JB Starkey Flatwoods Adventures
Price: $65.00 per adult Limit: none
Time: noon until post meal
Event Plan: Hike and tour of the preserve. Rustic dinner and a hayride.
Description: The Preserve is the culmination of foresight and cooperative spirit of individuals and governmental agencies working to carry forth “one man’s dream.” The park is named after Jay B. Starkey, Sr., who purchased the land in 1937. The prominent natural communities within Preserve are pine flatwoods, cypress domes, freshwater marshes, stream and lake swamps, sandhill and scrub. The 2,300 acres of wetland communities in Serenova combine with the wetlands in Starkey Wilderness Park to form a connected 6,000-acre wetland ecosystem spread throughout approximately 18,000 acres of conservation lands. Public acquisition of these lands has maintained this large wetland system as a functioning intact ecosystem. This vast network of scattered wetlands become interconnected during periods of high water levels and serve as vital life cycle linkages for many wetland dependent species.
Price: $45 Limit: 30
Time Frame: 12:30 - 5:30
Event Stops: water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, LEED certified community center
Description: The City of Dunedin, one of only four “green local governments” designated by the Florida Green Building Coalition, is an example of proactive and forward-thinking coastal city. Over the years, the city has also forged a partnership with the University of South Florida for research and education. On this tour of the Gulf Coast city, we will examine the interface between the city’s water and building infrastructures as we follow the path of water from source to reuse.
Hillsborough Community College’s Cockroach Bay Environmental Studies Center
Price: $65.00 per adult Limit: 30
Time Frame: noon to 4pm
Event Plan: Boat trip and field excursion to Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve. Visitors will get wet and use field collecting equipment on board a boat and in the shallow water to collect Tampa Bay specimens. Guests will also learn the history of the area and its role as a protected system.
Description: Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve was established July 1, 1976 and was designated as an Outstanding Florida Water on March 1, 1979. Cockroach Bay It is located in southern Hillsborough County and includes part of the Little Manatee River. The submerged lands of the preserve include both hard and soft bottom habitats, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs. The shoreline is protected by mangroves, which also offer additional habitat. Natural and spoil islands that are state-owned within the preserve boundary are also managed as part of the preserve.
Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant and Manatee Viewing
Price: $55 Limit: 20
Time Frame: noon to 5pm
Event Plan: Go to Manatee viewing Center first. Attendees will have lunch in the picnic area while a speaker makes a preliminary presentation and then they will proceed to the tour of the Desal plant.
Description: Tour the largest seawater desalination plan in North America, and the only Reverse Osmosis system of seawater in the nation. The Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination facility is an integral part of the Tampa Bay region's drinking water supply. Since March 2007, it has produced more than 2.5 billion gallons of additional drinking water.
Manatee Viewing Center is an Environmental Educational Facility located on site of the Tampa Bay Big Bend Power station. For over 20 years the discharge canal of the power station has attracted large groups of manatees when the bay water temperature drops below 68 degrees. You can experience a tidal walkway showcasing vibrant Florida plants and birds, butterfly gardens, our educational building, and – when the water temperature of Tampa Bay falls below 68 degrees Fahrenheit – manatees.
Note: Desalination Tour - You will be entering an industrial area, be sure to wear long pants, a shirt with sleeves (no tank tops), and sturdy, comfortable, closed-toe shoes or boots (no sandals).
• All guests are required to bring photo identification.
• Tour Site prohibits the use of recording equipment, firearms, binoculars, and
alcoholic beverages. These items are NOT permitted on site.
TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, recipient of FL EPA Green Lodging Designation
Price: $30 Limit: 15
Time Frame: 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Bob McManaway, TradeWinds Director of Plant Operations and Support Services.
Title: How to overcome barriers to Green Efficiency and Enhance the Bottom Line: How cities can advance a Green Agenda.
Event plan: The group will meet in a pre-designated room. Lunch will be served while Mr. Mc Manaway begins to explain all that is involved with Florida Green Lodging Certification including 5 key elements of implementing a successful Green Program. Participants will be presented with a blueprint for goals and implementing efficiency systems to reduce operating costs, partly by and not limited to: reducing waste streams, implementing recycling, ways to reduce energy and water use, applicable to public buildings and businesses. A tour of the facility will also be included.
Price: $65 Limit: 24
Title: An Environmental Eco Educational Kayak Tour of the Tampa Bay Estuary.
Previous kayaking experience is NOT required.
Event Plan: Learn what Tampa Bay Watch is doing to rehabilitate the bay. You will learn about oyster beds and sea grass restoration, paddle through a mangrove island with a narration of the value of these plants, animals and systems.
Participants will be presented with an overview of Tampa Bay Watch; its purpose, mission, goals, challenges and accomplishments while having lunch at the facility. The kayak tour will follow.
What to bring: a towel, closed – toed shoes, and a change of clothes.
Port of Tampa with D. Mark Luther - Associate Professor, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida St. Petersburg –
Description available soon
