Home About Our Estuaries Our Programs Get Involved Library Visit our Facebook page Visit our YouTube channel Visit our Instagram page Posts Looking for Other News? Visit our Newsletter Archives. Volunteer for Sarasota Bay | November 2021 November 8, 2021 It’s a beautiful time of year to volunteer outdoors for Sarasota Bay. Join us for one of these upcoming events! Saturday, November 20, 2021, 8AM – 12PM Looking for a way to give back this Thanksgiving season? Join the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, and Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department for a socially distant Give-a-Day… Continue Reading Seagrass Scarring Pilot Helps Determine Effective Boater Outreach Methods October 20, 2021 Sarasota Bay is shallow, and much of it is covered in seagrass. Seagrasses are aquatic flowering plants that grow in meadows teeming with wildlife. These habitats are very important to our economy and fishing industry, and they provide protection from storms. When boaters run too shallow over seagrass beds, they can rip out grasses and… Continue Reading National Estuaries Week 8 Day Challenge September 10, 2021 8 Days To Get Into Your Bay September 18th – 25th, 2021 Celebrate National Estuaries Week with us! Each year in September, organizations around the U.S. participate in National Estuaries Week as a way to highlight the importance of our bays and estuaries and all they do for the communities that live in and around… Continue Reading 2021 Sarasota Bay Water Quality Restoration Workshop August 27, 2021 On October 5, 2021, the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program hosted a virtual workshop to accelerate solutions for water quality recovery in Sarasota Bay. The workshop featured presentations from local government representatives and community innovators on projects that aim to reduce pollution entering the bay through infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Click to download the meeting agenda:… Continue Reading Sarasota Bay Water Quality Updates July 29, 2021 The health and ecosystem balance of Sarasota Bay is vitally important not only for the plants, fish, and wildlife that rely on the bay for survival, but also for our economy, job security, coastal protection, and larger community well-being. The following updates from SBEP’s Executive Director, Dr. David Tomasko, summarize what’s been going on in… Continue Reading We’re Hiring: Finance and Grants Manager July 15, 2021 The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) seeks a highly skilled, experienced, motivated, and professional individual for the position of Finance and Grants Manager. This position provides comprehensive operational, administrative and project management support to the SBEP. The candidate must have prior experience working with contract and project management, financial reporting, and annual budget development. Please… Continue Reading SBEP Seeks Professional Auditor Services July 14, 2021 Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, a special district of the State of Florida, is requesting proposals from qualified firms of certified public accountants to audit is financial statements for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 and the auditing of its financial statements for each of the 4 subsequent fiscal years. These audits are to be… Continue Reading Eyes On Seagrass Volunteers Needed June 9, 2021 Watch the Video Demonstration Click Here to Register for Eyes on Seagrass All are welcome to register! Students can earn community service hours for participating. Bring forms to be signed at one of the trainings. Questions? Contact Race Stryker at race@sarasotabay.org. Continue Reading CCMP Open for Public Comment June 7, 2021 Update to the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Sarasota Bay SBEP is now entering the final stages of updating its 5-year Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), which establishes priorities for activities, research, and management of the estuary from 2021 – 2026. The CCMP serves as a blueprint to guide future decisions and actions… Continue Reading 2021 King Tides Photo Contest May 5, 2021 Congratulations to the 2021 King Tide Photo Contest Winners! 1st Place: Steve Sellers (Phillippi Creek) Phillippi Creek high tide on May 27, Credit: Steve Sellers Phillippi Creek Low Tide On May 26, Credit: Steve Sellers 2nd Place: Julie Morris (New College Dock) New College Dock High Tide On May 27, Credit: Julie Morris New College… Continue Reading Sorting Through the Green Stuff April 1, 2021 Christine Quigley – Public Outreach Assistant This past week, the four Florida National Estuary Programs, along with local and regional partners, convened a 3-day workshop around the topic of macroalgae. Macroalgae refers to larger species of algae, whose individuals you can see without a microscope. Seaweed is another name commonly used. If you’ve been out… Continue Reading SBEP Study Confirms Economically Important Fish Use New Artificial Reef Designs March 4, 2021 Christine Quigley – Public Outreach Assistant Deep Cover Underwater SBEP, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Reef Innovations, and Aptim Environmental & Infrastructure recently concluded a study of several artificial reefs in Sarasota Bay. The study mapped the extent of three artificial reefs and monitored how different fish species and marine organisms used different… Continue Reading 2021 Florida Macroalgae Workshops February 28, 2021 Virtual workshops to discuss what we know and what we need to know about macroalgae blooms in Florida estuaries Macroalgae are components of healthy Florida estuaries, but excessive blooms can have negative ecosystem consequences. In recent years, multiple blooms of drift macroalgae in Florida estuaries have raised concerns about damage to seagrass habitats and water… Continue Reading SBEP Seeks Intern for Monitoring Program February 24, 2021 The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) seeks a temporary, part-time, paid intern to support an ecological monitoring project in Sarasota Bay from April to August 2021 (start and end dates negotiable). The project, Eyes on Seagrass, is an extension of a Florida Sea Grant community monitoring effort that began in Charlotte Harbor in 2019. The… Continue Reading Investments in wastewater treatment help protect water quality in Manatee County January 27, 2021 Direct permitted wastewater discharges to Sarasota Bay ceased several years ago, but maintaining this no-discharge status – and keeping up with a rapidly growing population – requires local utility departments to make regular investments in wastewater infrastructure. Manatee County Utilities Department’s (MCUD) Southwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility (SWRWRF) is one of the largest treatment plants… Continue Reading Sarasota County and SWFWMD Groundwater Study to Fill Gaps in Water Quality Knowledge January 26, 2021 Most Floridians know that water surrounds us, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico to our smallest neighborhood retention ponds. Yet the feeling of solid ground beneath our feet often blinds us to the water lying underground. That groundwater may hold keys to better understanding important connections between land and sea. Sarasota County… Continue Reading Sarasota Urban ReForesters Install Microforest at the Celery Fields January 21, 2021 In November of 2020, a coalition called Sarasota Urban ReForesters (SURF) installed a 0.3 acre “microforest” at the Celery Fields. The Coalition consisted of Florida Veterans for Common Sense Fund, Inc, the Sarasota Bay Chapter of Rotary International, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide, and the Sarasota Manatee Chapter of the Florida Native Plant society. The… Continue Reading Director’s Note Winter 2021 January 21, 2021 Greetings! For those of you who don’t know me, joining the SBEP as the new Executive Director is a sort of homecoming for me. Back in the early 1990s, I was the first scientist for the SBEP, after receiving the offer of employment from Mark Alderson. Under Mark’s leadership, Sarasota Bay’s initial recovery was started,… Continue Reading Announcing 2021 Sarasota Bay Partners Grants January 5, 2021 Sarasota Bay Partners Grants support community stewardship of Sarasota Bay The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program will accept applications for Sarasota Bay Partners Grants until Monday, March 1, 2021. Groups may apply for up to $4,000 to support environmental restoration or education projects focused on restoring Sarasota-Manatee bays and engaging communities in bay restoration. Most organizations,… Continue Reading Dr. David Tomasko to Join SBEP as Executive Director December 10, 2020 David Tomasko The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) is announcing a transition in leadership following the retirement of SBEP Executive Director Mark Alderson, who has served in the position since SBEP’s inception in 1989. On November 9, 2020, Dr. David Tomasko will join SBEP as Executive Director. Dr. Tomasko brings more than 30 years of… Continue Reading 1 2 3 4 Next » Sarasota Bay Estuary Program 111 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 200W Sarasota, Florida 34236 941-955-8085 941-955-8081 Join Our Mailing List Report Pollution Email SBEP Staff Public Meetings Sitemap Visit our Facebook page Visit our YouTube Channel Visit our Instagram page Search for: The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is dedicated to restoring the area's greatest natural asset - Sarasota Bay. We offer special thanks to our partners: Sarasota County, Manatee County, City of Sarasota, City of Bradenton, Town of Longboat Key, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Southwest Florida Water Management District. Copyright ©2021 Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. All Rights Reserved. Website Maintenance by WPTechGuru | Report a Problem