Tampa Bay Watch

? Only a few hours left to place your bids in our Strong Shorelines Online Auction! ??? This is your chance to snag amazing holiday gifts while giving back to the Bay. Every bid supports efforts to protect and preserve our shoreline for generations to come! The auction ends TONIGHT at 6 PM sharp—don’t miss out on a chance to make this holiday season even brighter while making a real impact! ??? https://lnkd.in/gssfmPuU #TampaBayWatch #GiveBackToTheBay #SupportLocal #HolidayShopping #StrongShorelines

?? The Strong Shorelines Online Auction is officially OPEN! ???? With tons of amazing items up for grabs, you’ll find something for everyone on your holiday gift list. Don’t miss our HOT PICKS—the show-stopping items you’ll want to snag ASAP! ? The auction closes Sunday, November 24th, at 6 PM—so bid early, bid often, and help support TBW’s hurricane recovery projects while scoring incredible finds! Click the link below to start bidding now! ?? https://lnkd.in/gssfmPuU #TampaBayWatch #StrongShorelines #OnlineAuction #ShopForTheBay

We’re so honored to be the beneficiaries of Elite Watersports 2024 Wind Sport Invasion Race! This epic 15-mile downwind drag race is a celebration of wind-driven boards and vessels, bringing together passionate wind sport enthusiasts for some friendly competition—all while supporting a great cause.???? Since 2019, Elite Watersports has raised over $41,000 for Tampa Bay Watch’s programs, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their continued support. Good luck to all the racers hitting the water this weekend—may the wind be ever in your favor! ??♂?? #TampaBayWatch #EliteWatersports #WindSurfing

?? Huge thanks to Honest1 Auto Care for making it possible for our education team to host an unforgettable 3-day field trip for Academy Prep’s 8th graders! These young scientists got hands-on with marine life—observing invertebrates, dissecting invasive lionfish, boating through wildlife habitats, and learning about plankton and the power of oysters! ???? Don’t forget, we can bring the marine magic to you, too! Our Marine Science on the Move program offers immersive classroom experiences packed with adventure. ???? Check out all our field trip options here: https://lnkd.in/eppcbZUv #MarineScience #FieldTrips #TampaBayWatch #MarineScienceOnTheMove

?? Huge thanks to our 14 superstar volunteers who reeled in 30.67 pounds—or 199 miles—of fishing line from our shores! ?? All that monofilament is headed to Pure Fishing Company for recycling through Florida’s Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program. Fishing line is essential on the water but can linger for up to 600 years if left behind, posing risks to wildlife. Thanks to our monotubes for easy disposal, we’re keeping our Bay safer every day. Find your nearest drop-off site at mrrp.myfwc.com and help keep our waters clean! Special shoutout to Duke Energy Foundation and Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation for their support! ???? #TampaBayWatch #restorethebayeveryday #FishingLine #Recycle

Tampa Bay Watch?Friends?and Family,?? ??? This is a quick reminder that we made the difficult decision to cancel the Evening for the Bay fundraising event scheduled for Saturday, November 2.?The destruction to families, businesses, and the environment is overwhelming, and there are many immediate needs in our community. We feel that these should be our collective priority.? ? Our repair and recovery efforts continue. We hope you and your families are doing well and are beginning to regain some normalcy in your lives.

A huge thank you to the Tampa Bay Rays for spending the morning volunteering with us! We are so grateful for your continued partnership and support as we work on rebuilding and restoring the Bay! ???? Check out our upcoming volunteer opportunities here: https://lnkd.in/emDw4UFu

Big thanks to the Duke Energy Corporation volunteers who joined us this week to kick off our fall restoration season by building oyster reef balls! ???? We’re always looking for passionate volunteers and business groups to jump in with us. Check out our volunteer calendar to see how you can get involved and make a difference in our local waters! ?? https://lnkd.in/emDw4UFu #TampaBayWatch #RestoreTheBayEveryDay #OysterRestoration #VolunteerOpportunities

Dear?Tampa Bay Watch?Friends?and Family,?? ? We hope you have weathered the recent hurricanes and that you and your?loved ones were not significantly impacted.?So many of our friends, family, and supporters?have been devastated by Helene and Milton, and our heart goes out to them and our neighbors.???? ??? We have made the difficult decision to cancel our Evening for the Bay fundraising event scheduled for November 2.?The destruction to families, businesses, and the environment is overwhelming, and there are so many immediate needs in our community. We feel that these should be our collective priority.? ?? Many?supporters and friends have asked how Tampa Bay Watch has fared. We?estimate?damage to our Tierra Verde location to be $250,000 and $15,000 at our Discovery Center site. Any support you care to provide will be directed to repairs, replacement, and recovery so we can continue the important work of restoring Tampa Bay.?Unfortunately, following Hurricane Ian, underwriters would no longer provide flood coverage for these locations, so most of these repairs will be paid for out of pocket.????? ? We will share?additional?news and updates as our recovery continues, Sincerely, ? Dwayne F. Virgint (He/Him/His)?? Chief Executive Officer

?? We are kicking off National Estuaries Week with a huge success! Our incredible restoration team, along with 106 dedicated volunteers, removed a whopping 1,402 lbs of trash from the Skyway Bridge area for International Coastal Cleanup Day. ?? Special shoutout to the awesome kids from the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club for their hard work! And a big thank you to our program sponsors Duke Energy and Surfing's Evolution and Preservation Foundation, as well as our event partners FDOT, Walsh Infrastructure Management, and DeAngelo Contracting Services for making this coastal cleanup possible. ?? Marine debris impacts almost half of all coastal birds and marine mammals—thank you for doing your part this weekend to help restore our Bay! ???? #NationalEstuariesWeek #CoastalCleanup #TampaBayWatch #restorethebay