web banner for Bay Post Script 

      www.tbep.org                                                                     October/ November 2011

 

anniversary logo

 

Celebrating

20 Years

 of

Community

 Partnership

 

tern and chick

"Safe and Sound"

by Joan Miller

''Tampa Bay: 20/20" 
 Online Auction
 
Oct. 25 - Nov.
 
TBEP's 20th anniversary traveling photo exhibit "Tampa Bay: 20/20"
is now on display at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa . The original framed images in the exhibit will be for sale  online beginning Oct. 25.

The photos would make a perfect holiday gift for that special Tampa Bay Enthusiast in your life!
 
See photos and bid at:
 
Proceeds from the sale will go to support TBEP's award-winning community  education programs. 

Join Our Mailing List

facebook icon  
youtube icon
Quick Links

 

  
Meet Our New Team Member
 

dave moore

Dave Moore has joined the staff of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program as Program Development Coordinator. Dave will be working to secure additional sources of funding for the Estuary Program.

 

Dave served for 11 years as the Executive Director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. He worked his way up through the leadership ranks after beginning his career at the District in 1984 as a hydrologist.

 

During Moore's tenure with the District he played a key role in restoration and preservation of water bodies, establishment of minimum flows and levels, watershed assessments, maximizing the beneficial use of reclaimed water, development and implementation of regional water supply plans, land acquisition and management activities, and other programs.

 

Moore is a certified professional geologist with a bachelor's degree in geology from the College of Charleston, S.C., a master's degree in geology from the University of South Florida and a graduate certificate in public administration, also from the University of South Florida. He is a member of the American Water Resources Association, American Water Works Association, National Ground Water Association and WateReuse Association where he is the chair of the WateReuse Foundation Board. He also is a member of the Lowry Park Zoological Society Board, and a graduate of Leadership Florida.

 

We are pleased to welcome Dave to the TBEP team!

 

aquarium banner 

In This Issue
Online Auction to Feature 'Tampa Bay: 20/20' Photos
TBEP Announces New Staff Member Dave Moore
New Study Underway in Old Tampa Bay
Golden Mangrove Winner Announced
Photographers Needed for King Tide Watch
Invasive Poetry Contest Entries in Online Booklet
algae bloom

Large algae blooms like this one from August 2011 have plagued Old Tampa Bay in three of the last four summers. Photo by Dorian Aerial and Architectural Photographics. 

Old Tampa Bay Study Gets Underway

  

A far-reaching evaluation and assessment of water quality in Old Tampa Bay will begin this Fall with development of an integrated ecosystem model to assess how nutrient inputs, hydrologic changes and alterations in water circulation are affecting this large segment of the bay.

 

The research will be conducted by a diverse team of scientists coordinated by Janicki Environmental, a local consulting firm. The comprehensive evaluation was given a big boost by the allocation earlier this year of $1.2 million from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

 

Lagging seagrass recovery, persistent algae blooms and an expanding layer of thick, gooey muck near Safety Harbor have made this area north of the Gandy Bridge a top priority for restoration. The new study will bolster our understanding of factors affecting the health of this area, and identify cost-effective and ecologically beneficial methods for improving water quality, such as reducing runoff coming from the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal or replacing portions of the Courtney Campbell Causeway with small bridges to allow more water flow into the upper reaches of the bay. 

 

Mariposa Key Habitat Restoration 

The Mariposa Key Habitat Restoration Project received the 2010 Golden Mangrove Award

 Golden Mangrove Award
 Goes To Mariposa Key Project

 

A community-led effort to restore native habitats at Mariposa Key in Manatee County has received the "Golden Mangrove Award" as the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's most outstanding Bay Mini-Grant project for 2010.

 

The project was selected by members of the Estuary Program's Community Advisory Committee from among 25 grant recipients last year. The Mariposa Key restoration received a $7,400 grant.  

 

adam and damon mariposa key
Adam, left, and Damon led the team of volunteers at Mariposa Key.
The project was sponsored by the Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Association, and led by Adam Gaylord and Damon Moore, avid fishermen and advocates for environmental preservation. Gaylord and Moore recruited neighbors and other community volunteers for a series of workdays to remove Brazilian pepper trees and other invasive plants and trash from the 6-acre island in Manatee County.

 

The restoration included prescribed burns followed by replanting of native shrubs, trees and wildflowers. All materials, including massive quantities of water, had to be carried on barges and canoes, since no land access is available to the island. Each round trip was 3.6 miles.

Moore continues to monitor the area to make sure no invasive plants gain a new toehold.

 

The project involved more than 500 hours of volunteer time, plus organizational and adminstrative work. In addition to the Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Association, other major partners included WilsonMiller Stantec, Florida Native Plant Society, Around the Bend Nature Tours and several other local groups.
 
The Golden Mangrove Award was presented to project representatives at the Community Advisory Committee's  Sept. 28 meeting.  Congratulations to the entire Mariposa Key team for a job well done!

  TBEP IN THE COMMUNITY 

weedonpanorama

Weedon Panorama by Greg Urbano is part of  the "Tampa Bay: 20/20" touring photo exhibit at The Florida Aquarium.

 

Evening Tide Talk to Feature TBEP Director Holly Greening on Oct. 12

 

Photo of Holly GreeningTBEP executive director Holly Greening will present "Twenty Years of Hard Work: Tampa Bay Estuary Today" as the Florida Aquarium's monthly Tide Talk program on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The program will offer a retrospective on the restoration of Tampa Bay over the last two decades, highlighting progress toward recovery and emerging challenges for the future.

 

A complimentary reception begins at 5:45 p.m., followed by the program at 6:15 p.m. Admission is free; entry is through the aquarium's Business Entrance. The aquarium is located in downtown Tampa's Channelside district, 701 Channelside Dr. Please RSVP at (813) 273-4568.

 

 While at the Florida Aquarium, be sure not to miss "Tampa Bay: 20/20," TBEP's 20th anniversary traveling photo exhibit. The aquarium is the tour's final stop; original framed images will go up for sale in an online auction beginning Oct. 25. (See story posted above.)

  

Tide Watchers, Grab Your Cameras!

 

The Tampa Bay Estuary Program invites you to participate in a photo-documentary project to capture images of flooding during the upcoming "king tides" as a way to call attention to the potential impacts of rising seas on our shorelines and communities.

 

During the last week of October, Tampa Bay is anticipating high, or "King," tides of more than two feet. King tides occur when the moon and sun align on one side of the Earth and their gravitational forces combine to create extraordinarily high tides. While these tides are completely natural occurrences, they provide us with a sneak peak of what our landscape will have to contend with in the coming years as the sea level continues to rise.

 

Water levels in the bay have risen an average of one inch per decade since the 1950s, and scientists expect that rate to accelerate in the future. We are asking you to help us envision a future with higher water levels by taking photos of our coastline, flooded roads, full pipes and ponds and anything else you can find that will be affected by the rising waters this October.

 

We are being joined in this unique citizen monitoring effort by our sister NEPs in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor.


E-mail your photos to [email protected] 

Invasive Species Poetry Contest entries are now in online booklet

 

Our recent poetry contest was a smashing success with more than 90 entries from young and old alike. The winners and a few runners-up even won their 15 minutes of fame with some media interviews. Click here to read the story "Road to Rhyme"  by Steve Newborn, a reporter with WUSF-FM (National Public Radio), and listen to recitations by the authors.

 

Our Poetry booklet can be read online or downloaded and printed. Poems are divided into adult and junior categories (ages 12-17 and 11 and under); navigate pages by clicking on the up or down arrows next to the page numbers in the task bar.

 

Read all of the contest entries in an attractive booklet format on tbep.org by clicking here.

About the Tampa Bay Estuary Program

 

 The Tampa Bay Estuary Program is an intergovernmental partnership dedicated to restoring and protecting Tampa Bay, Florida's largest open-water estuary. TBEP is one of 28 "Estuaries of National Significance" designated by Congress.

 

Our partners include Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties; the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater; the Southwest Florida Water Management District; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.