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.
Recently NWFLAP staff participated in the 32nd annual Day of Caring Event organized by United Way of Northwest Florida. We hosted a group of volunteers to help us with our first planting event of the season! On Day of Caring, 68 projects and 713 volunteers came together across two counties to make an impact in our local community. We partnered once again with Pensacola Energy to kick off planting season on the islands of Project Greenshores.
The Southwest APs and DEP South District Offices Conduct Cleanups for DEP Stewardship Day
On October 25, Noah Singer, Marine Debris and Outreach Specialist, of the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve (FKAP) team participated in a beach cleanup organized by CoastLove, a non-profit conservation organization in South Florida. He was one of 40 attendees who collected over 800 lbs. of trash in just under 3 hours. Over half the volunteers were youth from the local community!
Staff from the Florida Aquarium assisted Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserve (TBAP) staff on Friday as part of TBAP’s “Day of Action” service program. They worked on an island in the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve to remove marine debris and invasive plants. The Florida Aquarium regularly provides staff for this type of work. TBAP is thankful for their continued support.