EDITOR’S DESK — Letter to our Editors:

For nearly eight years, Mary Hoppe and I have worked as a team covering the remarkable places, creatures, people and habitats of Tampa Bay and its watershed. Mary has joined Meals on Wheels of Tampa as their development director so this is her last issue. She leaves with a facinating look at the shark researchers who are helping people around the world understand the important role these feared predators play in international ecosystems.

With just one editor left, we’ll work harder at reaching out to the many talented people in the Tampa Bay area, looking for their insights into story ideas as well as guest columns on topics they hold near and dear to their hearts. That’s particularly true for the BackBay Adventures feature. The survey we did last year indicated that discovering new places in Tampa Bay is one of the top reasons many readers search out Bay Soundings. We’ve only scratched the surface of the myriad ways people enjoy Tampa Bay and the intriguing areas that surround it, so please let us know about your favorite places to get outside and enjoy nature.

Of course we’ll continue to provide in-depth (pun intended) reports on the news and issues facing Tampa Bay, focusing attention on both the triumphs and the challenges facing managers charged with protecting one of the world’s most successful urban estuaries. Our format allows us to more thoughtfully explore complex issues, presenting different perspectives and looking at similar initiatives in other estuaries. We welcome your thoughts on the issues facing Tampa Bay and reports on the innovative methods bay managers are developing to resolve them, both here and beyond our shores.

In addition to the popular page-two profile of people who work on or for the bay, we’ll develop “creature feature” sketches of the animals that live in the bay or its watershed. Another new focus will be expanding stories written for and about students – particularly those in middle school – so they grow up recognizing both the natural beauty and the intrinsic value of the bay and its watershed. We think such stories will also appeal to the “kid” in all of us.

We’re looking forward to a new decade of covering Tampa Bay as it continues its recovery. Please let us know what you think!

— Vicki Parsons