Rain Sensor Rebate Available to Manatee County Customers
Residents using potable water from Manatee County Utilities who do not have a working rain sensor on a system installed before September 1998 may be eligible for a $50 rebate if they install an approved rain sensor. Sensors cost $30 or $100 to $125 if professionally installed.
The rebate is funded through a new Southwest Florida Water Management District grant administered by the Manatee County Extension Service. For an application, go to http://manate.ifas.ufl.edu/water.htm or call 941-722-4524.
Florida State Parks Burn Program Reaches One Million Acres
The Florida Park Service marked the one-million acre milestone in its fire management program earlier this year. Over the past 35 years, staff and volunteers have utilized prescribed burns to improve ecosystems and reduce wildfire danger. “Their hard work has preserved wildlife habitats and native vegetation while decreasing the risk of wildfire throughout the state,” said Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock.
Prescribed burning mimics natural fire cycles, improving habitat for native plants and animals and reducing the harmful effects of wildfire. Certain endangered species not only benefit from fire, but will decline in its absence.
“Fire is as crucial as rain to the preservation of Florida’s landscape,” said Parks Small, chief of the service’s Bureau of Natural and Cultural Resources. “I am already looking forward to the second million acres.”
Kids: Be “Guardians of the Bay”
In conjunction with the release of the “Guardians of the Bay” comic book online, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is sponsoring a contest to recognize kids who do their part to help restore Tampa Bay.
The “Guardians of the Bay” comic book features adults and kids who have been involved in cleaning up Tampa Bay, and includes tips for being a “Bay-Friendly Kid.”
The “Guardians of the Bay” contest honors kids who implement projects in their own homes, schools, neighborhoods or communities that help to improve Tampa Bay.
Entrants must be between 8 and 14 years of age, and live in Hillsborough, Manatee or Pinellas counties. Projects must have taken place between July 2006 and July 2007. The deadline for entering is July 31 and winners will be announced in August.
All winners will be recognized as a “Guardian of the Bay.” Prizes range from a trip for four aboard the “Bay Spirit” eco-tour boat at The Florida Aquarium or a guided field trip along Tampa Bay with a naturalist, to tickets to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and a selection of nature books from Great Outdoors Publishing Company.
To enter the contest and read the “Guardians of the Bay” comic book, visit the Estuary Program website at www.tbep.org. Contest rules and entry forms are available online or call 727-893-2765.
“Catch Shares” Promise Positive Outcomes for Fisheries
A $1.2 million analysis by Environmental Defense has concluded that Limited Access Privilege Programs – also known as LAPPS or catch shares – could help save fishing stocks.
Catch shares work by allocating a dedicated percentage share of a fishery’s total catch to individual fishermen, communities or associations. If a fishery is well managed, the value of these shares increases as the stock expands. When participants have a secure portion of the catch, they gain the flexibility to make business decisions that improve safety, enhance the value of their assets and promote healthy fishing stocks.
The study, the largest of its kind since the US Congress lifted the moratorium on catch shares five years ago, looked at over 150 peer-reviewed studies, collected data on nearly 100 fisheries and included an in-depth performance analysis of the 10 existing US and joint US-Canadian LAPP fisheries. In addition to clearly improving fishing stocks, benefits include a 40% reduction in bycatch, an 80% increase in per-boat revenue, a longer fishing season and fewer fatalities.
The full report is available online at www.sustainingfisheries.com.
New Master’s Degree Explores Coastal Science Frontiers
The University of South Florida St. Petersburg has launched a new master’s degree in environmental science, policy and geography with its first classes scheduled for this fall.
“This program offers students an extraordinary opportunity to take advantage of the cluster of federal and state environmental science agencies right on our campus,” said Christopher F. D’Elia, regional associate vice chancellor for research and graduate studies.
A distinction of the degree will be its emphasis on problems related to inland waters and their resulting impact on coastal and estuarine resources. Additionally, with its focus on the value of research and the production of publishable work, the program requires completion of a thesis.
In addition to scientific direction from researchers, D’Elia said student research could conceivably engage campus colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard and the USF College of Marine Science.
Gontarski Named Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year
Port Manatee’s Joe Gontarski was elected the International Propeller Club of the United States Southeast Region Maritime Person of the Year.
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Joe Gontarski
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The award is the Southeast Region’s highest honor and he is now qualified for consideration in October for the International Maritime Person of the Year in ceremonies planned for Athens, Greece.
Considered by many to be the dean of Tampa Bay’s maritime community, Gontarski has been Port Manatee’s senior director for the past 20 years. He served as port director for the Port of Tampa in the 1970s and launched his own successful maritime consulting firm in 1981. He also serves on the executive board of the Tampa Bay Harbor Safety and Security Committee and is a former chairman of the Florida Ports Council.
Crocodiles Removed From Endangered List
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that recovery efforts are making it possible to reclassify the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Florida from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
About 95% of the remaining crocodile habitat in southern Florida has been acquired by federal, state and county agencies. These protected areas should allow the crocodile population to expand and may provide additional nesting opportunities. Florida Power and Light, Everglades National Park and the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge protect crocodiles and their habitat.
For more information, visit www.fws.gov/verobeach.
The National Estuary Program Celebrates 20th Birthday
The National Estuary Program celebrates 20 years of community-based watershed management in 2007.
Created by Congress through amendments to the federal Clean Water Act, the program designated 28 “estuaries of national significance” – including Tampa Bay – and provides annual funding to help develop and implement comprehensive management plans to improve those waterways. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program was nominated to the national program in 1987 and designated in 1990.
Across the country, the 28 NEPs cover more than 42% of the continental United States’ shoreline. Through their efforts, more than a million acres of coastal habitat have been restored and protected, with each NEP leveraging an average of $16.50 in matching funds for each $1 provided by EPA.
Tampa Bay Gains Seagrasses
Tampa Bay has gained nearly 1,300 acres of seagrass since 2004, and now supports more seagrass than at any time measured since the 1950s, according to newly released data presented to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP).
Additionally, water clarity in the bay is also the best it has been since record-keeping began, with all major bay segments meeting targets.
Overall, the amount of seagrasses in Tampa Bay increased by 4.7% from 2004-2006, according to surveys conducted by scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program. Seagrasses – which generally grow in waters less than six feet deep – are an important barometer of the bay’s health because they require relatively clean water to flourish.
The results indicate that Tampa Bay has about 28,299 acres of seagrass – far less than the Estuary Program’s goal of 38,000 acres, but the highest recorded total since the benchmark 1950s period adopted by the program. Water clarity also is meeting goals for all bay segments for the first time since scientists began tracking water quality in the 1970s.
Although the overall “report card” on the bay’s health is positive, not all bay segments experienced seagrass expansion. Significant declines were noted in Middle Tampa Bay – which lost 1,180 acres of seagrass from 2004-2006 — and in Hillsborough Bay, with a loss of 151 acres of seagrass during that time frame.
Conversely, the area generally north of the Gandy Bridge, known as Old Tampa Bay, experienced a 16% increase in seagrasses from 2004-2006 – good news for an area that had been steadily losing seagrasses for a decade.
Results of the 2004-2006 surveys show that the bay is regaining seagrasses overall at a rate of 2-3% every year. These new statistics are surprising to some scientists because they came in spite of the active hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, indicating that seagrasses may be more resilient to hurricane impacts than previously thought.
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FOR TEACHERS ONLY
Teacher Workshops Focus on Invasive Species
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program is conducting two workshops this summer utilizing its “Intruders in Paradise” middle-school teaching guide on Tuesday, June 5, at Weedon Island Preserve and again on Thursday, June 7, at Palma Sola Botanical Park in Bradenton.
Private and public school teachers who complete the day-long workshop will receive a $50 stipend, as well as recertification points. Participants also will receive a copy of the teaching guide on CD. The guide explores the impacts of non-native, invasive plants and animals on Florida’s native habitats and inhabitants.
Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. Call 727-893-2765 or e-mail nanette@tbep.org.
Brooker Creek Preserve Schedules Teacher Training
Brooker Creek Preserve is the perfect place to connect classroom concepts to the natural world. This two-day, 8-hour workshop on May 30 and 31 provides teachers with the training and materials necessary to design and lead learning experiences tailored to classroom curriculum goals. Workshops are intended for teachers willing to lead their own field trips and are required of all teachers before using center equipment and facilities other than public trails and the exhibit hall. Registration is required, call 727-453-6800.
Experience Earth Force
Earth Force, a community-based program which engages youth in environmental initiatives, has scheduled its annual teachers workshops for August 6 to 9. A national organization with a strong Tampa Bay presence, Earth Force provides teachers with necessary training and materials to engage young people as active citizens focused on improving their communities.
Teacher development opportunities, made possible with grants from organizations and companies, include a $240 stipend for participating teachers. Registration is required, call 727-521-1403 or visit www.earthforce.org/section/offices/suncoast/sctraining.
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