CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT and STEWARDSHIP
of Florida's aquatic
environments
|
Not only do our local, state, and federal governments have a responsibility to protect our environments, but it is also our duty as Florida citizens to take the initiative to do things within our powers that will contribute to the betterment of our own habitat.
In Florida, we are sharing water, land, trees, plants, and wildlife with an ever-increasing population. In order to keep the real Florida healthy and available for everyone, it is imperative that we take part in its conservation. This can be as simple as education. Learning how natural environments and ecosystems work, and learning why and how invasive aquatic plants are managed can be among the first steps in connecting ourselves to our environment.
Beyond that, volunteering for groups and organizations that promote environmental stewardship is a good way to be involved in the fate of our natural surroundings.
SOME STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS
Florida LAKEWATCH is a statewide program that uses volunteer citizens to help conduct research that protects our aquatic environments. LAKEWATCH is coordinated within the UF/IFAS Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
LAKEWATCH facilitates public involvement in the management of Florida waters by training citizen volunteers to collect monthly water samples, algae samples, and water clarity information from a lake or waterbody of their choice. Over time, these data are used to document nutrient levels and to predict biological productivity. For more information about the monitoring program or to obtain LAKEWATCH data, call 1-800-LAKEWATCH (1-800-525-3928) or search the web site at http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu.
This DEP site lists local DEP contacts that provide citizen services in Florida counties.
Florida Lake Management Society
University of Florida's IFAS job and volunteer opportunities for Naturalists
UF's IFAS Environmental Education Resource Guide for Southwest Florida
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
League of Environmental Educators in Florida
Florida Defenders of the Environment
The DEP's Florida Springs page - with ideas on how to protect these unique systems.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission volunteer information
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary volunteer programs
Links to the five Florida Water Management Districts
SOME NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Aquatic Plant Management Society
EPA volunteer water monitoring
Sierra Club chapters around Florida
Florida chapter of Defenders of Wildlife
Audubon Society chapters in Florida
Soil and Water Conservation Society
SOME LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Volunteer opportunities in Pinellas County
St. John's River Water Management District's Watershed Action Volunteers
To learn about things you can do right now to preserve and protect Florida's aquatic environment, see our Conservation Guidelines page.
This page was authored by Becca Hassell
with assistance from Tara Muncaster and Aimee
Lyons.
This page is maintained by Alison Moss.
Data is from the APIRS
database.
This page was designed and is managed by Becca Hassell.
Vic Ramey is the editor.
DEP review is by Jeff Schardt and Judy Ludlow.
This project is a collaboration of
the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants,
University of Florida,
and the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, Florida Department of
Environmental Protection
