Restoration

Our Programs

At Tampa Bay Watch, our Restoration team is deeply committed to the health and vitality of Tampa Bay's unique ecosystems. With a hands-on approach and a passion for addressing the challenges facing our waterways, we collaborate with dedicated volunteers to restore and protect the natural habitats that are crucial for wildlife and the broader community.

Our team engages in a variety of restoration projects. Each initiative is designed with scientific rigor and a deep understanding of ecological balance, ensuring that every effort contributes meaningfully to the larger goal of environmental resilience.

MacDill's Transformation: Erosion to Ecosystem

A shoreline with calm water, a sandy beach, and a background of dense trees and shrubs. There are two people standing on the beach and two red arrows pointing to distant trees and foliage.
A river or lake with tall grasses along the shoreline and dense trees in the background, under an overcast sky.
People gather in a marshy area planting or harvesting grass on a sunny day.

In 2010, Tampa Bay Watch achieved a significant milestone by planting and restoring 500,000 sq ft (approximately 11.4 acres) of coastal marshes at MacDill AFB. By integrating hard substrates with coastal marshes, Tampa Bay Watch discovered an effective method for regenerating these marshes and preventing erosion.

2010

A sandy beach with green grass in the foreground, erosion control structures along the shore, and an ocean with a blue sky overhead.

In 2018, Tampa Bay Watch achieved another significant milestone by creating over 10,560 feet (more than 2 miles) of linear living shoreline at MacDill AFB.

2018

Two men and two women are standing near a row of concrete structures on a beach, with water and a weather post visible in the background.

In 2023, Tampa Bay Watch achieved a milestone by deploying over 10,000 Oyster Reef Balls at MacDill AFB as part of our Living Shorelines initiative. Each Oyster Reef Ball, once encrusted with oysters, can filter up to 50,000 gallons of water daily. This means that these 10,000 ORBs collectively have the potential to filter up to 500 million gallons of water in the Tampa Bay Estuary every day.

2023

Our Impact

1.5M+

Square feet of shorelines restored.

Since our founding in 1993, Tampa Bay Watch has restored over 1.5 million square feet of shoreline, transforming these areas into thriving habitats for a diverse range of species and bolstering natural defenses against storms and other environmental challenges.