Fishing Workshop
2024-10-05 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-21 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-04-19 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-06-21 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-19 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-08-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-09-20 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) and 3 more dates | Tampa Bay Watch Marine & Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL, 33715, United States
Learn to Fish!
Recommended for ages 10 and up • 2 Hours • Gear Included • Up to 15 People

>>> RESERVE A SPOT <<<

Curious about fishing in Tampa Bay but not sure where to start? During this boat-based course, we will cover essential topics like bait selection, appropriate gear usage, regulations, and local fish identification and handling–ensuring participants are equipped with the knowledge to fish responsibly and respectfully.
Each participant will have access to a fishing rod and all essential gear for a hands-on experience during the workshop, with expert guidance readily available as needed. Attendees also have the opportunity to win prizes to help them kickstart their responsible fishing journey.
All proceeds support Tampa Bay Watch’s mission to foster a healthy Tampa Bay watershed through community-driven restoration projects, education programs, and outreach initiatives.

This program is perfect for:

Families and parents looking to foster responsible fishing practices
Individuals interested in fishing responsibly and connecting with like-minded people.
Anglers who have recently relocated to the Tampa Bay area and want a better understanding of the local waters, responsible fishing practices, and common fish species in the area.

What to Bring

While gear is provided for use during the workshop, you are welcome to bring your own bait and tackle.
You are welcome to bring your own snacks and/or beverages. We do not allow alcohol on the eco-vessel.
Please dress with consideration to the Florida climate and weather.
Sun protection and water are highly recommended.

Notes

All participants under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult.

>>> RESERVE A SPOT <<<

Florida Birding & Nature Festival
2024-10-17 - 2024-10-20 | FL
Early birds catch the worms — and the discounts!
We’ll be highlighting the trips that sold out first last year in a series of emails, but the entire schedule is online at https://www.floridabirdingandnaturefestival.org/schedule.html so you can take advantage of the early-bird pricing through July.
Pre-festival bus trip Join four of the state’s best birders — Dave Goodwin, Jim Eager, Bob Snow and Cole Frederick — on a day-long excursion to Saddle Creek Park and Circle B Bar Reserve, where you can expect to see dozens of species, (Visit https://www.floridabirdingandnaturefestival.org/schedule.html) for the full list.) This is definitely an early-bird excursion, with the bus boarding at 7 a.m. to take advantage of a full day of birding.
Coffeepot Bayou Bird Island Audubon’s Jeff Liechy takes the helm of Tampa Bay Watch’s Discovery Eco-Tour Boat for an evening trip and a close-up view of colonial waterbirds. (They won’t be nesting so we won’t disturb them.)
Outback Key and Lower Terra Ceia Bay Eric Plage and Holley Short will lead this boat trip to two of the region’s prime birding spots. An ephemeral barrier island, Outback Key isn’t easily accessible so the birds are extraordinarily comfortable with visitors. The Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge is a roosting site for Magnificent Frigatebirds.
Fort De Soto by land David Goodwin and Jim Eager are back again with trips for advanced birders on Saturday and Sunday morning. Fort De Soto is a 1,136-acre park covering five connected islands that is a haven for migrating neo-tropicals as well as diverse shorebirds.
Lower Green Swamp by wagon Once a working cattle ranch, the 12,800-acre preserve is being restored by Hillsborough County. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes view because the staff working on the restoration will lead the trip. You’ll cross grasslands, open wooded areas, pine forests and a large wetland area, so you’ll see an amazing diversity of birds, from Bald Eagles to Bachman Sparrows.
Check out https://www.floridabirdingandnaturefestival.org/schedule.html and grab those spots while you still can!
Seminars & Free Nature Expo!
While field trips get the most attention, we have an incredible lineup of presentations planned along with a free Nature Expo featuring local organizations and naturalists. You can attend as many seminars as you like for the cost of registering for one day — and they’ll all be on Zoom if you can’t make it to Apollo Beach or if you’re out on a field trip and then available afterward or if you’re out on a field trip.
Check out these highlights:

A worm’s eye view of Tampa Bay, what sediment invertebrates can tell us about the health of our bay. Dave Karlen and the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County have been studying these largely invisible creatures for 30 years.
Conserving Florida Scrub Jays. Once phosphate mining is complete, Mosaic reclaims land and then manages it with fire to provide optimum habitat for the endemic species.
Marc Minno literally wrote the books on Florida butterflies. Join him for this presentation and then a field trip through the Fred and Idah Schultz Preserve where diverse habitats make it THE place for a wide variety of butterflies.
Dan Huber at the University of Tampa is an expert on the biomechanics of sharks and how understanding their mechanical functions contribute to their position as an apex predator for millions of years.

Keynote speakers you won’t want to miss!
To be published in September, Audubon’s Birds of Florida is the latest from Clay Henderson, former president of Audubon Florida. Henderson followed Audubon’s footsteps and paddled in his wake to look for birds in the same places. His previous book, Forces of Nature, celebrates the people and organizations who made Florida a leader in state-funded conservation and land management.

Participants in last year’s birding festival logged a total of 145 species of birds, ranging from Wild Turkeys to Magnificant Frigatebirds. It’s not likely that one person saw all of them in the four days of the festival, but our schedule during peak migration season means that we’ll see birds that we otherwise would miss. Our expert field trip leaders will be scouting their locations in advance to make sure you get to see the most birds possible.
Click here for the full list.

Afternoon Adventures Weather or Not
2025-03-15 15:30 - 16:30 | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Classroom, 1101 COUNTRY CLUB WY S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33705, United States
Join our Rangers in exploring what weather is, how it is different from climate, and how does it form. We will look at everything from the tilt of the Earth, solar radiation, the Coriolis effect, air pressure/temperature, to how large bodies of water and different landforms (forest, desert, mountains, plains) affect our weather and climates.
Ages 8 yrs – 12 yrs
>>> REGISTER HERE <<<

Water Safety Day
2025-05-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Walter Fuller Pool, 7883 26th Ave N., St. Petersburg, FL, 33710, United States
Don’t miss Water Safety Day . This free family-friendly event provides water safety education and resources to parents/caregivers. Attendees will receive free water safety resources and giveaways while supplies last, including:
Free lifejackets for children | Free door alarms | Free swim lesson vouchers | Free CPR vouchers | CPR demonstrations | Free swim evaluations | and more!

Saturday, May 3
10 AM – 1 PM
Walter Fuller Pool, 7863 26th Ave. N.

FREE | No registration required
The pool will be open for attendees to swim!
This event is organized in collaboration with the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB), Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH), and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.

Trees and Storms: Preparation and Recovery
2025-06-30 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, United States
Part of the Urban Forestry Programs collection

Join UF/IFAS Extension Urban Forestry Agent, Alyssa Vinson to learn practical tips to prepare your trees, and help them recover during hurricane season.
We will conduct this Trees and Storms webinar online, via Zoom. No additional software or extra computer skills are necessary – just click to join!

>>> WEBINAR REGISTRATION <<<

NOTE: Registrants will receive an emailed Zoom link to access the Webinar the day prior. *If you do not receive the Z00M link, please check your SPAM folder for an email with the link. If no link is received, please contact Alyssa Vinson at 813-744-5519 for assistance.
If you have any questions, please contact the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County at (813) 744-5519.
***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: VinsonA@HCFL.gov, 813-744-5519 Ext. 54106, at least 1 week in advance. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Hurricanes and Trees
2025-07-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Land O’Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes, FL, 34639, United States
Come learn from a certified commercial arborist how to assess tree damage and how to best prepare in advance for future storms.
Hurricanes and tropical storms hit Florida almost every year, often causing extensive damage to trees in your yard/property. But you can make your landscape more hurricane-resistant, so that it’s less likely to suffer damage during a major storm.
The very active hurricane season of 2024 was particularly challenging for Tampa Bays’s urban forest. Learn from a certified commercial arborist how to assess tree damage from last summer and how to best prepare in advance for future storms.
>>> GET TICKETS <<<

Nature-Based Solutions at MacDill Air Force Base
2025-07-22 15:30 - 17:00 | Online Event
MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) faces challenges of shoreline erosion and flooding, as experienced in both high tide flooding as well as during more major storms such as the hurricanes of 2024. The natural configuration of the AFB provides significant opportunities to employ nature-based solutions (NBS), actions inspired by nature that rely on incorporation of natural features and processes, to help improve base readiness.
The Water Institute is facilitating a Structured Decision Making (SDM) process that will engage decision makers and the public on NBS alternatives being considered for implementation at the base. This process will result in an engineering design of the chosen alternative.
The first workshop of the process will provide an overview of the project and discuss the NBS alternatives being considered. This virtual workshop is open to the public and will be held on July 22nd from 3:30 to 5:00 pm EDT via webinar. You may register at https://tinyurl.com/macdill-workshop1. We will be recording the webinar for those unable to attend, as well as using it as a distribution list for future updates, so please register if interested in future updates regardless of your availability to attend at that time.
For more information on the project or upcoming workshops, contact macdill_feedback@thewaterinstitute.org.

Boat America Classes
2025-07-26 09:00 - 2025-07-27 14:00, 2025-08-23 09:00 - 2025-08-24 14:00, 2025-09-27 09:00 - 2025-09-28 14:00, 2025-10-25 09:00 - 2025-10-26 14:00, 2025-11-22 09:00 - 2025-11-23 14:00 | U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-1 Headquarters, 510 North Ft. Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL, 33755, United States
Boat America Classes
Boat America is a boating certificate class that offers an in-depth and interesting boating safety course, and provides the knowledge needed to obtain a Florida Boating Safety ID Card.

For the convenience of our students, some classes are held online via Zoom. These virtual classes utilize the same instructors and materials you would enjoy during the in-person classes. The schedule below notes whether the class is in person or via Zoom.
To register click on the Registration Form link at the bottom of this page or send an email to the Flotilla 11-1 Public Education Officer at clwtr.auxboating@gmail.com

2025 Boat America Classes

June 28 and 29 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – Zoom
July 26 and 27 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – In-Person
August 23 and 24 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – Zoom
September 27 and 28 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – In-Person
October 25 and 26 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – Zoom
November 22 and 23 – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM – In-Person

Class cost includes book.

Register for Boat America class

World Shorebirds Day
2025-09-06 | FL
Some 50% of the world’s shorebird species are in decline, and vital habitat is being lost at a higher rate than ever.
We urgently need to raise public awareness around the world of these imperilled birds’ plight and the need for shorebird conservation and research.

World Shorebirds Day
