Seagrass Survey and Festival celebrates the Sarasota Bay

More than 100 volunteers took to the waters of Sarasota Bay on May 5 for the fourth annual  Sarasota County Seagrass Survey and Festival.

The event was put on by Sarasota County and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program to collect data for the county's Seagrass Monitoring Program.

Using an app, volunteers uploaded information about the types of seagrass in the bay and the amount of algae in the water.

Educators from Around the Bend Nature Tours led volunteers in collecting sea life specimens.

“A lot of people have no idea what kind of life this bay supports,” said volunteer Lisa Bohn. “Sarasota Bay is a pretty high-quality environment. I think getting the chance to explore the bay in this way brings their awareness one step further into their knowledge of what the bay is like.”

Along with the survey, the event also featured educational booths, live music and a luncheon for the volunteers.