Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Newsletter Fall 2008
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Launch of New SBEP Website
The long anticipated launch of the new SBEP website will happen in November. The new site is content rich and includes video and other interactive components including an area where neighborhoods can access and share information about what they can and are doing to improve the health of the Sarasota Bay watershed.
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Upcoming Events
Bay Wise Kayak Eco-tours
February 7, 9am to Noon - Phillippi Estate Park to Bird Islands Rookery and return
March 7, 9am to Noon - Turtle Beach Park to Jim Neville Marine Preserve and return
April 4, 9am to Noon - Blackburn Point Park to Oscar Scherer State Park and return
May 2, 9am to Noon - Casperson Beach Park to Alligator Creek and return
For
more program information, kayak rental information or for reservations
please contact the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program offices at 941-955-8085
or info@sarasotabay.org.
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Upcoming Workshops
Sustainable Communities 2008 Workshop
When: Friday, December 12 & Saturday, December 13, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Where: Searcy S. Koen Regional Campus for Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida located at 4780 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota
Topics addressed:
· Community solutions for climate change
· Energy and water conservation techniques in homes and businesses
· The relationship of transportation and land use choices to energy and health
· Renewable energy strategies
Day 1 Focus: Friday, December 12
Professional
and commercial strategies to reduce energy and water use, develop
sustainable business models, build according to green principles and
incorporate societal considerations in response to a changing climate.
Day 2 Focus: Saturday, December 13
Hear
how you as an individual, homeowner, or neighborhood representative can
implement energy and water conservation strategies to save money and improve your quality of life.
For more information or to register go to http://www.scgov.net/sustainablecommunities/
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Community Input Workshop
The
goal of the Alliance is to significantly increase regional
collaboration in order to enhance the economic and environmental health
of the Gulf.
Monday, December 15 from 2-5pm
New Pass Room at Mote Marine Laboratory
To register for the workshop or to see agenda please visit www.chnep.org
Science Teacher Training Workshops at New College
A partnership between New College of Florida and SBEP, the science teacher training workshops are offered three times a year by Sandra L. Gilchrist, Ph.D., of the Natural Sciences Department. Teachers from all grade levels are encouraged to attend the workshops whose focus is improving teaching skills and understanding of science and how to do science.
The three workshops run a full-day on Saturdays thereby offering teachers the opportunity to earn continuing education credits. Each workshop will weave the directional themes of human-to-environment and environment-to-human impacts throughout the materials.
Curriculum:
Workshop I: Introduction to Estuaries
Workshop II: Waves and Currents
Workshop III: Coastal Fire Ecology
For more information about upcoming workshops (January and March 2009) contact Dr. Gilchrist at gilchrist@ncf.edu.
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Success Stories
 
National Estuaries Day Sold Out!
On Saturday September 27th for the 8th consecutive year SBEP partnered with MOTE and Bay Explorers and offered a special package rate to visit MOTE Aquarium & experience an educational cruise on Sarasota Bay with Bay Explorers. All tours were sold out for this fun and educational day.
Educational Watershed Kiosk installed at Ken Thompson Park
In recognition of Watershed Awareness Week (Oct 13-19), SBEP and its partners the City of Sarasota and the Science & Environmental Counsel installed an educational watershed kiosk at Ken Thompson Park.
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SBEP in the News
September 3 Herald Tribune South coverage of Bay Wise Kayak ecotours, quotes Taylor and Burch, upcoming schedule, mention of CAC and volunteering
September 11 Pelican Press coverage about availability of Bay Friendly Grants
September 25 Herald Tribune (Local/In brief) coverage about NED Bay Explorers tour
September 25 SNN interview with Burch about NED; aired throughout evening
September 25 Pelican Press coverage about NED Bay Explorers/MOTE package (Zimmerman, "Sarasota Waters")
September 27 SOLD OUT NED Bay Explorers Sarasota Bay/MOTE package (six tours throughout the day)
October 11 coverage in Pelican Press about Watershed Awareness Week event at Ken Thompson Park
October 29 coverage in HT Community Central about SBEP Bay Partners Grants
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SBEP Welcomes New Staff Scientist
Jay Leverone, Ph.D.
SBEP is very pleased to welcome our new staff scientist Dr. Jay Leverone. Prior to joining SBEP, Leverone was a research scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory for twenty-eight years, where his main focus was on the ecology of west Florida bays and estuaries. His research centered on the characterization of estuarine habitats and how they are impacted by physical disturbances- dredging and contaminated sediments, for instance- and by water quality degradation, such as low dissolved oxygen and eutrophication. Jay is also an expert in the identification and taxonomy of marine invertebrates.
More recently, he has turned his attention to the restoration of local shellfish populations. Working with state and private research partners, he has developed improved techniques for enhancing populations of bay scallops in Florida. Recent increases in local scallop populations have coincided with his restoration efforts in Tampa and Sarasota Bays. Leverone has also led the way in restoring important oyster habitat for the SBEP. Oyster bars offer critical habitat for juvenile fish and crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), which in turn attract popular sport fish- redfish, in particular-which are highly prized catches for recreational anglers.
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Habitat Restoration
Great Scallop Search
 On August 23, 2008 Sarasota Bay Watch held its inaugural event, The Sarasota Bay Great Scallop Search at Ken Thompson Park on City Island. The event attracted 31 boats and 62 searchers and found 947 scallops from Longboat Pass in Manatee County to Big Pass in Sarasota County. This is great news for the bay since the return of sea scallops is an indicator of improved water qualtiy. Join us in our efforts to keep Sarasota Bay clean and healthy. NOTE: It is illegal to harvest scallops from Sarasota Bay!
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Sarasota Bay Buddies Events
  Clean-up at FISH Preserve
On November 8th over 150 Bay Buddies participated in exotic plant and trash removal at the FISH Preserve. The event was a cooperative effort between the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and our Bay Buddies, Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH), Manatee Audubon and Sarasota Audubon. Kids of all ages participated to help restore the 100 acres site on Sarasota Bay. For more information about he FISH Preserve visit http://www.fishpreserve.org/preserve/ |
Free Irrigation Assesment
Proper functioning irrigation systems not only conserve water, but help reduce stormwater pollution by preventing runoff from your yard from entering Sarasota Bay. The Manatee County Extension Service is offering Manatee County residents a valuable landscape irrigation evaluation for free. Some of you may have taken advantage of their Mobile Irrigation Lab service along with about 750 others that are saving about 18 million gallons of water annually. If you'd like to know more about having your property evaluated for possible water saving opportunities that could trim your water bill visit: http://manatee.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/fyn/mobile-irrigation-lab.shtml
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CAC Member Profile
 Nick Gladding
Nick Gladding grew up in Hawaii and so the marine environment has always been close to his heart. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1970 and after a stint with the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps began a career specializing in environmental law.
Currently Nick is an attorney with the Florida law firm of Ruden-McClosky where he focuses on environmental counseling, permitting, enforcement defense and litigation. With more than 20 years of experience in 30-plus states and most EPA regions, he has been involved in major civil cases, high-profile criminal investigations, and complex regulatory and dispute resolution proceedings.
For the past several years, Mr. Gladding has been representing retailers and property landowners and developers, both nationally and in Florida, with environmental permitting and compliance counseling and with environmental due diligence. He has also been representing companies with "green" issues.
"I decided to become a member of the CAC because I wanted to use my professional experience as an environmental lawyer to help protect and improve the Sarasota Bay watershed" says Gladding. Gladding is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the CAC and will take the helm as Chair in January 0f 2009. In his new role he hopes to continue to help the CAC and the SBEP rewrite the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.
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