We have a little humble brag this Friday. 😌 Our very own Executive Director, Ed Sherwood, was awarded the Herman Goldner Award for Regional Leadership today during the Future of the Region Awards ceremony at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Regional Resiliency Summit.
For the better part of the last two decades with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Ed has been a champion for restoring and protecting the Tampa Bay estuary. From facilitating the Tampa Bay Nitrogen Management Consortium to picking up trash at one of our many Give-A-Day for the Bay events, his stalwart commitment to the environment and our community is clear. As the TBEP Executive Director, Ed's leadership has resulted in pragmatic and evidence-based progress for the region. Finally, he is modest, but cool under pressure, something that was a boon when he led the coordination for the regional monitoring response to the Piney Point emergency discharge in 2021. 'Nuff said.
The Herman Goldner Award for Regional Leadership honors and recognizes notable achievement for resource planning and management in the Tampa Bay Region. The award is presented by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in memory Herman W. Goldner, who founded the TBRPC, the state of Florida's first regional planning council.
Congratulations, Ed! It's no PB red, but a pretty nice catch all the same. 🏆🎣
It's giving mother 🤏
No matter how you prefer to describe them, we thought you should know that estuaries are pretty fantastic places, full of energy and full of life. In fact, they are important nurseries for fish and other wildlife. As transition zones from land to the sea, naturally, they contain many types of wetlands. That's why we're celebrating estuaries this #AmericanWetlandsMonth.
The Tampa Bay estuary has fresh- and saltwater non-forested and forested wetlands. Some examples include freshwater marshes, mangrove forests, cypress swamps, and salt barrens.
How would you describe your favorite wetland? All (clean) generational slang accepted.
Congratulations to Oyster River Ecology for winning the 2026 Golden Mangrove Award!
Every year the Tampa Bay Estuary Program honors the previous year's most outstanding Bay Mini-Grant project. Oyster River Ecology was selected by our Community Advisory Committee for its "Oliver the Oyster Trailer" project. More than just the purchase of a trailer, the funding jump-started Oyster River Ecology's community-driven oyster habitat restoration efforts, resulting in 1,000 square feet of oyster habitat created in the Manatee River. Oyster River Ecology used the trailer to foster 26 experiential learning events around the watershed and to involve more than 900 volunteers directly in habitat restoration. And their efforts don't stop now that the Bay Mini-Grant is complete. Oyster River Ecology plans to continue using Oliver the Oyster Trailer to teach and engage the people of Tampa Bay while restoring important oyster habitat in the estuary.
@damonwmoore accepted the Golden Mangrove Award today at the Tampa Bay Estuary Program Policy Board Meeting. Congrats again, Damon and @oyster_river_ecology
Bay Mini-Grant Season is here! 🥳
We're awarding up to $10,000 for community-led environmental restoration and education projects in the Tampa Bay watershed. Apply for your grant by 5 PM Sept 16. Learn more on our website at https://ow.ly/kFih50YVxe1. Link also in bio.
🎥 Slides showing various examples of volunteers doing environmental and educational work in the Tampa Bay community. Text says, "Now accepting applications! Bay Mini-Grants, Tampa Bay Estuary Program. What will you nurture in your community this year? Apply for up to $10K to make it a reality. Apply by 5:00 PM Sept 16. https://ow.ly/kFih50YVxe1".
While this may seem gross, it absolutely is. Even when they look and sound like serene babbling brooks, sanitary sewer overflows, like this one, are stressful for resource managers. That's because they aren't just gross, they are bad for the environment. Besides potential pathogens, they release a lot of nutrients, which are harmful to water quality.
SSOs ultimately happen when sewer infrastructure fails. Our last post focused on SSOs that happen when sewers back up after power losses. This video captures the another scenario—leaky, overwhelmed sewer systems. During extreme events, water can seep into sanitary sewers through cracked, damaged pipes. For example, this SSO was the result of a lot of rainwater draining from a flooded area after a hurricane.
How can we prevent SSOs? Replace aging infrastructure to prevent pipe failure. This answer is simple in concept, but complicated in execution. Sanitary sewers are both public and private responsibilities and while local governments do have a role in updating aging pipes, homeowners do too. You can do your part to prevent SSOs in your neighborhood by having your pipes inspected and replaced, if needed. There are even rebate programs in some areas. To learn more, see our website tbep.org/pipe-up/
@stpetefl@pinellasgov
🎥 Water flows from a sewer in a residential street. Text overlay reads, "Ahh the peaceful trickle of raw sewage flowing in the morning" with a contented face emoji.
May is here and let’s keep the learning going! I had the best time last month connecting with so many of you at GreenThumb.
Gardening and homesteading are all learnable skills and I’m here to guide you through the process with hands on experiences.
Here’s this months events- kicking off with composting this Saturday.
All classes are offered at a sliding scale ranging from $5-30, depending on the class.
Spots are limited so comment TUHCAL or head to my link in bio to grab your seat.
Then there's one item you might want to add to your checklist as you are refreshing your hurricane supplies this Hurricane Preparedness Week. WAG bags, or waste alleviating gel bags, are essentially personal portable potties. Commonly used when camping in environmentally sensitive areas without toilets, they are bags that you poop in. Designed to be sanitary when used properly, you dispose of them in the regular trash.
Now why would you want to poop in a bag when you've got a perfectly good toilet in your house? Well, after a hurricane, or any other time that the power goes out for extended periods, sewage pump stations stop working. If everyone keeps flushing 💩, you guessed it, the sewage starts to build up. This can lead to crappy situations in your home, but more often it leads to sanitary sewer overflows, which aren't just gross.
SSOs, as they are commonly referred, threaten public and environmental health. One of the many reasons you are advised not to wade in standing water after a hurricane is the likelihood of dangerous pathogens from nearby SSOs. If enough people pooped in bags instead of toilets (that they still expect to whisk away their waste to parts unknown), the severity of SSOs after storms would decrease. The WAG bags still need to be disposed of properly, but if used correctly, they won't contaminate your home or our waterways.
WAG bag photo by HC's Foodventure
🎧🌿 New Episode Out Now!
The first episode of the Streaming Science: People and Nature Podcast Series is officially live!
In this introductory episode, meet the team behind the series as they share their journeys into science communication, conservation, and storytelling. Faculty and graduate students from the University of Florida’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communication reflect on their experiences at the inaugural People & Nature Symposium—and explore how connecting people, science, and the environment can inspire meaningful change.
From conversations about conservation social science to behind-the-scenes moments from the symposium, this episode sets the stage for the stories to come.
🎙️ Listen now on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major platforms: /1651813/episodes/18938705
🌱 Learn more about the People & Nature Symposium:
/people-nature-symposium/
🔗Tune in, share, and join us as we explore the human dimensions of environmental science. New episodes drop every Friday!
@tampabayestuaryprogram@aec_uf@floridapreserved
#StreamingScience #PeopleAndNature #PodcastLaunch #ScienceCommunication #EnvironmentalScience UFIFAS PublicEngagement
Mini-Grant season soon, that is... 😁
What's more fun than jamming out to the golden oldies? Getting funding for an environmental project in your own community! Learn more about how to get a $10,000 Bay Mini-Grant, at the link in our bio or here: /bay-mini-grants
🎥 Justin Timberlake dressed as a doll, breaking out of a package and singing "It's gonna be me" by NSYNC. Text reads, "It's gonna be May". The word May has an X over it and above it, is the word "bay".
#itsgonnabemay
Today is for the birds. Literally. It's Audubon Day and National Go Birding Day! 🐦🦅🦩🐦⬛
With Spring migration in full swing (or should we say on full wing... 😏), it's a perfect time to get out and watch some birds. Need some pointers? Head over to our website at tbep.org/explore-the-bay
Swipe through for some staff picks of our favorite birds to see out in Tampa Bay. What's yours?
