Mote Marine Laboratories gathered a panel of marine environmental scientists at the Immersion Theater on May 8th to acknowledge the growing concept of Sato-Umi, the integration of science and the community to promote the sustainable use of the marine environment. One of the speakers was Dr Tetsuo Yanagi, a professor at Kyushu University in Japan, [...]
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking Florida beachgoers and residents, who live along the beach, to be careful and watch out for sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. The nesting season usually begins in May and goes thru October. There are five different types of turtles who nest on Florida [...]
A sensor, known as an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), described as a garbage can size canister, was launched in late April in the ocean waters off southern Maine to collect and transmit data about toxin-producing algae blooms, known as red tides. The sensor will also detect one of the potentially fatal toxins that the algal [...]
The Appalachian Trail is approximately 2,184 miles and begins in the middle of Maine and ends in northern Georgia. It crosses the Chattahoochee River’s uppermost headwaters. The Trust for Public Land envisions the Chattahoochee River as a way to allow Appalachian Trail hikers to continue south until they reach the Gulf of Mexico either on [...]
Sarasota Bay Watch sponsored its 5th Annual Sister Keys Cleanup on May 11th. A misty sunrise over Sarasota greeted 75 volunteers who came out to spend the morning removing trash to help restore and protect the Sister Keys. Kudos to all of our community volunteers! Thank you also goes out to Mar Vista Restaurant for [...]
Southwest Region:Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was found in background concentrations in several samples collected alongshore, inshore and offshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties this week. One sample collected alongshore of Pinellas County contained very low concentrations. Other samples collected throughout southwest Florida did not contain K. brevis.
In a major victory for our marine environment, the Florida Senate rejected a House Amendment (HB 999) that tried to put a three-year moratorium on new local laws aimed at preventing nitrogen pollution of water bodies and wetlands. This has been an ongoing battle with the fertilizer lobby in recent years and it is gratifying [...]
