Tampa Bay Watch is thrilled to announce that Martha Gruber, Tampa Bay Watch Environmental Scientist, has been honored with a Disney Conservation Hero Award from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF).
The award recognizes local citizens for their tireless efforts to save wildlife, protect habitats and educate communities. Recipients were nominated by non-profit environmental organizations, and each honoree receives an award of $1,500 from DWCF.
Martha Gruber has worked with Tampa Bay Watch since 2003, overseeing the Community Salt Marsh Program and Bay Grasses in Classes (BGIC) Program. Martha has also been in charge of many large-scale community plantings in her tenure. In her more than 11 years, Martha has worked with over 4,400 community volunteers to restore approximately 148 acres of marsh habitat.
The BGIC program works with local middle and high schools to grow salt marsh grasses on their campuses, and then involves them in the planting of their nursery-raised grasses at a restoration site. Martha has coordinated with close to 30 Tampa Bay area schools, involving more than 13,500 students in the BGIC program. In her time, Martha has led the BGIC program to contribute salt marsh grass to help restore 91 acres of habitat around Tampa Bay.
In addition to Martha’s impressive restoration impact, she also has an undeniable impact on everyone with whom she works. She approaches each project with a passion and work ethic that is inspiring and contagious.
The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund focuses on protecting wildlife and connecting kids and families with nature. Since 2004, Disney has honored more than 100 leaders around the world for their extraordinary conservation efforts.
For information on Disney’s commitment to conserve nature and a full list of 2014 Conservation Hero Award recipients, visit www.disney.com/conservation.
Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) stewardship program dedicated exclusively to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary–encompassing over 400 square miles of open water and 2,300 square miles of highly-developed watershed. Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year in hands-on habitat restoration projects. For more information, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.
Article Courtesy of Tampa Bay Watch