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Kids For Clean Water participated in the April survey with members of Suncoast Waterkeeper. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Eyes on seagrass

By Rusty Chinnis

Young people pose on a boat owned by Suncoast Waterkeeper.
Kids For Clean Water participated in the April survey with members of Suncoast Waterkeeper. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Readers of this column know the importance of seagrass to the health of the region’s bays, estuaries, fisheries, fauna and economy. These critical underwater meadows are threatened by overdevelopment, stormwater run-off, sewage releases, boat propeller scarring, amounting to what I often refer to as death by a thousand cuts. This July, citizens and visitors alike can learn about, see firsthand and help scientists quantify this critical resource during the Sarasota Bay Estuary’s Eyes on Seagrass program.

The Eyes on Seagrass program is a bi-annual citizen science event held in partnership with Florida Sea Grant, Mote Marine Laboratory and Sarasota and Manatee counties to measure macroalgae and seagrass coverage in local waters. The program was expanded from Charlotte Harbor to cover Sarasota Bay in 2021 in response to a data gap in macroalgae monitoring there. During this sampling window in April and July, participants explore locations throughout Sarasota Bay to collect information on macroalgae and seagrass coverage. Results are then integrated into the Sarasota Bay Ecosystem Health Report Card.

Want to participate? Organize a team with a boat and register your team at sarasotabay.org/eos/. You can pick your site preference and in-person training date (for new volunteers) during registration. Organizers will then email you which site(s) you have been assigned.

Participants can pick up their sampling gear starting Monday, July 1, at the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program’s office in Sarasota at 111 S. Orange Ave., Suite 200 W.

You can then attend an in-person training (for new volunteers), and/or read the sampling instructions and watch a video to learn how to take samples and record your data. Training sessions will be held at the following locations and times, on Tuesday, June 25, at 9 a.m. at Bayfront Park in downtown Sarasota (5 Bayfront Drive) and on Wednesday, June 26, at 9 a.m. at Bayshore Gardens Park and Recreational District (6919 26th St. W., Bradenton). If you are unable to attend a scheduled training session, please email christine@sarasotabay.org to coordinate an additional one. Site sampling takes place from July 6-21.

This is an excellent opportunity to get in the water and see the amazingly rich ecosystem that lies just under the water’s surface. You’ll come away with a new appreciation of the beauty and complexity of our marine world, meet like-minded citizen scientists and make a difference. See you there.