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Photo by Ashley Vice
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Grant Program Provides $950,000 for Bay Restoration and Protection The second year of a 2-year partnership between the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will award nearly $950,000 to 10 organizations for important restoration, research and education projects in the Tampa Bay watershed. More than $1.5 million was requested for 14 projects submitted to the Tampa Bay Environmental Fund, jointly administered by the Estuary Program and NFWF, a non-profit organization created by Congress in 1984 to protect and restore fish and wildlife and their habitats. Ten of the projects were selected for full or partial funding. Each proposal is required to have a dollar-for-dollar match, further leveraging the impact of the grant funds. The Tampa Bay Environmental Fund replaced the highly successful Pinellas County Environmental Fund that provided more than $10 million over a decade for projects that protect, restore and enhance the natural resources of Tampa Bay. When the Pinellas fund was phased out, TBEP stepped in to lead the search for new partners to keep this important grant opportunity afloat. The result: the Tampa Bay Environmental Fund, with new partners and a new name reflecting the wide-angle, watershed-based nature of the program. In addition to $350,000 from NFWF, money for the grant program came from the Southwest Florida Water Management District ($350,000), The Mosaic Company Foundation ($175,000), and Hillsborough County ($100,000). The following grant projects will receive funding: - Newman Branch Creek Fisheries Habitat Restoration Phase III ($60,000)
Ecosphere Restoration Institute will reconnect the creek to restore tidal flow to adjacent wetlands to provide critical fisheries habitat along 24 acres of the southeast shore of Tampa Bay. - Florida-Friendly Landscaping Community Association Outreach ($25,000)
Hillsborough County Extension will use grant funds for a part-time employee to work with HOAs and condo associations to implement landscapes that conserve water and reduce nitrogen runoff to the bay. - Robles Park Water Quality Improvement Project ($175,000)
The S outhwest Florida Water Management District will enhance stormwater treatment functions and freshwater wetland habitat in a manmade 5-acre pond at this urban park that discharges directly to the Hillsborough River. - McKay Bay Oyster Reef Creation and Enhancement ($80,000)
Tampa Bay Watch will utilize volunteers to install 2,900 feet of oyster reefs in shallow areas of McKay Bay to filter pollutants from the water and provide fish habitat and shorebird foraging areas. - Rock Ponds Ecosystem Restoration ($200,000)
The Southwest Florida Water Management District will continue the restoration of more than 1,000 acres of estuarine, freshwater and upland habitats along Hillsborough County's south shore, in what will be the largest coastal habitat restoration to date in Tampa Bay. - Which Tidal Tributaries Are The Best Snook Nurseries? ($100,000) The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will attempt to answer this question by studying 20 tidal creeks in the bay watershed to identify common factors that contribute to productive habitat for juvenile snook, a popular sportfish.
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Photo courtesy Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
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Reducing Nitrogen Loads to Tampa Bay Using Bioretention Systems ($105,000)
The University of South Florida will construct four bio-retention systems in East Tampa and monitor their effectiveness at removing nitrogen from urban runoff. - Community-Based Stormwater Nutrient Management ($50,000)
The University of Florida will utilize water quality sampling and social marketing techniques to inform and involve homeowners in the Lakewood Ranch community of Manatee County in implementing Best Management Practices to reduce nitrogen and improve water quality in community stormwater ponds. - East McKay Bay Habitat Restoration and Water Quality ($100,000) The Southwest Florida Water Management District will remove invasive plants and construct three stormwater treatment ponds to treat urban and industrial runoff from 436 acres of surrounding lands.
- Autonomous Water Quality and Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring ($50,000)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will examine the relationship between Harmful Algal Blooms, water quality and bay restoration efforts through autonomous water quality sampling as well as phytoplankton sampling. | 
Pinellas Master Gardeners Debra, left, and Donna potted more than 400 native plants that were given to participants in our recent "Garden Like A Floridian" workshop at Weedon Island Preserve. Jointly sponsored by TBEP and Pinellas County Extension, the workshop featured sessions on rainwater harvesting, Florida-friendly lawn care, and landscape makeover how-to's. Participants also took home rain barrels.