Bringing Seagrass Into the Open

Environmental issues grab plenty of headlines. Save the rainforest. Ban whaling. Protect the ozone. Celebrities and musicians flock to these headline-grabbing causes but, unfortunately, saving seagrass is not the most glamorous cause on the planet. Sting is not writing songs about the disappearance of seagrasses from Florida’s coastline.

A lush bed of Turtle grass provides shelter and food for
many species of fish and invertebrates in the Panhandle.
Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration/Department of Commerce

A submerged aquatic vegetation, seagrass acts as a home and feeds over 70 percent of sea life at in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Florida Wildlife and Fish Conservation Commission. It is a vital resource for many fish and invertebrates essential to commercial and recreational fishing, including pink shrimp and grouper. Seagrass also plays an important ecological role by stabilizing the seafloor, preventing erosion and recycling nutrients. However, is the state of Florida doing enough to inform the public and protect this critical natural resource?

Dan Tonsmeire, executive director of Apalachicola Riverkeepers, doesn’t think so. Tonsmeire understands the importance of seagrass to the environment, and he has an idea of how to best communicate the message of seagrass awareness.

The Apalachicola Riverkeepers and local volunteers are spreading the word by supplying boaters' guide pamphlets to marinas and at other locations from Carrabelle to Alligator Point. The guides provide information on how to help protect seagrass. They include tips on water depths and tides as well as carefully reading the waters and being mindful of vegetation.

“It's the local effort that has had an effect. It has not been the state, at least not as much, that has helped protect our waters and get information out to the people.”

Tonsmeire does not hide his feelings about apathy toward this issue, “I wouldn't want to fault anybody in particular...other than the governor and the legislature.”

The first "Seagrass Awareness Month" was declared by the Seagrass Outreach Partnership, an informal group of citizens, educators, law enforcement officers and marine resource managers. Finally, two years later in March 2001, Governor Jeb Bush issued the first seagrass awareness proclamation on behalf of the state of Florida.

The latest 2001 state proclamation signed by Governor Rick Scott states, “Awareness of the problems facing this vital natural resource will help to create an understanding of the ways seagrass damage can impact both the economic and ecological value of our marine resources.”

This month of awareness should be a time for educating Florida's citizens and visitors. It should be a time for public events hosted by local governments and organizations, and there should be a boost in media attention. Although in its fourteenth year, Seagrass Awareness Month remains unheard of by many Florida residents. Usually held in March, very few events were held statewide this year to mark the occasion, with Biscayne Bay, Gulf Breeze and Gulf County offering the only festivals.

Some of the fish found in the gulf as seen at the ANERR.

Kim Wren is a stewardship coordinator at the Apalachicola NationalEstuarine Research Reserve (ANERR). Wren is working to get the word out. She has created a seagrass awareness event for Gulf County schools called Bring the Bay to School Day.

“It's a program I started to teach kids about the value of the seagrass habitat.” Wren says the program seeks to educate youth, and she hopes it will spread the word beyond the schools' walls to adults and other stakeholders.

Along with her work at the research reserve, Wren adds the school program to her list of efforts educate people about the importance of Apalachicola's estuaries. The list includes research reserve brochures and signage, outreach workshops, and the ANERR's Coastal Training Program's Panhandle Habitat Series classes for environmental professionals.

With few Floridians talking about seagrass and even fewer public events scheduled annually, Florida's seagrasses continue to dwindle. Dan Tonsmeire is quick to offer his opinion about the slow pace of getting out the message.

“I don't think our government has made protecting natural resources a priority. If there were more patrols on the water enforcing and educating like when we first started protecting manatees, well, you don't have to write that many tickets before word gets out that we’re serious about protecting our waterways.”