VOLUNTEERING AT TAMPA BAY WATCH

 

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Tampa Bay Watch! They accomplish restoration and protection activities we could never afford hired staff to complete. Youth and adult volunteers are involved each year in a variety of hands-on habitat restoration projects such as oyster reef ball construction, oyster shell bar installation, salt marsh plantings and coastal cleanups to help the bay recover from its devastating environmental problems. Volunteers of all ages participate in our projects. Our coastal cleanups and salt marsh plantings are family-friendly and open to all ages. If you would like to be kept informed of our numerous volunteer opportunities, complete our online registration so you will receive our weekly email message which advertises our upcoming environmental restoration projects.

 

Contact Rachel Arndt, communications coordinator, with questions about any of these upcoming events! Call 727-867-8166, extension 233, or Click here to Email Rachel.

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Oyster Shell Project

MacDill Air Force Base

March 5, 6, 19, and 20

9 AM - Noon

Helping hands are needed to assist in building a series of oyster shell bars on the shoreline of MacDill Air Force Base on the mornings of March 5, 6, 19, and 20.

The project involves shoveling fossilized shell into mesh bags and transporting the bags to the shoreline. It is pretty physical labor with shell bags weighing around 30 pounds each. The goal is to restore lost habitat systems to the bay, prevent further erosion of the shoreline and improve water quality through natural biological filtration. Click here to read more about this project.

The deadline for volunteer registration is one week prior to the project date to allow time for security clearance, so you'll be pre-approved for entry.

 

Click a date below to register as a volunteer for this event:

March 5

March 6

March 19

March 20

 

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Horseshoe Crab Watch Volunteer Training

Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Training

Tuesday, February 25 5:30 - 8:30 PM

 

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We're proud to announce the formation of a new horseshoe crab survey site in Pinellas County, and we need your help!

The Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch program is a citizen science program founded by FWRI and the University of Florida that recruits members of the public to survey beaches for horseshoe crabs during peak spawning times.

Participate in this free training event at the Tampa Bay Watch Marine and Education Center, 3000 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, to learn how you can work with biologists in collecting vital scientific data about horseshoe crab populations and nesting behavior. You'll learn how to conduct surveys, collect scientific information, and tag horseshoe crabs for a nationwide mark recapture study.

 

Click here to register for the training.

 

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Great American Cleanup

March 21, 9 AM - Noon

 

Tampa Bay Watch is recruiting volunteers to participate in the Great American Cleanup in partnership with Keep Pinellas Beautiful at Grandview Park on Saturday, March 21 from 9 AM – 12 PM.

The Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest community improvement program which takes place annually during spring in an estimated 15,000 communities nationwide. The address of Grandview Park is 3734 E 6th St, St. Petersburg 33701.

This is a land-based cleanup with the majority of volunteers needed to walk the sites to pick up trash to prevent marine debris, but we could use a total of eight kayakers.

 

Click on links below to register as a volunteer!

Land volunteer

Volunteer kayaker

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Oyster Reef Ball Construction

Selected weekday mornings

9 AM - Noon

Tampa Bay Watch is recruiting 10-20 hard-working volunteers to help build oyster reef balls at our Marine Center in Tierra Verde. The project involves pouring marine-friendly concrete into a fiberglass mold to create oyster reef balls and taking apart the molds that were previously poured.

This project is entirely on land and the reef balls will be installed at a later date and will ultimately provide a hard structure for oysters to grow. Oyster communities help stabilize shorelines, provide hard bottom habitats for fish and wildlife resources, and promote water quality improvements in the Tampa Bay ecosystem.

The minimum age to participate is 16 years old. It’s a dirty job, but it’ll make a difference for Tampa Bay!

Click here to learn more about oyster reef balls.

 

Click a date below to register:

 

February 19

February 21

February 25

February 27

March 3

March 11

March 17

March 23