We were very pleased that the documentary film “Unfiltered” about the plight of oyster reefs around the world was selected for screening at the Sarasota Film Festival last week on April 29th. Produced by Chucha Barber and directed by Josh McLawhorn, “Unfiltered” shows the devastating impact of the loss of fresh water from the Georgia/Florida [...]
Like many waterways in the Country, the Sarasota Bay Watershed faces many challenges from climate change, hurricanes, the inflow of excess nutrients and pollutants and harmful algal blooms like red tide. But from noon on April 26th to noon on April 27th, the Giving Challenge will be a positive force that can actually help water [...]
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 [...]
Since the pandemic oyster farmers have been hit hard. With restaurants that were their customers closing, their sales were way down and the oysters they were holding grew beyond the half-shell market. But growers in seven states now have a market for their overgrown oysters. The Nature Conservancy in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts [...]
Thanks to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program’s volunteer event with the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department at Perico Preserve on June 18th, 40 dedicated volunteers were able to move 9.75 cubic yards of cured oyster shell saved from START’s GCORR “Shuck ‘N Save” Restaurants nearly a half mile from the shell storage area [...]
On August 7th, START’s Chairman, Sandy Gilbert, gave the Manatee County Commission an update on the Gulf Coast Oyster Recycle and Renewal (GCORR) Program that has been underway for the past year. Sandy began by explaining that given the County’s extensive investment in infrastructure over the years including replacing 2/3 of the septic systems along [...]
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill had a negative effect on the coastal habitats of the Gulf of Mexico. Beaches, marshes, oyster reefs, and other habitats were exposed to oil, affecting the plants and wildlife living in those areas. NOAA announced in December of 2016, the availability of up to $7 million for grant funding provided [...]
