On Sept. 19, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve hosted a local cleanup at the Pelican Harbor Marina for International Coastal Cleanup Day. The team welcomed about 30 attendees, with an option to complete the cleanup by kayaking. In total, the crew collected 286 pounds of trash from land, mangroves and the bay.
On June 6, the Coral Reef Conservation Program team and Friends of Our Florida Reefs cohosted the 15th Annual Southeast Florida Reef Cleanup. Joined by six dive operators and 100 enthusiastic divers, the teams removed human made debris from the reefs of the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve. Divers removed 361 pounds of debris from 12 dive sites. The debris items co
On May 26, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve staff partnered with Marine Academy of Science and Technology public high school to co-host an end-of-year field trip to Sandspur Island in northern Biscayne Bay.
On May 1-3, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserves (FKAP) partnered with Reef Relief and SeaCamp to host cleanups as part of this year’s I.CARE Trash Derby. The Trash Derby features two days of debris collection, sunrise to sunset, throughout the Florida Keys.
On April 1, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve staff teamed up with Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) to remove and dispose of over one-half ton of marine debris from the State-owned Cocoplum Mangrove Preserve.
This month, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve’s (GTMNERR) resource management team had a very successful trash cleanup day. They collected 751 pounds of trash, including two tires weighing 57 pounds. A group from St. Johns County, led by Kelly Ussia, kayaked to the spoil island and met everyone there, so more trash was collected than usual.
On Feb. 27 members of the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve (BBAP) updated an Adopt-An-Island name plate in an effort to gain a new adopter for Crescent A island. While visiting the island, they were also able to check for derelict fishing traps and other marine debris within the area.
The Tuesday before the Thanksgiving break, a local FWC law enforcement captain, lieutenants and officers joined Charlotte Harbor AP staff for a debris and fishing line clean up on one of the established Critical Wildlife Areas in Pine Island Sound.
NWFLAP staff installed three new signs on the islands at Project GreenShores Site 2 (PGS2). These signs let visitors via boat or kayak know that it is a restoration project and to be mindful of the plants. A self-guided kayak tour of the site is in the works.
The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve (BBAP) team assisted the DEP Southeast District permitting team with vessel support to perform a permit verification for a newly proposed mooring field. While awaiting further information from the applicant the team collected three small bags of trash in less than an hour, protecting the bay now and for the future.