Governments, School Bring Home Gulf Guardian Awards

Three local governments and a school participating in the Suncoast Earth Force program will be recognized for their outstanding achievements with Gulf Guardian awards from the Gulf of Mexico Program in March.

The first place award for governments recognized Pinellas County for the construction of a 40-foot bridge at Fort DeSoto Park. Partial replacement of a 50-year-old causeway and construction of the $1.6-million bridge allowed free flow of water from the Gulf of Mexico back into the parkâs semienclosed waterways.

ãUnless you had an extreme tide or high wind, that embayment never really got any flushing,ä explains Eric Fehrmann, Pinellas County environmental manager. Robbed of dissolved oxygen, the interior bays became stagnant pools nearly devoid of sea life in summer months when water temperatures climbed as high as 106 degrees.

The Southwest Florida Management District received the second-place award in the government category for its Water CHAMP campaign, which helped 17 Pinellas County hotels save 16 million gallons of water worth $128,000 over the course of 12 months, the first-ever audited figures to be compiled in a hotel-based water conservation program.

Third place in the government category will be awarded to the City of Clearwater for its restoration of Cooperâs Point, a 75-acre peninsula located on Old Tampa Bay near the west end of the Courtney Campbell Parkway and north of Clearwater Christian College. Improvements included exotic and invasive species control, the creation of tidal inlet channels, re-planting of native species, and the construction of pedestrian bridges, which also provide vehicular access for maintenance of the site.

J.S. Robinson Elementary School in Plant City took second place in the youth/education category for programs created after hurricane flooding contaminated their drinking water. Drinking bottled water from nearby Crystal Springs during the emergency caused students to question the effects of flooding on their second source of water.

After learning about the effects of flooding on their watershed, students visited Crystal Springs to monitor the water quality. They are studying ways that native plants can help prevent erosion, while also providing animals with a food source. They want to help preserve this natural resource and teach others the importance of watersheds. The students grew native plants at their school nursery to install at Crystal Springs Preserve.

Hillsborough to Take Over Mangrove Trimming Regulation

The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County approved new regulations for mangrove trimming at its board meeting in January and will request that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection delegate responsibility to local government.

The regulations, developed after a series of three public workshops to incorporate comments from residents and professional mangrove trimmers, will tighten state rules in recognition of the fact that Tampa Bay is at the northernmost tip of mangrove habitat. Instead of the state rule that 65% of mangroves can be trimmed, Hillsborough County will limit trimming to 33% of the canopy. Additionally, any trimming may occur only from April 1 through November 1, and almost all trimming will require a professional service.

ãWe think these rules are appropriate for a couple of reasons,ä said Bob Stetler, EPCâs interagency coordinator for environmental resources management. ãSince weâre at the northern edge of where mangroves grow, the fringes are narrower and recruiting new growth after a freeze is tougher.ä

Registration of professional trimmers also will improve communications and allow the county to remove non-compliant trimmers from the registration list, he said. New regulations, which are still pending FDEP approval, are online at www.epchc.org.

Eradicating ãWicked Weedsä

Tampa Bay Estuary Program, in cooperation with the Hillsborough County Extension Service and Shooting Stars Post, has produced a 20-minute video showing homeowners how to safely remove invasive trees, shrubs and vines from their home landscapes.

The video provides identification tips for commonly found invasive plants in the Tampa Bay watershed, including Brazilian pepper trees, air potato, skunk vine and carrotwood. It also provides step-by-step demonstrations on removal techniques for the plants. Proper use of effective chemical herbicides and safety equipment for applying them is also discussed.

TBEP and its partners encourage homeowners to remove invasive plants from their own yards, because they can spread seeds to nearby wildlands where the plants can quickly take over natural areas, muscling out native plants and reducing the ecological health and diversity of these areas.

The video is part of TBEPâs Video Lending Library and is available in either VHS or DVD format. To borrow ãWicked Weeds,ä e-mail nanette@tbep.org and provide your name, address and a phone number. Videos may be borrowed for free for up to one month, and TBEP pays all postage fees.

Volunteers Rally for Largest One-Day Planting in Tampa History

A few helping hands and a few dozen plants can work wonders in transforming a landscape. But what do you do when you have 8,000 plants and six acres of shoreline to restore? Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio called in an army. More than 300 volunteers ÷ including students from Plant, King and Leto high schools, the University of Tampa and Scheda Ecological Associates ÷ turned out for the 18th Annual Hillsborough River and Waterways Cleanup Nov. 19, which included simultaneous plantings at five sites: Davis Island, McKay Bay, Picnic Island, Palonis Park and Cypress Point Park. In all, volunteers installed 665 trees and 7,450 plants in a three-hour planting spree coordinated by the non-profit group PEER (Preserving the Environment through Ecological Research), under the direction of Devesh Nirmul, environmental services coordinator for the Mayorâs Beautification Program/Tampa Shoreline Initiative.

Pasco Ponders Two Sites for Protection

Following the 2004 voter approval of funding dedicated toward the purchase of environmentally sensitive lands, the Pasco County Commission is evaluating the purchase of two sites. The first, a 650-acre tract at the headwaters of the Pithlachascotee River, was nominated for a perpetual conservation easement by its owner. The second, in the same critical wildlife corridor along the Pithlachascotee River, is known as the Upper Pithlachascotee Tract. The county is pursuing its outright purchase.

The sites have both received preliminary approval from the Environmental Lands Acquisition Selection Committee and the county commission, and due diligence is currently underway.

Isla Del Sol Recognized as ÎClean Marinaâ

Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club, located within the Boca Ciega Aquatic Preserve, has earned the designation ãClean Marinaä from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Clean Boating Partnership. Itâs the 110th marina in the state and 18th in the Tampa Bay region to earn the designation.

ãWeâre pleased and honored to be named a Florida Clean Marina,ä said Noel Coad, the clubâs general manager. ãThe Clean Marina Program makes an outstanding contribution to our environment and weâre proud to be included in it.ä

Floridaâs Clean Marinas and Clean Boatyards go above and beyond required environmental regulations by adopting safeguards that keep solvents, sewage, fuel and oil out of the water, while protecting manatees and other marine creatures. By educating boaters and improving operations at marine facilities, Floridaâs Clean Marinas and Clean Boatyards are helping to ensure a sustainable future for the environment, boaters and the billion-dollar marine industry. For more information visit the Clean Marina Program.