09-06-2012, 11:10 AM
St. Petersburg, FL - Volunteers are needed to help celebrate National Estuaries Day on Saturday, September 29 by participating in a land and sea based cleanup of Tampa Bay. There are two ways to participate:
"¢ Tampa Bay Watch is recruiting volunteers to clean the shorelines of Fort De Soto Park, Clam Bayou, Sunshine Skyway and Palm River on Saturday, September 29, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
"¢ Tampa Bay Watch in partnership with Audubon Florida is asking volunteer boaters to independently clean Tampa Bay's colonial bird nesting islands and shorelines to reduce the threat of entanglement of marine animals as part of the 19th Annual Monofilament Cleanup.
Interested volunteers should visit http://www.tampabaywatch.org to register for either event.
A special thanks to SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund for sponsoring the National Estuaries Day community activities. A 501 ©(3) non-profit private foundation, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund focuses its resources in four strategic areas: Species Research, Habitat Protection, Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation and Conservation Education. Since its launch, the Fund has granted over $9 million to more than 500 projects in countries around the world. The Fund's grantees are diverse, including global organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International along with smaller, grassroots organizations.
National Estuaries Day is an annual celebration of the vibrant and essential coastal areas where rivers meet the sea. Held on the last Saturday of September each year, National Estuaries Day is a terrific opportunity to learn more about estuaries and the perfect excuse to spend a day on the bay. Tampa Bay Watch sees this event as an opportunity to clean up marine debris that accumulates before it floats into Tampa Bay, protecting wildlife from unnecessary injury or death.
"Coastal cleanups are a great way to locally deal with an international problem," said Martha Gruber, Environmental Scientist for Tampa Bay Watch. Since 2001, more than 20,000 pounds of debris have been collected, including items like Styrofoam cups, construction debris, car batteries, and countless cigarette butts, party balloons and plastic bags.
Monofilament fishing line is a significant mortality factor in bird colonies. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists have identified monofilament fishing line as the number one killer of adult brown pelicans. "The birds face increasing pressures from habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation; removing monofilament is an easy way to increase their chances of survival," said Audubon Florida Sanctuary Manager Mark Rachal.
Although estimates of the total annual impact are imprecise, hundreds and possibly thousands of birds die annually in Florida from this unnecessary cause.
Volunteers are provided with equipment and data sheets for removing and documenting monofilament found at assigned cleanup locations. Additionally, volunteers are instructed on how to free entangled live birds they may encounter during the cleanup and where to transport the injured bird.
Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit 501 ©(3) stewardship program dedicated exclusively to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary encompassing over 400 square miles of open water and 2,300 square miles of highly- developed watershed. Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year in hands on habitat restoration projects. For more information, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.
Audubon Florida and the National Audubon Society are dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Audubon's national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. For more information, please visit www.audubon.org or fl.audubon.org, or call 813-623-6826.
"¢ Tampa Bay Watch is recruiting volunteers to clean the shorelines of Fort De Soto Park, Clam Bayou, Sunshine Skyway and Palm River on Saturday, September 29, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
"¢ Tampa Bay Watch in partnership with Audubon Florida is asking volunteer boaters to independently clean Tampa Bay's colonial bird nesting islands and shorelines to reduce the threat of entanglement of marine animals as part of the 19th Annual Monofilament Cleanup.
Interested volunteers should visit http://www.tampabaywatch.org to register for either event.
A special thanks to SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund for sponsoring the National Estuaries Day community activities. A 501 ©(3) non-profit private foundation, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund focuses its resources in four strategic areas: Species Research, Habitat Protection, Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation and Conservation Education. Since its launch, the Fund has granted over $9 million to more than 500 projects in countries around the world. The Fund's grantees are diverse, including global organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International along with smaller, grassroots organizations.
National Estuaries Day is an annual celebration of the vibrant and essential coastal areas where rivers meet the sea. Held on the last Saturday of September each year, National Estuaries Day is a terrific opportunity to learn more about estuaries and the perfect excuse to spend a day on the bay. Tampa Bay Watch sees this event as an opportunity to clean up marine debris that accumulates before it floats into Tampa Bay, protecting wildlife from unnecessary injury or death.
"Coastal cleanups are a great way to locally deal with an international problem," said Martha Gruber, Environmental Scientist for Tampa Bay Watch. Since 2001, more than 20,000 pounds of debris have been collected, including items like Styrofoam cups, construction debris, car batteries, and countless cigarette butts, party balloons and plastic bags.
Monofilament fishing line is a significant mortality factor in bird colonies. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists have identified monofilament fishing line as the number one killer of adult brown pelicans. "The birds face increasing pressures from habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation; removing monofilament is an easy way to increase their chances of survival," said Audubon Florida Sanctuary Manager Mark Rachal.
Although estimates of the total annual impact are imprecise, hundreds and possibly thousands of birds die annually in Florida from this unnecessary cause.
Volunteers are provided with equipment and data sheets for removing and documenting monofilament found at assigned cleanup locations. Additionally, volunteers are instructed on how to free entangled live birds they may encounter during the cleanup and where to transport the injured bird.
Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit 501 ©(3) stewardship program dedicated exclusively to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary encompassing over 400 square miles of open water and 2,300 square miles of highly- developed watershed. Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year in hands on habitat restoration projects. For more information, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.
Audubon Florida and the National Audubon Society are dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Audubon's national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. For more information, please visit www.audubon.org or fl.audubon.org, or call 813-623-6826.