The Monitoring Network includes the Northern Charlotte Group, the Three Creek Watch of Lemon Bay, the Pine Island Group and the Estero Bay Group.
Volunteers are THE critical component to the success of the monitoring program.
The volunteer monitoring program was initiated in October 1996 and now 106 volunteers monitor 38 locations within the estuary. In addition to the 14 parameters measured in the field, samples for six additional parameters are collected by volunteers, and analyzed at the FDEP South District Laboratory in Punta Gorda. These parameters include fecal coliform bacteria, Chlorophyll a, turbidity, and three nitrogen and phosphorus parameters. Volunteers receive initial classroom training on the importance of estuarine environments and the need for their monitoring results. They learn how the estuaries change according to location and throughout the year.