By Mic McCarty, Board member and Field Trip Coordinator
Tampa Audubon is hosting an indoor field trip July 6, at the Clearwater Historical Society to view the Living Waters: Aquatic Preserves of Florida. The photo exhibit features work by well-known Florida photographer Clyde Butcher.
In addition, Dr. Randy Runnels, Aquatic Preserve Manager for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Aquatic Preserves of Tampa Bay and Pinellas County, will meet us at the exhibit and offer insights about the water resources of the preserves.
Meet at the museum at 10 am and park behind the museum. A $5 donation per person is requested. Afterward, join us for lunch at the nearly Clear Sky Restaurant.
To attend, contact field trip leader Mic McCarty mic.mccarty@tampaaudubon.org
If you can't join the field trip, you can visit the exhibit on your own June 5 – July 27, Wednesday – Saturday 10 am - 2 pm.
The Clearwater Historical Society is at 610 S Fort Harrison, Clearwater, FL 33756.
Clyde Butcher has been honored by the State of Florida with the highest award that can be given to a private citizen, the Artists Hall of Fame Award, for his photographic excellence. He also received the Conservation Colleague Award from The Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club’s Ansel Adams Conservation Award.
DR. RANDY RUNNELS is the Manager of Tampa Bay’s four aquatic preserves, which represent nearly 20% of Florida’s aquatic preserves acreage. He has a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Texas A&M University. He has worked in most Gulf of Mexico habitats from more northern temperate marshes to coral reefs of the Keys. He also has worked with scientists and coastal managers from a number of other countries, and, in recent years, he served as a coastal management advisor in China and Vietnam. Randy spoke to Tampa Audubon Society at our membership meeting in January.
The Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves (TBAP) highlight the best of what our state has to offer: open water, inlet bays, tidally influenced creeks and rivers, oyster reefs, seagrass beds, salt marshes and mangrove forests. These habitats are vital to Florida’s iconic wildlife such as manatees, dolphins, fishes, oysters, and an abundance of wading, nesting and migratory birds. Although not widely known, TBAP even has a variety of corals in its hard-bottom areas. The preserves include four separate preserves: Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve, Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve, Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve, and Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve.*
“Florida’s natural beauty is often most evident in its aquatic preserves. They are Florida’s natural watery Eden’s—home to freshwater springs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests that provide food and habitat. Florida’s aquatic preserves truly are living waters. Within these pages, Clyde Butcher celebrates Florida’s aquatic preserves, capturing magical moments through his breathtaking photographs. His interest and respect for Florida’s natural environment is genuine. Mr. Butcher’s photographs will inspire you and touch your curiosity and concern for the wonders of Florida’s aquatic preserves—our living waters. Water runs through, around, and under Florida, creating its varied landscapes and biological diversity. Mr. Butcher’s photographs remind us that this natural heritage is entrusted to us to maintain for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.”**
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