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FWC Asks Anglers to Report Tagged Snook and Seatrout
Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) are asking Tampa Bay anglers to report tagged snook and spotted seatrout. Anglers who catch tagged fish are asked to release the fish unharmed, if possible.

A total of 60 fish, 30 snook and 30 seatrout, have been tagged with sonic tags to monitor their travels during spawning season. These tags, which have been surgically implanted in the belly of the fish, will not be visible but fish are marked with a dart tag placed under the dorsal fin.

If you catch a tagged snook or seatrout in the Fort DeSoto area, please contact FWRI by calling 1-800-367-4461 or e-mail tagreturn@MyFWC.com with the following information:
• Tag number found on the dart tag
• Fish length (total length)
• Capture date, location, and time
• Angler name, address, phone number, and e-mail.

All tag reports will receive a reward. If the fish is harvested, anglers are asked to save the internal organs and sonic tag so an FWRI biologist can pick them up.


Hurricanes May Help Florida’s Coral Reefs
Hurricanes may be known for causing all sorts of destruction, but a new study from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science shows they may actually be helping bleached corals recover.

Researchers found strong evidence that high wind speeds during hurricanes and tropical storms cooled surface waters enough to promote rapid and extensive recovery of bleached corals stressed by warming tropical waters.

“While it seems like an unlikely phenomenon at first, hurricanes are able to bring cooler waters
to the surface, closer to where many corals reside and counter the bleaching problem that may be a sign of global warming,” said Derek Manzello, a marine biology and fisheries graduate student and a researcher for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The research, published in the July 2007 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the first to highlight the potential benefit of hurricane-induced sea-surface cooling on coral bleaching. Clearly, hurricane cooling isn’t expected to completely negate the effects of climate change on coral reefs, but a well-timed hurricane or hurricanes has the potential to mitigate the negative ecological consequences associated with severe temperature disturbances,” said Marilyn Brandt, a graduate assistant whose previous work inspired Manzello’s study.

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Group Tells Retailers: No More Cypress Mulch
Echoing ongoing recommendations from Florida experts, the Sierra Club is telling retailers around the country to stop selling most garden mulches produced from cypress trees, which act as storm buffers during hurricanes.

“As the nation’s largest retailers, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Wal-Mart have the power to dramatically reduce needless destruction of cypress forests,” said Robert Cox, newly elected president of the Sierra Club. “We are calling on these three retailers to live up to their own corporate policies of sustainability and stop selling cypress mulch. Local stores and nurseries should also stop selling the product.”

Alternative mulches such as pine straw and pine bark nuggets work without destroying coastal wetland; or buying melaleuca mulch encourages private enterprise to destroy these highly invasive trees.

For more information, visit www.saveourcypress.org.


Hillsborough River Blueway Renamed for Alan Wright
The section of the Hillsborough River running through the city of Tampa will now be known as the Alan Wright Hillsborough River Blueway. Nicknamed “Mr. River” for his longstanding commitment to protecting the Hillsborough River, Wright is a planner with the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission and staff to the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. He helped establish the annual Mayor’s River Clean-Up with a few dozen participants 20 years ago that’s grown to more than 1000 at recent events.

He also played a critical role in obtaining the Florida Greenways and Trails System designation for the river and in the city’s efforts to purchase the Sulphur Springs water tower property and redevelop it as a passive park.

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Florida Wildlife Federation Recognizes Mosaic for Fiddler’s Cove
Florida Wildlife Federation has named Mosaic Coastal Education Center at Fiddler’s Cove as the Conservation Educator of the Year for 2007. Approximately 800 children are involved with programs at the restored coastal habitat, including a hands-on environmental curriculum, FCAT review and motivational program.

“Learning is not a spectator sport – we need thinkers and doers who can experience the world around them,” says Liz Hunnicutt, supervisor of elementary science education for Hillsborough County. The young thinkers and doers who have been to the Mosaic Coastal Education Center at Fiddler’s Cove now have a much better understanding of what natural wonders surround them and hopefully have developed the desire to protect and conserve them.

The education center is adjacent to the Alafia Bank Sanctuary, which has become the single most important bird nesting colony in the state. Also owned by Mosaic, the sanctuary has been leased to the Florida Audubon Society for the last 30 years.


Progress Energy Florida Kicks Off Conservation Initiative
While more expensive energy alternatives are grabbing headlines, a new campaign from Progress Energy focuses on simple, low-cost suggestions for customers to reduce energy use and to save money on their energy bills.

“Energy efficiency plays a vital role in addressing Florida’s future energy needs, and it is part of our balanced approach to managing growth,” said Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Florida. “Energy efficiency is the quickest, cleanest, and most economical way to reduce your energy use and save money on your energy bill.”

Save the Watts features an interactive Web site (www.savethewatts.com) with program details and useful tips for customers to save energy. The site provides a calculator for customers to measure their energy savings and their carbon footprint.

Residents can save up to 37% of their annual energy bill taking advantage of programs like:
• EnergyWise, which offers monthly credits of up to $145 a year for allowing Progress Energy to temporarily cycle off power to certain appliances during periods of peak energy demand.
• Solar Water Heater with EnergyWise program, which includes an upfront rebate of $450 to offset the cost of a new system.
• Neighborhood Energy Saver program, which installs energy-efficiency measures in low-income neighborhoods.

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Pasco Acquires Conservation Lands



Left to right, Ron Daniel, Rene Wiesner Brown and Morgen Boehme flank an ancient cypress tree listed in The Historic Places of Pasco County.

Pasco County recently completed its first two conservation purchases under the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP). The contiguous parcels, a 111-acre tract located on the Pithlachascotee River north of State Road 52 and an adjacent 11-acre parcel, will form the Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve. Part of the Quail Ridge Two development, the larger parcel was purchased for $1.1 million and includes a cypress tree estimated to be at least 200 years old that is listed in The Historic Places of Pasco County. The smaller tract was acquired for $426,000 to provide easier access to the preserve and includes a house that may be used as a nature center. The county is seeking state reimbursement for half of the purchase costs. Voters approved a 1-cent sales tax increase in 2004 in part to help fund the environmental lands program. For more information, visit www.pascocountyfl.
net/elamp/elapm.tml
.


High Resolution Map of Tampa Bay Now Available
The latest data product of the multidisciplinary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Tampa Bay Study is a new topobathymetric map that merges topographic (land elevation) and bathymetric (water depth) data into a high-resolution image of Tampa Bay and adjacent watersheds. With a spatial resolution of approximately three meters, this topobathymetric map is the highest resolution map of its type for Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Study is taking an integrated science approach to study interrelations between
geological, biological, chemical, and hydrological components of the Tampa Bay estuarine
system. This technique provides scientists and managers with tools to measure the impacts of changes, both natural and anthropogenic, to all components of estuarine systems. Results from this research will enable scientists and resource managers to better assess management strategies and guide future policy.

The map is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1051/. The LiDAR data can be downloaded from http://gulfsci.usgs.gov/tampabay/data/1_lidar/index.html.

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