29th Annual Fishing Line Island Cleanup
2022-10-22 07:00 - 19:00, 2022-10-23 07:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | FL
Join Tampa Bay Watch and Audubon Florida for the 29th Annual Fishing Line Island Cleanup.
The goal is to remove hazardous monofilament line from mangrove shorelines. Monofilament or “mono,” is a fancy word for the commonly used plastic fishing line. It has great fishing utility, but can take over 600 years to break down and poses serious threats to birds and other wildlife. Improperly discarded mono and fishing gear leads to wildlife entanglement, accidental hooks, and ingestion.
This will be a self-led event, where participants will travel out to their designated location by personal boat/other watercraft any day between October 15-23 to target shorelines where cast line has been caught in the tree line. Volunteers will compile the recovered monofilament, to be collected, cleaned, and recycled.
There are a variety of sites in which to participate—all critical bird nesting habitat—throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee.

Click here to register to volunteer for this event.

Oyster Reef Ball Construction
2022-10-24 09:00 - 12:00 | Tampa Bay Watch Marine & Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL, 33715, United States
Join us at the Tampa Bay Watch Marine Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde to help build oyster reef balls!
This task involves pouring marine-friendly concrete into a fiberglass mold to create oyster reef balls, then taking apart the molds when dry. The reef balls will be installed at a future date to stabilize shorelines and prevent erosion while creating habitat similar to natural oyster communities found along shoreline areas throughout Tampa Bay.
Click here to visit our webpage to learn more about reef balls.
Click here to register to volunteer!

Reef ball installation at MacDill AFB
2022-10-28 09:00 - 14:00 | MacDill Air Force Base, 6801 S Dale Mabry, Tampa, FL, United States
This is a heavy project as we’ll be loading reef balls (200 pounds each) onto carts to be placed on the shoreline.
Reef balls stabilize shorelines and prevent erosion while creating habitat similar to natural oyster communities found along shoreline areas throughout Tampa Bay. Read more about the significance of the project: https://tampabaywatch.org/restoration/oyster-communities/oyster-reef-balls/
Click here to register to volunteer for this project.

Oyster Reef Ball Construction
2022-11-02 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-07 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-14 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-16 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-21 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-29 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-12-01 09:00 - 12:00 | Tampa Bay Watch Marine & Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL, 33715, United States
Join us at the Tampa Bay Watch Marine Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde to help build oyster reef balls!
This task involves pouring marine-friendly concrete into a fiberglass mold to create oyster reef balls, then taking apart the molds when dry. The reef balls will be installed at a future date to stabilize shorelines and prevent erosion while creating habitat similar to natural oyster communities found along shoreline areas throughout Tampa Bay.
Click here to visit our webpage to learn more about reef balls.
Register to volunteer!

Oyster Shell Project at Lassing Park
2022-11-09 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Lassing Park, 2042 Beach Dr SE, St. Petersburg, FL, 33705, United States
We will be installing an oyster shell bar which involves shoveling fossilized shell into mesh bags and transporting the bags to lay on the shoreline. This effort will help restore lost habitat by promoting new oyster growth, ultimately improving water quality and providing food sources and habitat for many species.
To learn more and watch a video of the process, visit https://tampabaywatch.org/restoration/oyster-communities/oyster-shell-bags/.
Click here to register to volunteer for this project date.

Oyster Shell Bar at 2D Island
2022-11-17 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-18 09:00 - 12:00 | 2D Island, 9425 US Hwy 41 S, Riverview, FL, 33578, United States
The project meeting location is Williams Park boat ramp, 9425 U.S. 41, Riverview, FL 33578, which is next to the U.S. 41 bridge over the Alafia River. We will be installing an oyster shell bar which involves shoveling fossilized shell into mesh bags and transporting the bags to lay on the shoreline. This effort will help restore lost habitat by promoting new oyster growth, ultimately improving water quality and providing food sources and habitat for many species.
To learn more and watch a video of the process, visit https://tampabaywatch.org/restoration/oyster-communities/oyster-shell-bags/.
Click here to register to volunteer for this project date.

Oyster Reef Ball Construction
2022-12-01 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-12-13 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-12-16 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-01-11 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-01-13 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-01-17 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-01-19 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-01-23 09:00 - 12:00 and 2 more dates | Tampa Bay Watch Marine & Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL, 33715, United States
Join us at the Tampa Bay Watch Marine Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde to help build oyster reef balls!
This task involves pouring marine-friendly concrete into a fiberglass mold to create oyster reef balls, then taking apart the molds when dry. The reef balls will be installed at a future date to stabilize shorelines and prevent erosion while creating habitat similar to natural oyster communities found along shoreline areas throughout Tampa Bay.
Click here to visit our webpage to learn more about reef balls.
Click here to register for this project date.

Mangrove Cleanup & Restoration
2022-12-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Online Event
Mangrove Cleanup and Restoration:
Recommendations for Volunteer Leaders
Post-storm mangrove clean up & restoration.
Join Florida Sea Grant and UF/IFAS Extension to discuss recommendations for clean up and restoration of mangroves following storm damage. Topics will include: assessment methods, debris removal logistics, pruning, muck removal, and others. ISA CEU’s available.
>>> WEBINAR REGISTRATION <<<
The University of Florida is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. For disability accommodations such as sign language interpreters and listening devices, please contact Katie Granberg, katiebg@ufl.edu, (941) 722-4524 x 1815 at least 1 week in advance. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

Oyster shell project at Lassing Park
2022-12-14 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-12-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Lassing Park, 2042 Beach Dr SE, St. Petersburg, FL, 33705, United States
We will be installing an oyster shell bar which involves shoveling fossilized shell into mesh bags and transporting the bags to lay on the shoreline. This effort will help restore lost habitat by promoting new oyster growth, ultimately improving water quality and providing food sources and habitat for many species.
To learn more and watch a video of the process, visit https://tampabaywatch.org/restoration/oyster-communities/oyster-shell-bags/.

Click here to register for this project.

Rising to the challenge of coral reef restoration
2023-01-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Mote Marine & Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL, 34236, United States
Dr. Jason Spadaro joined Mote in December 2021 as a Postdoctoral Scientist to integrate an ecosystem approach into Mote’s premier science-based Coral Reef Restoration Program. His research focuses on manipulating ecological processes to support the restoration and recovery of Florida’s Coral Reef and other coral reef ecosystems.
In this lecture, on Jan. 9, Spadaro will explain how coral reefs are in trouble, and how Mote Marine Laboratory scientists are pioneers in coral reef restoration. Mote’s team actively propagates and restores corals to degraded reef structures, while actively selecting the most resilient and robust corals with the goal of creating a strong and resilient community of restored corals.
Recently, Mote has also invested in the restoration of critical ecosystem functions, such as grazing by herbivores such as Caribbean king crabs. Led by Spadaro, Mote scientists are engaged in the aquaculture of this large crab species that consumes many of the algae that otherwise would compete with corals for space on the reef. Tying all of these intricate and complex components together is nothing short of challenging. However, Spadaro, his team, and everyone at Mote are more than up to the challenge with cutting-edge science guiding the way.
Tickets are on sale now at mote.org/lecture.

Red Tide Demise: Mitigation Initiative Update
2023-01-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy., Sarasota, FL, 34236, United States
Mote Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Richard Pierce, also serving as the Program Manager for Ecotoxicology Research, joined Mote in 1981 as a Senior Scientist, developing a research program focusing on the source, fate and effects of toxic chemicals in the marine environment. With more than 75 published manuscripts and lectures nationally and internationally on his research, Pierce and Dr. Cynthia Heil, a Senior Scientist and Director of Mote’s Red Tide Institute will lead a lecture on Jan. 23. Heil, who has more than 25 years of experience with the science and management of marine and freshwater harmful algae bloom species, focuses on monitoring and mitigating Florida red tide along with the ecology and management of marine and freshwater HABs, nutrients and water quality.
Their lecture on Florida red tide will explain its severe negative impacts on the environment, economies and human health along Florida’s west coast, along with the Florida Red Tide Mitigation & Technology Development Initiative put in place to combat it. The Initiative, a result of the severe 2017-2019 red tide, provides funding for Mote scientists to partner with other institutions and companies to conduct extensive laboratory and field research on the efficacy of a variety of potential products and technologies to mitigate the adverse effects of red tide.
Mote Members also receive discounted admission to the event.
Tickets are on sale now at mote.org/lecture.
