News from Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

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Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Newsletter Spring 2009

Seagrass In Sarasota Bay Increases by 28% from 2006-2008!

Red represents continuous seagrass Orange patchy seagrass

Source of graphics: Southwest Florida Water Management District

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and

Management (SWIM) Program's District Seagrass Mapping Project recently released

the findings from its 2008 seagrass mapping study, and the results for Sarasota

Bay were the most impressive in southwest Florida. Seagrass acreage in Sarasota

Bay increased by almost 2,800 acres in the past two years, a 28 percent increase!

This follows on the heels of a seven percent increase between 2004 and 2006. "The

stunning jump in seagrass in Sarasota Bay represents the payoff of hundreds of

millions of dollars of public investment over the last 20 years," comments Mark

Alderson, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. "Improved

sewer and stormwater systems keep pollution out of the bay, and the mangroves

on restored shorelines eat up nitrogen, making the water clearer."

These increases may be due, in part, to the recent drought, since less rain means

less stormwater runoff flowing into the bay. Polluted runoff clouds the water and

prevents sunlight from reaching seagrasses growing on the bottom of the bay. The

lack of rain also results in clearer water and allows for better views of deeper

growing seagrass. However, when compared to its neighbors to the north and
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south, which essentially showed no changes in overall seagrass cover, the increases

in Sarasota Bay were significantly greater than what could be accounted for by

weather and mapping alone. 

Seagrass mostly grows in shallow waters- less than six feet deep- but can be found

in depths greater than 12 feet in certain portions of the bay. Seagrass is considered

an important barometer of the bay's health because it requires relatively clean

water to flourish. 

"As important as seagrasses are to fish and other living resources, the 2008 survey

results are equally important in assisting the SBEP in setting targets, or desired

levels, of seagrass acreage for the long term," says Jay Leverone, senior scientist

SBEP. "Once the seagrass targets are established, then we can develop appropriate

water quality targets that, through proper watershed management, will ensure the

persistence of seagrass meadows throughout Sarasota Bay for years to come."

Upcoming Events

FREE Science Teacher Training Workshop

Saturday May 30, 2009, 8:30am - 4pm

Pritzker Marine Science Research Center at New College of Florida

5800 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota. 

SBEP partners with New College of Florida to offer this workshop for k-12 science

teachers. The general theme is currents and waves with a recent addition of

navigation. Notebooks and materials that address the Sunshine Standards and

National Standards will be provided. The number Space is limited to 20, so please

contact Dr. Sandra Gilchrist at 941-487-4377/941-487-4453 or gilchrist@ncf.edu to

reserve your spot.

Alerts

Restricted Season for Fertilizer Application Begins June 1st 

Both Sarasota County and the Town of Longboat Key have ordinances regulating

the use of fertilizers during the rainy season. No fertilizer containing nitrogen and/or

phosphorous shall be applied to turf or landscape plants between June 1 and

September 30th of each year. These ordinances were developed to reduce nutrient

pollution flowing into our waterways thereby improving water quality. For additional

information visit:

www.scgov.net/environmentalservices/water/SurfaceWater/Fertilizer.asp

OR www.longboatkey.org/Departments/PWK/fertilizerLBK.pdf

Success Stories

The National Estuary Program in Action - SBEP success highlights

A broad range of issues are being addressed by the National Estuary Programs

(NEPs) nationwide. Their many success stories demonstrate the significant work

being done and showcase how the NEPs implement the Clean Water Act in Ways

that are Effective, Efficient, Collaborative, and Adaptive. Sarasota Bay Estuary

Program was highlighted in two areas: Creating Artificial Reefs & Reducing Nutrient

Enrichment. To find out more about these SBEP features, please visit 

http://www.sarasotabay.org/aboutsbep-national.html

Pelican Cove Condominium Association Wins Statewide Award
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Pelican Cove Condominium

Association has won a 2009

Florida Communities of

Excellence Award under the

Environmental Initiatives

category for its Watershed

and Landscape Management

Program. This Program was

put into place to reduce

contamination of Clower Creek

from rainwater runoff along

the community's 3,600-foot

shoreline on the waterway

that drains into Little Sarasota

Bay. The 2009 Florida

Communities of Excellence

Awards were created to

identify and promote innovative solutions and best practices in maintaining and

improving the quality of life for residents of community associations throughout the

State. Nine condominium and homeowners associations -- from Destin to Palm

Beach -- were recognized for achievement in addressing the needs and concerns of

residents and surrounding communities in five independently judged categories:

Environmental Initiatives, Disaster Preparedness, Communications, Safety & Security

and Civic Involvement. This project was funded in part by SWFWMD and SBEP.

National Wildlife Federation Highlights Landscaping for Climate Change

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recently highlighted Landscaping for Climate

Change (LCC) as an example of a local solution to a global problem. LCC is a

collaborative effort of Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and Sarasota County's

Sustainable Sarasota and Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team (NEST).

The program helps homeowners "connect the dots" to see the big picture of the

relationship between climate change, pollution and landscaping. 

LCC targets homeowners and neighborhood committees, providing scientific

expertise, technical guidance, and financial assistance for climate-sensitive

practices. LCC principles are being adopted throughout the community. Many of

the program's steps, such as shoreline naturalization and the use of native species,

help increase biodiversity and habitat, while others emphasize reducing pollution

and greenhouse gas emissions. The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program offers funding

for LLC projects through its Bay Partners Grants at http://www.sarasotabay.org/nargrants.html

Other

SBEP Creates Business Partnership with WUSF 89.7

The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program has created a cosponsorship with WUSF-FM 89.7 Public Broadcasting which

consists of a rotating schedule of promotional spots on Market

Place, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Weekend All

Things Considered. This co-sponsorship adds up to over 100 spots to run on WUSF

89.7 from April through June to promote SBEP. The two messages are: Support for

WUSF comes from our members and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program working

with local governments and citizens to restore the Sarasota Bay ecosystem AND

Support for WUSF comes from our members and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

which is dedicated to restoring the area's greatest natural asset - Sarasota Bay.
News from Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

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 More information is available at www.sarasotabay.org

SBEP Launches Pooches for the Planet Campaign:

Clean Waters! Clean Yards! Clean Shoes!

Pet waste is a significant source of nutrients and fecal coliform bacteria entering

Sarasota Bay. Approximately 26 tons of pet waste is deposited on the ground in

Sarasota and Manatee Counties every day! Dog poop does not stay on the grass

but gets washed down the stormdrains and delivered untreated to the closest

waterway during rain events. To address pet waste pollution the Sarasota Bay

Estuary Program has teamed up with its sister program, the Tampa Bay Estuary

Program to bring the successful Pooches for the Planet pet waste pollution

education program to the Sarasota Bay watershed. There are many doggie bag

stations around Sarasota and Manatee County Stay tuned for a Pooches for the

Planet addition to the SBEP website where you can find valuable info on how you

and your pooch can help keep Sarasota Bay clean and healthy! 

Protect public health and the Bay, pick up after your pet!
News from Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

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Florida Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) Program 

Comes To Sarasota Bay

The Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) program is a statewide, long-term

program designed to monitor the relative abundance of Florida's fisheries

resources. This program, developed, conducted and managed by the Florida Fish

and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), has three primary goals: 1) address the

critical need for effective assessment techniques for an array of species and sizes of

fishes and selected invertebrates, 2) providing timely information for use in

management plans, and 3) monitoring trends in the relative abundance of fishes

and selected invertebrates in a variety of estuarine and marine systems throughout

Florida.

The FIM program has been in existence since the late 1980s. Over the years,

program personnel have developed standardized sampling techniques to collect fish

and selected invertebrates in many of the state's estuaries, tidal rivers and coastal

areas. Because the FIM database is long-term, is based on a standardized sampling

with a variety of gears and techniques, and covers a broad geographic area,

researchers at FWRI and elsewhere find it useful for a variety of scientific and

management purposes. Some of these purposes include preparation of species

inventories, documentation of a particular species' habitat and dietary requirements,

fish and estuarine health, development of ecosystem models, and assessment of the

implications of water-resource management actions. Thus, the Sarasota Bay Estuary

Program (SBEP) is very excited to welcome the FIM program into Sarasota Bay,

since they are well positioned to monitor fish and selected invertebrate populations

in our waters.

The FIM program will start this summer. SBEP looks forward to learning more about

our resident fish communities and sharing this information with you.

SBEP in the News

February 2009 Pelican Cove News highlights 

February 5 Longboat Observer Neighborhood section coverage of Burch

presentation to Longboat Key Garden Club that includes photo of Burch & Virginia

Sanders

February 19 Longboat Observer Key Life section coverage Sister Keys Clean-up

with participation of Bay Buddies with photos (R. Hartill) 

February 27 Longboat Key News coverage of Fairway Bay One Condo receiving Bay

Partners Grant from SBEP to remove exotics and replace w/ native plants

March 4 Coverage in HT Business Buzz announcing Leverone joining SBEP

March 30 Coverage in HT Business People announcing Leverone joining SBEP

April Issue Coverage in Biz941 announcing Leverone joining SBEP

April Issue article in POSITIVE CHANGE magazine about Landscaping for Climate

Change

April 7 guest column (Burch/Powers) in HT about Landscaping for Climate Change

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090407/COLUMNIST/904071016/

2080/OPINION
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April 16 HT TICKET "Five Options for Celebrating Earth Day" mentions SBEP and

Burch nature walk "Celebrating the Earth: Preserves Protecting the Watershed" 

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090416/ARTICLE/904161033/2406/

FEATURES?Title=Five-options-for-celebrating-Earth-Day#

April 24 HT front page Local Eric Ernst highlights Burch nature walk

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090424/COLUMNIST/904241028/2127?

Title=Saving-the-land-along-with-ourselves

May 17 HT front page article "A Meadow Beneath the Waves" by Doug Sword 

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090517/ARTICLE/905171042/-1/archive?

Title=Seagrass-in-Sarasota-Bay-makes-big-comeback

Sarasota Bay Buddies Events

Quick Point Nature Preserve Event

On Saturday, May 2 the Sarasota Bay Buddies teamed up with Sarasota Bay Watch,

the Longboat Key Club Marina, Save Our Seabirds, Florida Audubon, and the Town

of Longboat Key to clean up Quick Point Nature Preserve. The 24 Bay Buddies

waded and snorkeled while concentrating on removing debris and fishing line from

the water around the mangrove fringe. After a very successful clean-up event the

volunteers returned to the Key Club Marina for lunch and a presentation by

Audubon, Save Our Seabirds, and Captain Jonnie Walker.
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A Fond Farwell to Our Public Outreach Coordinator Julia

Burch

After four very productive years as Public

Outreach Coordinator for SBEP, Julia Burch is

relocating to Austin, Texas to pursue a Master's

degree in Environmental Policy with a

concentration in water issues and watershed

management at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of

Public Affairs at the University of Texas. 

Julia's significant contributions as public outreach

coordinator to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

during her tenure are as numerous as they are

varied. She can be credited with energizing

SBEP's outreach programs and community

engagement. Under her guidance several new

and effective outreach programs were developed

including the Bay Buddies volunteer program,

Pooches for the Planet pet waste pollution

education, Landscaping for Climate Change

and Living on the Water's Edge while

continuing already established strong outreach

programs such as PIER and Bay Partners

Grants. 

Burch spearheaded innovative marketing projects such as the documentary

Sarasota Bay: Celebrating Our Water Heritage, new interactive website

www.sarasotabay.org, a business sponsorship with WUSF 89.7FM and an update of

the Gulf Coast Heritage Trail map. Her effective collaborations with neighborhoods

resulted in several projects to protect the Bay including the Whitaker Bayou

Greenway Park and the IBSSA Stormwater Retrofit Pilot Project. 

Julia says she will particularly miss working with SBEP's Citizen Advisory Committee

(CAC), a group of dedicated citizens from Sarasota and Manatee Counties who have

been tireless in their efforts to improve the community's understanding of and

appreciation for Sarasota Bay. Burch credits her work with the CAC, SBEP staff,

and local community leaders for developing her interest in environmental public

policy. "My background is in science, but at SBEP I got to put science into action

through public policy that protects our environment, economy and future

generations," Burch explains. "Sarasota Bay has seen a remarkable comeback

thanks to the foresight of community leaders who put protective measures in place

twenty years ago which culminated in the forming of SBEP. In these times of tough

choices, I hope this community continues to put the restoration of Sarasota Bay at

the top of the priority list." 

Julia will be greatly missed by her many co-workers and friends. We wish her all the

best as she undertakes this exciting new adventure. Her last day with SBEP will be

July 31.

Citizen Advisory Council Member Profile

Yvette Little
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Yvette is a Florida native who grew up in Pinellas County

and earned her BS in Business Administration from the

University of South Florida. She has been involved with

environmental stewardship for as long as she can

remember and her business efforts have concentrated on

environmental education for the past eight years in a

variety of capacities. She is a Community Development

Specialist, Volunteer Coordinator and Liaison for private,

non-profit & public organizations. She was responsible for

securing grants to begin new Manatee County programs for

Monofilament Recycling. As Program Director for Keep

America Beautiful's local affiliate, she coordinated annual events such as the Great

American Cleanup & the Ocean Conservancy's Florida Coastal Cleanup and many

more programs that were supported by over 4,000 volunteers annually. 

Little joined the CAC in 2008 to encourage environmental education and public

outreach in our community to protect our waterways, habitats and natural

resources. "My passion involves community outreach and environmental education.

 I feel that the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program's mission and programs fit perfectly

with my own goals," says Little. 

Yvette is co-owner of Simply Green Solutions, LLC a company that offers simple,

effective options to green your business, community or home environment thus

minimizing your imprint on the earth. They work with clients to create simple

solutions to reduce resource usage, to build the local economy and therefore save

money while helping the environment. Simply Green Solutions, LLC seeks to find

win-win solutions between business, community and the environment.

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