69 cigarette butts. 176 plastic bottle caps. 10 masks. In September, Tampa Electric volunteers gathered to pick up trash on Davis Islands Beach. The organizer, Julie Chilson, says 15 volunteers came to help. “Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful has cleanups every year,” she explains. “We try to do at least one environmental stewardship project a year, something that will help the community and the environment.” Safety, as usual, came first. “Everyone…
Community Environment
Great things reveal themselves along Gandy Boulevard…and some other objects turn up too
Native species – cabbage palms, mangroves – you’re cool. Keep doing what you’re doing as part of the Tampa-area ecosystem that depends on you. Invasives, on the other hand (you know who you are, Brazilian pepper and lead trees): You’re outta here! At least that’s if TECO team members have anything to say about it. And after another habitat restoration effort in the nature area near the public boat ramp…
No Comments
Environment
Keeping an outstanding connection to create a more beautiful Tampa Bay
Generally, when TECO team members spend time with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s dedicated staff and volunteers, they’re building an oyster reef to refurbish a habit. Or removing invasive plant species by the ton. Or helping an ecosystem grow with new trees. Or some combination of all three – and many other things too. On Dec. 6, it was all about hearty handshakes, smiles and photos in well-lit, air-conditioned room as…
No Comments
Community Environment
TECO team members stood atop the hill, looked around, and it was good
“I didn’t even know that hill was there until today!” said Christina Arenas, environmental program manager with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, as she surveyed the hard work by TECO volunteers and others to restore the natural habitat along the McKay Bay Greenway. Suddenly, with the removal of highly invasive lead trees and Brazilian pepper, new contours in the landscape revealed themselves – along with the power of teamwork to make…
No Comments
Community Environment
Between gunshots and chainsaws, a habitat gets a haircut
If only clearing more than 14,000 pounds of invasive plants was as easy as giving someone a haircut. But the former is exactly what happened along the banks of McKay Bay in Tampa on March 31 – and rows of shoreline mangroves can breathe easier now. It was the latest collaborative effort between TECO and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful (KTBB), not far from where TECO team members previously refurbished an…
No Comments