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Volunteers Step Up to Meet
Needs in Tampa Bay

Now, more than ever, volunteers and citizen-scientists are are stepping up to the plate to meet needs in Tampa Bay.

Volunteer involvement is critical to the success of many important survey, stewardship, education and restoration projects around Tampa Bay. Initiatives like the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count (as well as the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count) provide managers with data they would not otherwise have. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Mini-Grants (pages 10-11) often teams public and private sectors for projects with significant benefits to the bay. The Egmont Key Alliance as well as volunteer organizations at Fort DeSoto, Brooker Creek and Weedon Island help maintain our natural resources and provide programming that attracts new volunteers.

Pinellas County, struggling with budget shortfalls, has created an ambitious program to recruit individuals and businesses to support its environmental and cultural resources. “It’s a brand-new program so we didn’t have any expectations, but we’re getting really good response,” says Grant Craig, volunteer coordinator for north Pinellas County.

The volunteer conservation corps (www.pinellascounty.org/volserv) will survey birds, butterflies, and native plants, gather other data in conservation lands and parks, and maintain a database that’s accessible by both volunteers and county staff.

The newest programs follow the successful “Adopt a Road” campaign but focus on Pinellas County parks and the 37 miles of the Pinellas Trail. “We think people feel good about coming out to help — they get a sense of ownership and the parks benefit in the long run.”

Two other new programs for citizen-scientists focus on invasive amphibians and butterflies and moths. REDDy — or Introduced Reptile Early Detection & Documentation – is the brainchild of Steve Johnson at the University of Florida’s campus in Plant City with partners including the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy.

The free online course teaches volunteers how to recognize and report large invasive reptiles. REDDy-trained observers play a key role in a much larger management program by helping to detect and document the spread of established species and sightings of new species, he said. Visit http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/reddy.shtml.

Butterflies and Moths of North America — or BAMONA — was originally developed by the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Citizen scientists, or even just curious wildlife watchers, can enter data or photographs into an easily accessible location where sightings are confirmed by experts and become part of an ongoing database. Their website, www.butterfliesandmoths.org, also identifies butterflies, moths and caterpillars from photos — a service which can be extremely helpful for gardeners who aren’t sure what is destroying their plants.

Other long-running programs that count on citizen-scientists are the Frog Listening Network, now based at Lowry Park Zoo (www.lowryparkzoo.com), and Camp Bayou in Ruskin, where volunteers are now rebuilding fishing cottages from the original Giant camp on the Alafia River (www.campbayou.org) along with tracking native species and water quality.

While some volunteer opportunities require physical strength or specialized training, there are so many needs that there’s sure to be a spot for anyone who wants to make a difference in Tampa Bay.

Counting Birds for Decades

Along with restoration and education projects, volunteers in Tampa Bay collect critical data on natural resources and habitat availability. This chart was compiled by Ron Smith, owner of www.pinellasbirds.com and a long-time participant in Audubon bird counts. “Each of these species has its own story as to why the numbers have increased or decreased,” he says. “For instance, habitat loss has hampered bobwhite, meadowlark, ground-dove and towhee numbers.”

On the other hand, eagle and osprey numbers increased because DDT is no longer in use. Advanced technology and well-trained and committed volunteers — some of whom braved early morning temperatures in the 20s – also result in higher number of birds counted.

While Christmas bird counts typically need well-trained volunteers, anyone can participate in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, scheduled for Feb. 18 to 21 this year. Visit www.birdsource.org.

Species

1969-69

1980-89

1990-99

2000-99

2010

Lesser Scaup

Red-breasted Merganser

Northern Bobwhite

Brown Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Little Blue Heron

Roseate Spoonbill

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk

American Kestrel

Black-bellied Plover

Wilson’s Plover

American Oystercatcher

Willet

Red Knot

Dunlin

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Black Skimmer

Common Ground Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Loggerhead Shrike

Tree Swallow

Carolina Wren

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Eastern Starling

Northern Cardinal

Eastern Meadowlark

House Sparrow

8595

243

119

516

131

165

84

0

1

6

10

0.8

59

153

70

38

260

489

1222

1628

9100

992

675

68

76

56

71

1426

37

3358

360

502

117

124

571

8114

178

18

846

201

301

79

1

12

6

8

1.3

25

182

12

148

438

69

588

8010

5367

731

299

37

45

41

6

589

23

4594

136

7690

55

20

993

4476

277

6

842

205

375

79

12

50

7

3

3.4

20

124

7

125

669

257

501

3450

1816

78

546

21

58

21

49

13

23

1198

208

8325

61

12

361

2688

184

0.7

1091

191

356

113

44

105

12

2.3

20.6

13.6

143

8.4

62.4

857

156

732

3398

1543

80

881

12.5

65

8

99

2

13.9

509

207

5244

74

4.9

102

1125

170

0

850

255

535

131

58

193

16

4

21

21

105

1

52

505

21

405

3400

900

45

890

4

110

3

92

3

11

20

270

2625

115

2

123