Join more than 30 organizations from across the region to learn more about water at MOSI’s second annual Tampa Bay Water Days on Saturday, March 25th from 10am-3pm, made possible with grants from Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) and Tampa Bay Water.
The free event for families, students, and members of the public focuses on water sustainability. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about topics related to real issues around stormwater, water conservation, ecosystems and communities impacted. MOSI educators and local experts will have fun hands-on demonstrations, games, and experiments. The first 1,000 participants to register also get free admission to MOSI on the day of the event. You can register to attend here, or find out more by visiting www.mosi.org/waterdays.
The goal of Water Days is to educate Tampa Bay residents, particularly the frontline communities most impacted, about water sustainability issues facing Tampa Bay. For example, how to prevent pollution and stormwater runoff, the importance of our estuaries and wetlands, protecting native species, correlations between pollutants in waterways and public health, sea level rise, ocean acidification, climate change, and so much more.
“Water Days is particularly important this year as bay managers look for answers to a six-year, 30% decline in Tampa Bay’s seagrasses,” said Alana Todd, TBRPC’s senior environmental planner. “Seagrasses are ‘canaries in the coal mine’ for the health of Tampa Bay and are critically important habitat for more than 70% of the recreationally and commercially valuable fish and crabs that live there.”
Last year, over 30 community partners from local governments, non-profit organizations, and industry partners participated to educate guests on a wide variety of topics. They explored the issues facing our region with hands-on activities, community science experiments, art projects, expert talks and more. Attendees were able to enjoy a festive atmosphere with costumed mascots, food and giveaways, or in walking MOSI’s 30-acre nature preserve and exploring MOSI’s exciting exhibits.
The Water Days public event on Saturday, is complimented by a private field trip day for 500 students from elementary schools around Tampa Bay. These students will have the chance to take a deeper dive into water sustainability in a way that befits the next generation of problem solvers. For one school last year, it was their first-ever field trip, so it truly was a horizon-expanding experience. “With the chance to hear from real experts and role models, we hope to inspire and empower the leaders of tomorrow who will be most impacted by the issues facing us today,” said Kathryn Ecsedy, MOSI’s education outreach manager.
Last year, in preparation for the elementary students’ visit, middle school volunteers from LLT Academy also took on a crucial community service project by helping to revitalize the nature trails and historic tree grove at MOSI. Together, they removed more than 500 pounds of litter and invasive plant species. After helping out in the morning, those students enjoyed cooling off while exploring MOSI for the rest of the day.
“With both the public event on Saturday, and the private field trip day for students, we hope to bring together voices from around Tampa Bay to address the problems and the promise of achieving a more sustainable future,” says Ecsedy. “It was amazing to see the leadership of the volunteers, and the support of so many organizations coming together to empower each other and build the capacity of our students, teachers and families. While the problems we face can feel almost insurmountable alone, this event is a great example of how we can create positive change as a community. We hope you’ll stop by and join us!”