The county hosted the third annual Seagrass Survey on April 29 at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.
By
Katie Johns
| 1:44 p.m. April 29, 2017
Longboat Key
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Despite the wind blowing across Sarasota Bay, citizen volunteers jumped right in the slightly choppy water.
They had a job to do. Sarasota County hosted the third annual Seagrass Survey on April 29. Around 9 a.m., volunteers headed out on the water to their assigned hectagon to count and identify seagrass species in order to collect data for the county’s Seagrass Monitoring Program.
Seagrasses help maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems, stabilize the shorelines and provide food and shelter to a variety of wildlife.
“Seagrass is one of the premiere habitats of the bay, and so our juvenile fish spend part of their life cycle in the seagrass beds,” Executive Director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Mark Alderson said.
Even though this was only the third annual public survey, the Sarasota Estuary Bay Program started evaluating seagrasses in 1988, Alderson said.
Along with the seagrass survey, the event included live music and booths with interactive demonstrations, crafts and games from the Sarasota Bay Watch, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, the Longboat Key Turtle Watch and others.
Sarasota County hosted its third annual Seagrass Survey on April 29. Volunteers ventured around the Sarasota Bay to count and identify seagrass species.
Samuel Long, 9, shows off the sea urchin he found before releasing it back in the water.
Oliver Long, 4, shows off a sea urchin him and his brother found before releasing it back in the water.
Tommy Vaughan-Birch waves before getting back in a boat at the third annual Seagrass Survey.
Volunteers were assigned hectagon-shaped spaces of the Sarasota Bay to survey. When they found seagrass, they either filled out forms or used an app to send information back to the county’s Seagrass Monitoring Program.
Ronda Ryan, Larry Stults and Rusty Chinnis of the Sarasota Bay Watch
Charlene Donnelly, Tammie Averso, Dawn DiFoggio and Mike Herron of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch
Kim Walsh paints a coral reef replica at the Seagrass Survey on April 29.
Maddie Walsh, 9, paints a coral reef replica at the Seagrass Survey on April 29.
Maddie Walsh, 9, paints a coral reef replica at the Seagrass Survey on April 29.
Oliver, 4, and Samuel Long, 9
David and Thea Janes participated in the Seagrass Survey and said they saw a lot of new growth in the water.
Kaitlyn Fusco and Any Hernden of Mote Marine Laboratory
Lisa Bohn and Darcy Young
Sunnie Brenneman and Katie McHugh of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
Marcia Poloski and Alyssa Concannon
Alexis Rosebrock 5, plays an educational game at the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program table.
