Another amazing team of individuals is working on a new grant proposal to help Gulfcoast waters and needs your help. Frank Asche and Taryn Garlock are applying for a special USDA NIFA grant program for aquaculture research. This team is planning to use risk modeling to determine how payments for ecosystem services could beneficially impact Florida clam and oyster growers. The plan is to look at the potential of growers being able to sell pollution mitigation credits (nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon) as part of their general business practices and also examine the potential benefits to growers of being able to sell their clams and oysters for restoration purposes when they encounter a red tide that causes their product to grow past market size due to regulatory closures.
The work of this team is one interesting aspect of this analysis would be to evaluate SWFL in particular and see if, based on our risk model, these revenue sources might make commercial clam production in the region more economically viable, given a large number of HABs faced by the area. As with all funding available, support from other stakeholders, supporters, and vocal advocates is crucial in many cases to awards.
This team is reaching out to see if you might be willing to write a letter of recommendation for the proposal – stakeholder support always goes a long way. They have already done similar risk modeling that was published with one of their grad students. The belief is that this project is a natural extension of that work. Please review all information and lend your support through letters and spreading the word about this vital grant application.
On Friday, April 22, All Clams On Deck Executive Director, Barbara Baker, and Chiles Group Public & Governmental Manager, Deb Cooney, greeted guests in the beautiful grassy area of the Longboat Island Chapel Earth Day event. In addition, Marilyn Ortiz and Hayley Bodkins were selling T-shirts and providing information to guests. All of this was part of the Nature Talks and Walks for Earth Day Event put on by the Longboat Island Chapel.
Other sponsors of the event included Longboat Island Chapel’s Revival Team, Longboat Observer, and the Sequoia Financial Group which is put on annually during Earth Day. It was a beautiful moment on the Suncoast to talk about environmental advocacy groups and amazing earth-friendly options here in our community. The keynote speaker was Dr. Dave Tomasko, Executive Director, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. He spoke on current conditions and actions for a healthier future.
There were 15 environmental & animal advocate exhibitors in the beautiful Friendship and Harvest Gardens. Guests were encouraged to amble throughout the gardens visiting the various exhibitors. Visitors to the All Clams On Deck exhibit were asked to support the initiative in the Florida State budget by sending a letter to the Governor. There was an overwhelming response to the request & very positive feedback on the mission of All Clams On Deck.
Many of the visitors signed up for the ACOD e-newsletter and entered a contest for a $20.00 gift certificate to any of the Chiles Group restaurants. The winner is Tina Stark of LBK Real Estate. We wanted to thank everyone who came by to chat or just visited the event. See you next year!
Feature Picture (courtesy of All Clams on Deck) – This shows Deb Cooney talking with a couple interested in what All Clams On Deck is about.
On Thursday, April 14, the Manatee Chamber Ship-Shape Showcase was held at Port Manatee. It was a beautiful blustery day at the Port and well attended by individuals and business owners. Ship-Shape Showcase is all about networking, connecting, and showcasing fantastic businesses and organizations here in our community. The event draws hundreds of attendees and features 60+ Chamber member booths promoting local products and services. Attendees experience a close-up view of SeaPort Manatee through narrated bus tours, enjoy complimentary light bites provided by local restaurants and caterers, jam to music, win door prizes, and more!
It was a great opportunity for All Clams On Deck’s Executive Director Barbara Baker and Deb Cooney, Public Affairs, Chiles Group, to meet a wide range of people and spread the word about the mission of the Gulf Coast Restoration Initiative. Response from the participants was overwhelmingly positive, and everyone was eager to help in any way they could, as clean water is a hot topic not only in Florida but throughout the world.
Fifty-two visitors signed up to receive our e-newsletter and enter a drawing for a $20.00 gift card to one of the Chiles Group restaurants. Each person that visited the booth was asked if they would be willing to send a letter to Governor DeSantis asking he support the Appropriation 19341 ($2,500,000) in House Bill 5001. Everyone asked enthusiastically responded they would throw their support behind this vital cause. The number of commitments was about 75 people. After listening to what All Clams On Deck are all about, several businesses asked that a representative from All Clams On Deck come to give a presentation to their membership. As a result, we will be scheduling some speaking engagements in the near future. The winner of the gift card drawing is Joe Marra, Piper Fire Protection – congrats!
Overall another amazing event in our community helping educate on clean water initiatives to help current water concerns and repair our waterways for the future!
Clams help remove debris from the waters and mitigate pollution and other concerns impacting our waterways on the Gulf Coast. How does that help seagrass? Why does seagrass matter? Both of these questions are great for the newcomer to our cause as the connection between clams and seagrass might not immediately be understood.
Seagrass Basics
There are seven species of seagrass native to Florida waters. Seagrass is a critical nutrient and food source for many of the animals of our great state, including manage, green sea turtles, and aquatic birds, to name a few. Additionally, seagrass produces oxygen and is a natural filtration system to the water. They can help control erosion by trapping debris, sediment, and soil in their roots. One other little-known fact is that seagrass can minimize the effects of storms on water ecosystems by adding as a buffer to absorb the energy of the waves during this tumultuous time.
Here is a brief tutorial of the seven seagrass species in Florida:
Turtle Grass/Thalassia testudinum – most common, the name is in reference to green sea turtles that graze on large meadows of this grass.
Manatee Grass/Syringodium filiforme – second most common seagrass in Florida estuaries, a favorite food of manatees
Shoal Grass/Halodule wrightii – colonize in areas too harsh for turtle/manatee grass, forms dense growths in high salinity water
Johnson’s Seagrass/Halophila johnsonii – considered a threatened species due to limited distribution, first considered a separate specifies in the Indian River Lagoon in 1980
Paddle Grass/Halophila decipiens – looks a lot like Johnson’s seagrass but has a distinguishing serrated leaf margin and paddle-shaped blades, forms in shallow waters
Star Grass/Halophila engelmanni – grow on sandy or muddy waterway bottoms
Widgeon Grass/Ruppia maritima – not a true seagrass as it grows in both fresh and brackish waters and not full-strength seawater, able to withstand harsh daylight and some drought conditions
Seagrass Needs
Seagrass needs are pretty simple on the surface, clean water and sunlight. Therein lies the rub as red tide, pollution, and other factors are causing those two simple needs to be more difficult for seagrass beds to obtain. Pollution in several forms being introduced to the waters cause algae blooms blocking sunlight and clean water from seagrass meadows.
A Tough Cause and Effect
As you can now see, clams and seagrass actually have a great handshake approach to helping each other. Introduce clams that filter negative things like debris, red tide, and other pollutants to the waterways, thus leading the way for cleaner water. Cleaner water leads to more seagrass growth that helps protect the waterways from erosion and other negative impacts. Finally, healthier seagrass meadows also allow for the continuation of animal life and benefit tourism and many other industries here on the Gulf Coast. Who knew that seagrass could have such a big impact?
As you can see, the cause of All Clams on Deck to better clams distribution in the estuaries will have a direct cause and effect on healthier seagrass beds. Seagrass, by extension, breeds cleaner water and economic growth in tourism and other water-specific industries. Join our newsletter to stay abreast of all the amazing things All Clams on Deck will be undertaking in the coming months. Lend support via garnering attention, writing your stories, and letters of support for lobbying efforts underway. Let’s mitigate the declining clams populations and help stop the decline of these critical waterways today.