In honor of National Estuaries Week, Tampa Bay Watch in partnership with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, is recruiting volunteers for a land-and sea-based cleanup on Saturday, September 23, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.at five sites around Tampa Bay.
Additionally we are partnering up with the Ocean Conservancy for their International Coastal Cleanup, in hopes of compiling debris data and joining hands to think globally but act locally.
The majority of the volunteers are needed on land to clean the shorelines, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own kayak or canoe to participate in the water based cleanup at any of the sites. Links to register for all the sites are below. We need the most help at the Skyway. We have already recruited enough volunteers for Fort De Soto Park.
North Skyway Fishing Pier, Tampa Bay Watch, Palonis Park in Tampa, & Coffee Pot Bayou (canoes and kayaks only).
BUILD OYSTER DOMES THIS SEPTEMBER
We are recruiting 10-20 hard-working volunteers to help build oyster domes at our Marine Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde. The project takes place on specified weekday mornings from 9 am until noon. The minimum age to participate in this project is 16 years old.
The project involves pouring marine-friendly concrete into fiberglass molds to create oyster domes and taking apart the molds that were previously poured. Oyster communities help stabilize shorelines, provide hard bottom habitats for fish and wildlife resources and promote water quality improvements in the Tampa Bay ecosystem.
Click on the following dates to register for the project.
Thursday, September 7, Monday, September 11, Wednesday, September 13, Monday, September 18, Wednesday, September 20, Monday, September 25, & Wednesday, September 27
BOATERS NEED FOR BIRD NESTING ISLAND CLEANUP
The 24th Annual Monofilament Cleanup, sponsored by Tampa Bay Watch and Audubon Florida supported by Sea World Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and Restore America’s Estuaries, will take place throughout the week of Saturday, September 16 – Saturday, September 23. Tampa Bay Watch is recruiting volunteers with boats to independently remove tangled fishing line from mangroves and shorelines of Tampa Bay’s colonial bird nesting islands.
Each year, thousands of feet of fishing line become entangled on Tampa Bay’s colonial bird nesting islands and shorelines and pose a fatal hazard to birds and other wildlife. This cleanup event helps to reduce the threat of entanglement while recycling the fishing line. The monofilament cleanup is scheduled during the fall only, outside of the main colonial waterbird nesting season for this part of Florida. It is important for the public to understand that entering the colony islands at other times of the year may impact nesting birds, inadvertently causing injury and/or death of the chicks. Last year’s cleanup resulted in 13,000 feet of fishing line being removed from 36 different coastal nesting sites around Tampa Bay.