It doesn’t take an artist to appreciate fine art, and you don’t have to live on the water or own a boat to be enchanted by Tampa Bay. Florida’s largest open-water estuary is a recreational paradise, a haven and nursery for fish and wildlife, and a bustling seaport serving skyscraper-size ships from distant lands. It’s also a place more than two million people call home, proudly identifying themselves as residents of Tampa Bay as often or more than they single out the city or town where they live.
Tampa Bay Soundings was created to chronicle the news and issues affecting the bay and its surrounding watershed, while profiling the people and places, creatures and habitats that make it so compelling. Our format will allow us to delve deeper and more thoughtfully explore the region’s complex issues, while following up on important stories the general news media may abandon. While the editorial focus is natural resources, our target audience is broad-based, from scientists, biologists and boaters to bayside residents, policymakers, nature lovers and kids of all ages with nothing more than a healthy curiosity about this water wonderland.
After decades of dredging, development and disregard, Tampa Bay is mounting a comeback thanks to efforts of committed individuals and organizations, enlightened businesses and government officials. The water is clearer and seagrasses are flourishing again in areas where they have been absent for decades. But numerous challenges remain.
Behind the scenes, countless individuals, organizations and businesses are working vigorously to protect and enhance our natural resources. Evidence of their work is reflected in the resurgence of underwater grass beds, wetland restoration adding back hundreds of acres of shoreline habitat, and sophisticated vessel positioning systems making navigation safer. Add to that numerous smaller, citizen-powered bay improvement activities, from beach cleanups to salt marsh plantings to simple acts like landscaping with water-thrifty native plants. These are stories worth telling, people worth meeting.
Here’s what Soundings has set out to do:
- Inform and enlighten with stories that take you on the bay, beneath its surface, and along the shores, rivers, creeks and surrounding uplands.
- Provide independent, unbiased, factual information based on the best available science.
- Introduce you to fascinating people whose lives and livelihood are inextricably linked to the bay.
- Start conversations and stimulate healthy debates.
- Debunk old myths and challenge conventional thinking.
- Whet your appetite for walking on the wild side with Back Bay Adventures featured in each issue.
- Foster a greater appreciation for a healthy bay and inspire you to action.
Throughout Soundings, you’ll find opportunities to share your ideas and opinions with editors, writers and other readers, along with a calendar of bay-related events and volunteer opportunities. We hope you take advantage of those opportunities. And we want to hear from you.
Finally, our sincere thanks to the following charter sponsors and partners for making Soundings possible: Pinellas County Environmental Foundation; Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council; Tampa Bay Estuary Program; Gulfstream Natural Gas System; Southwest Florida Water Management District; Tampa Port Authority; Cargill Fertilizer, Inc.; CF Industries Inc.; Florida Power & Light Company; and Richard Davis, P.A.