Venice identifies source of beach contamination

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120313/ARTICLE/120319809/2416/NEWS?Title=Venice-identifies-source-of-beach-contamination

- Venice Gondolier Sun

Venice's sand is vanishing and a fix is years away

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120312/ARTICLE/120319863/2416/NEWS?Title=Venice-s-sand-is-vanishing-and-a-fix-is-years-away

- Sarasota Herald Tribune

Sarasota Bay Watch Upcoming Events

March
24th:  Second Annual Skiers Island Cleanup with Riverview High School National Honor Society.
27-28th Community Foundation's Giving Partner's Project.  A 36 hour challenge with matching funds!
April
TBD:  Second Scallop Larvae Release.  Funded by the 2011 Scallopalooza event, the release date is dependent upon scallop development.  Stay tuned for the announcement.
22nd:  Oscar Scherer Earth Day.  a one day festival with family activities, and exhibits.  Come by our booth!
 

May
12th: 4th Annual Sister Keys Cleanup.  A boating workday partnered by Town of Longboat Key and Mar Vista on our adopted island.
June
9th: Scallopalooza.  The Sarasota Yacht Club hosts this event that launched our scallop restoration project.  An fun evening of entertainment, presentations, silent auction, and food.
August
TBD: 5th Annual Scallop Search.  A terrific family activity that helps us monitor the local scallop populations.  Stay tuned for details.

Bay Guardians at Quick Point Preserve

The above photo was taken at a recent Saturday volunteer outing with the SBEP Bay Guardians at Quick Point Preserve on Longboat Key. Fifty-six student and adult volunteers helped remove invasive plants and debris before enjoying a picnic lunch. The photo shows students with Future Leaders Academy in Sarasota. Other participating groups included Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton and the Mote Marine Laboratory High School Intern Program.

Bay Guardians do more than help complete projects that enhance our local preserves and Sarasota Bay. They also learn about local aquatic life, birds, habitat and the importance of conservation.

Waterway blacklist updated

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100210/ARTICLE/2101040/2416/NEWS?Title=Waterway-blacklist-updated

- Sarasota Herald Tribune

Craig Tucker's Snow Birds

 We call all our winter visitors to Florida, "SNOW BIRDS".

That includes white pelicans and other seasonal residents.

Photos by W. Craig Tucker

6 acres in Manatee on conservation land sale list

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120307/ARTICLE/120309595/2416/NEWS?Title=6-acres-in-Manatee-on-conservation-land-sale-list

- Sarasota Herald Tribune

McClash: Jettison Longboat Key jetty plan

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120306/COLUMNIST/120309750/0/FRONTPAGE

- Sarasota Herald Tribune

Bay-friendly landscaping.: Sunbow Bay Open House March 24

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program has supported the project with Bay Partners Grants in 2010 and 2011. SBEP also provided technical assistance along with Michelle Atkinson with the Florida Yards and Neighborhood Program and Jim Derwenko, a green-certified landscaper. The key contact person at Sunbow Bay is Denise Elliott and you can reach Ms. Elliott at dndelliott@gmail.com. Denise has provided timely leadership in making Bay-friendly landscaping a priority at Sunbow Bay.

 The public is invited to the open house and a local Girl Scout Troop from Bradenton will be on hand to sell water and lemonade to raise funds for a future camping trip. The Girl Scouts will also be visiting Sunbow Bay March 10 to do some volunteer work in the garden while learning more about Bay-friendly landscaping

Florida group rebuilds vital coral reefs

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/us/cnnheroes-nedimyer-coral-reefs/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

- CNN.com

Civil War on Florida's Coasts: March 1, 1862

 March 1, 1862 - The Fernandina Fleet Moves South
http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-1-1862-fernandina-fleet-moves.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CivilWarFlorida+%28Civil+War+Florida%29

CHECK OUT THE GREAT PROGRAMS AT WEEDON IN MARCH!

Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center

1800 Weedon Dr. NE, St. Petersburg, Fl. 33702

Register at least 24 hours prior by visiting www.weedonislandpreserve.org, and click on the “Events, Classes, & Hikes” button on the homepage.  Event information call (727) 453-6500. 

Discovery Reef Exhibit – Special Traveling Exhibit

March 1 – March 31, Thursday – Saturday, 9:00am – 4:00pm

For a limited engagement at Weedon Island, the Mote Marine Traveling Interactive Exhibit, Discovery Reef, promotes understanding of Florida’s coastal and marine environments.  Visitors will discover amazing life forms, survival strategies and relationships on Coral Reefs, and their crucial role in the ocean food web.  No pre-registration required.  Free

Salty Topics – Underwater Soundscapes of Coastal Florida

Thursday, March 1, 2012, 6:45pm – 8:00pm

This is the second in the 2012 Winter/Spring Marine Science Speaker series at the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center. Many are unaware that the underwater environment can be very noisy and air-water interface is a difficult barrier for acoustic energy to overcome. Biological sources of sound production range from invertebrates to mammals, but the most prolific source is associated with courtship and spawning behaviors of fishes. Presented by James Locascio, Ph.D., currently a post-doctoral scholar at Mote Marine Laboratory.  Pre-registration required.  Free

Celebrate Coastal Archaeology

Saturday, March 3, 2012, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Excavation Tours: 11am & 2pm. Lecture: 1pm

Weedon Island Preserve is a significant archaeological heritage site on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Learn about current research in the Tampa Bay area with hands-on activities, professional talks and tours of an on-site excavation. See the new interactive, educational “Archaeo Cart” from Florida Public Archaeology Network and get on the road to discovery. Pre-registration required for excavation tours at 11am or 2pm.  Free

FISH Partnership Award

      Sarasota Bay Estuary Program received a FISH Partnership Award at the recent Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. The award acknowledged SBEP for its ongoing support of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH). Dianne Rosensweig with Scheda Ecological Associates was also honored with a FISH Partnership Award at the popular festival in Manatee County.

FISH is a non-profit organization that purchased a 95-acre parcel adjacent to Sarasota Bay within the Village of Cortez in 1999. Its mission is to help restore and protect the upland and wetland habitats and adjacent waters. SBEP is supporting the ongoing restoration at FISH Preserve.

The photo shows students from Martha B. King Middle School on a volunteer outing with the SBEP Bay Guardian volunteer program held in November. The next Bay Guardian event is set for March 10 at Quick Point Preserve on Longboat Key. 

Greta Man with Around the Bend Nature Tours pointing out various tree species to Bay Guardian volunteers at FISH Preserve. The Bay Guardians removed debris and invasive plants at the preserve in November 2011.

Sarasota Sailing Squadron

 Sarasota Sailing Squadron is located on Sarasota Bay at New Pass (north of downtown Lido Key).  It is dedicated to the promotion of recreational sailing, racing, cruising, sailing instruction, boating safety and youth sailing instruction.   See http://sarasotasailingsquadron.org/

Amphipods

There are at least 50 species in Sarasota Bay.  Young differ from adults only in size, i.e. they have no free-living larval stages.  Most are herbivorous, living on macro algae.  Fish are a major predator.  These species are under an inch in length.  -- Dave Bulloch

BAY GUARDIAN VOLUNTEERS TO RALLY AT QUICK POINT PRESERVE MARCH 10

 SARASOTA, FL – Bay Guardian volunteers with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and guides with Around the Bend Nature Tours will remove debris and invasive plants at Quick Point Preserve Saturday, March 10. Quick Point Preserve is located at 100 Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key. The 34-acre preserve with 3,000 feet of shoreline features scenic vistas and opportunities for viewing birds and other wildlife. Paved trails and boardwalks provide convenient access to the man-made tidal lagoons.

Students from Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton and the Future Leaders Academy in Sarasota will be participating at the volunteer event. Guides with Around the Bend Nature Tours will provide educational insights and lunch will be provided to the volunteers. King Middle School was recently selected to receive a SBEP Blue Dolphin Award to acknowledge the school’s ongoing support of Bay Guardian volunteer events.

The next Bay Guardian event is the annual Air Potato Roundup April 14 at North Water Tower Park in Sarasota. Air potatoes are an invasive species and prior Bay Guardian events at the park have focused on removing the plant. The April event is supported by area disc golfers including members of the Sarasota Sky Pilot Disc Golf Club. North Water Tower Park has one of the most popular disc golf courses in the region.

The Sarasota Bay Guardians is a family-friendly volunteer program that SBEP manages in partnership with Around the Bend Nature Tours. The program was established to attract volunteers interested in helping restore Sarasota Bay. New volunteers receive a blue tee shirt featuring the Bay Guardians logo. Learn more about the program online at sarasotabay.org. Local school and church groups interested in volunteering can also contact Sara Kane at sara@sarasotabay.org.