Karenia brevis. This organism produces toxins that can affect the central nervous system of aquatic organisms such as fish and marine mammals. Red tide toxins also pose a human health risk. The toxins can aerosolize and be carried to beaches with onshore winds, leading to respiratory irritation in people. Toxins can accumulate in shellfish and result in illnesses if contaminated shellfish are consumed. Shellfish harvesting areas are closed when blooms are present.
Red tide public health tips:
- People in a red tide area can experience varying degrees of eye, nose and throat irritation. When a person leaves an area with a red tide, symptoms usually go away.
- People with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic lung disease are cautioned to avoid areas with active red tides.
- In some red tides, dead fish wash ashore; during these conditions it is advised that beachgoers avoid swimming in water where dead fish are present.
- Pet owners are advised that red tide poses a risk to animals brought to the beach. If a pet swims in a red tide patch at the beach, rinse off its fur and paws as soon as possible with fresh water. Also, do not let pets eat fish or drink water from the red tide.
- Recreational harvesting of bivalve mollusks such as hard clams, oysters and mussels from approved shellfish harvesting areas is banned during red tide closures. To determine whether harvesting of shellfish is permitted in an area, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture website.
For updated red tide status reports, to track blooms or learn more about red tide, visit
MyFWC.com/RedTide
.
|
Salty Topics: Planning for Sea Level Rise
Thursday, November 5
6:30 p.m. registration and refreshments; 7:00 p.m. program
Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Coastal communities surrounding Tampa Bay are low-lying, densely-populated and therefore vulnerable to sea-level rise. In response to requests from local governments in the Tampa Bay region, Florida Sea Grant and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) are facilitating coordinated efforts to guide sea-level rise adaptation planning in the region.
Join Libby Carnahan (Florida Sea Grant), Maya Burke (TBRPC), and Prof. Gary Mitchum (Florida Climate Institute and USF College of Marine Science) as they present the scientific foundation and regional planning application of the recently released "Recommended Projection of Sea Level Rise in the Tampa Bay Region."
Register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salty-topics-sea-level-rise-planning-in-tampa-bay-tickets-18671906174?ref=ecal
|
|
|
 The mission of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is to build partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay through implementation of a
scientifically sound, community-based management plan. TBEP is a partnership of Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties; the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater; the Southwest Florida Water Management District; the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
|
|
|
|
|
|
