“Habitat Is Where It’s At!” is the theme of a new educational poster guide spotlighting the wild and wonderful creatures of the Tampa Bay watershed.

The poster, designed for grades 6-12, features a stunning photo mosaic of animals that inhabit a cross-section of bay habitats, from underwater seagrass meadows to upland forests and streams. On the back of this colorful poster are a series of lesson plans, activity extensions, and resources that explore the connection between healthy wildlife populations and healthy habitats.

The poster was produced by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the University of South Florida Department of Marine Science. All lesson plans in the poster guide were created using current Florida Sunshine State Standards for science, social studies, language arts and the arts. The lessons were reviewed by environmental educators in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.

A special thanks go to the many talented professional photographers who donated photos for the project, and to Carolyn Fay of Marketing Works EDU for coordinating design and production of TBEP’s first educational poster.

Teachers in the Tampa Bay region may obtain their FREE poster guide by calling the TBEP office at (727) 893-2765 or e-mailing nanette@tbep.org. The poster also is available to the general public for a $5 shipping and handling fee.