Nearly 100 Bay Area residents participated in the third annual “Estuary Academy” sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Saturday, September 24 at Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg.

The Academy’s mission is to introduce citizens to the wealth of scientific research being conducted on (and in) Tampa Bay. Morning sessions featured brief, engaging lectures by well-known experts on bay topics such as red tide, hurricane impacts, and diamondback terrapins.

Afternoon sessions featured workshops where participants learned how to remove invasive plants from their own backyard; make a fossil jacket of an ancient inhabitant of the bay area; determine the age of a fish by examining its “ear”; collected fish, crabs and other residents of the bay bottom; identified different types of seagrasses and mangroves; and constructed their own rain barrel to take home. A 3-hour guided canoe tour of Weedon Island Preserve was offered as well.

The $15 registration fee included lunch, a goodie bag loaded with great freebies, door prizes, and a handsome certificate identifying the participant as a graduate of Estuary Academy. Members of the Estuary Program’s Community Advisory Committee assisted in planning and implementing the Academy, which again received rave reviews from participants.

All of those who submitted evaluations of the Academy said the experience met or exceeded their expectations, and all said they would recommend it to others next year. Additionally, 65 percent said the Academy greatly increased their knowledge of Tampa Bay, while 35 percent said it boosted their knowledge somewhat.

The Tampa Bay Estuary Program extends a special “thank you” to the Pinellas County Environmental Lands Division and the entire staff of Weedon Island Preserve for their invaluable support, and for allowing us to hold Estuary Academy in such spectacular surroundings.