The Florida manatee, designated the state marine mammal in 1975, is among the state’s most popular native animal. Manatees are often called gentle giants. They’re slow-moving, peaceful creatures that tend to flock toward human activity in search of warmth. However, 2021 was not a good year for them. More than 1,101 of the sea mammals [...]
What do you know about red tide and how to deal with it? Probably not as much as you would like. You can change that by arranging a screening of START’s Red Tide & You PowerPoint presentation for your neighborhood, service organization or school. The half hour show answers the following five questions: What really [...]
Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 19th from 9:00 AM to Noon. That’s the date for the first annual Bird Rookery Day hosted by the Venice Area Audubon Society. March marks the peak nesting season for birds at the renowned Venice Bird Rookery and you will have a special opportunity to learn about the birds [...]
A NOAA-led report updating sea level rise decision-support information for the U.S. was released February 15th. The report, in partnership with half a dozen other federal agencies projects a century of sea level rise in 30 years. The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise by the year 2050 as it [...]
There are two basic approaches to improving the quality of our coastal waters. One is to focus on reducing the flow of excess nutrients into our waterways. This includes the move to close the polluting Piney Point storage facility, upgrading aging wastewater infrastructure like the Bee Ridge plant in Sarasota and START’s Healthy Pond Collaborative [...]
START is very pleased to announce that MTN DEW, a division of PepsiCo, has awarded START a $5,000 grant to enhance a local stormwater pond as part of their Outdoor Grants Program. START is one of just 40 environmental organizations to be selected from over 1,000 applicants nationwide to receive this important grant. MTN DEW [...]
For our many readers interested in Florida’s natural habitat, we want to call your attention to a special one-day event, Celebrating Florida’s Wild Wonders presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College on March 11th. The program is based on the University of Florida Press book, The Wilder Heart of Florida” edited by [...]
