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We're Moving!
After more than 14 years at FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, we're moving to new digs. But we're not moving far. Our new office is just across Bayboro Harbor in a renovated power plant, which houses NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office. We'll be moving in mid-March. Our phone number and staff email addresses will remain the same, but our new mailing address will be:
TBEP
263 13th Avenue S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
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Our new office will be in this building on Bayboro Harbor in St. Pete
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2011 Water Quality Results Are In
All Major Bay Segments But One Meeting Targets
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Three of the four major segments of Tampa Bay met water quality targets in 2011.
Water quality in Middle and Lower Tampa Bays, as well as Hillsborough Bay, continues to be good enough to foster regrowth of the bay's life-nurturing
seagrasses. But water quality in Old Tampa Bay fell short of the goals for the second time in the last three years.
Old Tampa Bay continues to experience problems related to poor circulation, pollution from urban runoff, and other factors. This segment also has been plagued by extensive summertime algae blooms.
TBEP has recently launched a significant, multi-faceted research project to more precisely identify causes of and solutions to Old Tampa Bay's problems.
Our annual water quality report card looks at the results of comprehensive monitoring done throughout the bay to measure the amount of plant pigment (chlorophyll a) in the water column. Seagrasses, our key indicator of the bay's health, require clear water to flourish.
"Green" means a bay segment is meeting regulatory thresholds for chlorophyll a, while "Red" means a segment exceeded these thresholds.
Overall, water quality in the bay continues to support seagrass recovery, a testimony to the collective commitment of our region to restoring Tampa Bay.
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Flamingo Flock Set to Take Flight
The "Be Floridian" Flamingo Flock has been resting all winter in preparation for a spring migration to various locations around Tampa Bay.
The flock serves as a reminder to "Protect Our Fun" by fertilizing our lawns like True Floridians. This means holding off on use of fertilizer in the summer and using slow-release fertilizer the remainder of the year to prevent harmful runoff that can spoil the bays, lakes and rivers that are our major source of fun!
Look for the pink brigade to drop in on area festivities ranging from plant fairs to sporting events in Tampa, Manatee and Pinellas counties.
Visit the Be Floridian website or Facebook page.
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TBEP 20th Anniversary Milestone Recognized in Congress
TBEP thanks Congressman C.W. Bill Young of St. Petersburg for formally recognizing our 20th anniversary year on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in December. His remarks, entered into the Congressional Record, noted that TBEP has been "a key factor in restoring and improving the ecological health of Tampa Bay."
Rep. Young also recalled his critical role as one of two Congressional champions (along with former Congressman Sam Gibbons of Tampa ) of the legislation designating Tampa Bay as an "estuary of national significance." That designation gained Tampa Bay entry into the National Estuary Program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and laid the foundation for the successful community partnership that has resulted.
"The Tampa Bay National Estuary Program has done a tremendous job in cleaning, preserving and maintaining the health and vitality of Tampa Bay," Congressman Young said. "Today this estuary is not only a precious natural habitat for many species of fish, birds and flora, but also a beautiful playground for swimmers, boaters and general admirers."
Thank you, Rep. Young, for those kind words and for your unwavering support of our efforts for the past 20 years!
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2012 Progress Report Chronicles
State of the Bay
As we embark on our third decade of working with the  community to restore the bay, we are pleased to present an updated Progress Report highlighting some of our key achievements over the past three years.
We have good news to report:
- Seagrasses are returning to the bay at a record pace of 660 acres per year.
- A net increase of 433 acres of emergent tidal wetlands has been documented since 1995.
- Overall water quality in Tampa Bay is as good as it was during the 1950s, despite more than quadrupling the human population in the watershed during that time.
The report also summarizes priority programs and projects we've undertaken in the last three years, as well as key activities planned for the future.
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Register for Florida Yard Workshop
Learn how to celebrate "Florida-ness" in your home landscape at our Maintaining Your Florida Yard workshop to be held from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturday, March 24, at Weedon Island's Cultural and Natural History Center in St. Petersburg, FL.
Sessions led by local Be Floridian partners will help you find you inner green thumb and develop a landscape that conserves water, attracts wildlife and reduces stromwater runoff. You'll come away confident that you can select and install healthy nursery plants, put together a micro-irrigation system, prune your plants properly and fertilize like a Floridian!
Demonstrations and hands-on learning will be held in and around the Center and participants will receive free plants, instructional materials and a chance to win terrific door prizes.
Cost for the workshop is $10 and includes lunch and all materials; space is limited and you must pre-register. Click
here to learn more and sign up.
The workshop is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and our Be Floridian partners, the Pinellas County Extension Service and Weedon Island Preserve. For more information, contact Nanette O'Hara at (727) 893-2765.
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'Give A Day' Keeps on Giving
TBEP's Give A Day for the Bay community volunteer program continues its attack on invasive plants in the Tampa Bay area. Click on this short video to see recent volunteers at work:  | |
Give A Day for the Bay Workdays:
Gandy Park and Rye Preserve
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Upcoming Give A Days: March 17 Sawgrass Lake (Pinellas County) April 7 Walsingham Reservoir (Pinellas County) All programs take place in the morning and lunch is provided; for more information contact Colleen Gray at colleen@tbep.org. Join our volunteer list by clicking here. |
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Tampa Bay Habitat Master Plan Update:
Habitat Restoration Partnership Forms
TBEP has recently initiated a Tampa Bay Habitat Restoration and Protection Partnership that will work to prioritize and implement recommendations outlined in the 2010 Tampa Bay Habitat Master Plan Update.
A group of nearly 40 participants gathered on Feb. 28 for initial discussion. The Partnership will focus its efforts on two major projects: the Critical Coastal Habitat Assessment and the Coastal Resiliency Prioritization. The participants will also identify and prioritize other habitat research and management projects.
The first project will establish a long-term "on the ground" monitoring program to assess plant community and other ecological and functional changes in critical coastal habitats. This would entail establishing permanent fixed transects and monitoring them on a regular basis.
After developing these new monitoring strategies and transect sites, an initial assessment will occur in Fall 2012 by a qualified contractor.
The second targeted effort will identify and prioritize habitats most vulnerable to sea level rise, so that planners and biologists can focus protection efforts on the most important of these. Protection strategies might include leaving room in future habitat restoration projects for habitats to migrate inland or upslope as water levels rise.
Project leader and TBEP environmental scientist Lindsay Cross says the interest from community environmental and governmental agencies in this new partnership has been impressive. Partnership members include SWFWMD, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Sarasota County, FDEP, Florida Sea Grant, Tampa Bay Watch, USF College of Marine Science, EPC and many others.
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Nature's Notebook Workshop 
Thirty-two residents from six counties participated in our Nature's Notebook workshop on Feb.11 to learn how to observe and report changes in plants and animals associated with our changing climate. The workshop was taught by George Kish of the U.S. Geological Survey and held at the Hillsborough Extension office. Visit http://www.usanpn.org/how-observe to learn more about Nature's Notebook.
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TBEP on You Tube
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'Be Floridian' Video Series:
Working With Homeowner Associations
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Our latest "Be Floridian" video offers tips for residents of homeowner associations on how to work with your board to install a Florida-friendly yard. Be Floridian partner and Gardening Coach Pam Brown of Pampered Gardeners provides practical steps for approaching your HOA board and preparing your landscape plan ahead of time to gain a positive outcome. Pam, a resident of a deed-restricted community in North Pinellas, has successfully gone through this process herself and is happy to share her experience.
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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; the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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