Get involved with your boat! Many of our projects require the use of professional and volunteer boats either to access the site of the field work or to transport supplies, materials and volunteers. Tampa Bay Watch projects that are dependent upon boats include:

• The annual Great Bay Scallop Search uses over 45 volunteer boats each year! Families snorkel side by side with shellfish researches to document the recover of scallops in Lower Tampa Bay grass flats. The event occurs every August from Fort De Soto Boat Ramp.

• Tampa Bay Watch coordinates an annual monofilament fishing line cleanup of area bird sanctuaries. The event is accomplished in October of each year to scour the nesting colonies during the non-nesting time of year. Boaters are utilized to carry families and volunteers to nesting islands. The program covers islands from Sarasota Bay all the way north to the Anclote River.

• Seagrass restoration is also dependent upon area boaters to shuttle volunteers to donor and transplanting sites permitted for restoration work. Seagrass restoration is often cutting edge science and pilot projects and monitoring occurs throughout the year.

• Tampa Bay Watch also facilitates coastal cleanup events at area islands. Whether its Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay or smaller islands and shorelines around the bay, oftentimes volunteer boaters are the best resource to access the areas. General coastal cleanup events occur in the spring and fall of each year.

So whether you have a large cruiser or a small canoe, Tampa Bay watch can find a project that fits your vessel. Please let us know what size, style and draft boat you have and we will add you to our boater data base to find out about upcoming projects and events.

For more information, contact Rachel Arndt @ rarndt@tampabaywatch.org.