Reefs

Invasive Species

Estuaries

Clean Marina

South Florida

Reefs

Artificial Reef Conference
The next Florida Artificial Reef Summit will be Thursday, January 8, 2009, at the Manatee County Extension office. The purpose of the meeting is to provide a forum for members of the artificial reef "community" to get together on a regional basis to discuss common issues and potential regional projects.

Invasive Species

Invasive Species Conference
Invasive species have caused problems in Florida, and the state faces future invasions. We know relatively little about invasive species in coastal and estuarine waters. This page contains archived material from a November 5-6, 2002 Florida Sea Grant workshop which brought together individuals who are involved with invasive species in any habitats influenced by saltwater.

Estuaries

South Florida Ecosystem Education Project
South Florida ecosystems are undergoing the largest environmental restoration program in history. This education project between Sea Grant, the Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory, the Florida Keys a south florida coastal ecosystemNational Marine Sanctuary, and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, focuses on links among South Florida's natural systems.

One goal is to raise awareness of potential coastal changes arising from south Florida ecosystem restoration and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), but the program also encompasses outreach and education about other ecosystems, including Florida Bay, and the waters and coral reefs of the Florida Keys and Tortugas. Better information will help Floridians participate in science-based decisions that will affect their local marine ecosystems.

Florida Seagrass Outreach Partnership
Florida's estimated 2.7 million acres of seagrass meadows help maintain water clarity by trapping fine sediments and other particles in their leaves. Also, they provide a nursery area for much of Florida's marine life. March is Seagrass Awareness Month, designated annually since 1999 to help Floridians learn how ecologically and economically important healthy seagrass beds are to our fragile coastal environment. Florida's Seagrass Outreach Partnership makes available a number of free resources in its "Seagrass Toobox," available for teacher training and background information.
Bullets: five half-page fact sheets about seagrass


Clean Marina

Clean Marina Partnership
Nearly a million boaters, residents and visitors keep Florida waterways congested. This partnership between the Department of Environmental Protection, the Marine Industry Association of Florida, the International Marina Institute, U.S. Coast Guard, representatives of marinas throughout Florida, and Florida Sea Grant works to provide clean waterways for all those who use them, whether it is for business, industry or recreation.


South Florida