I hope this message finds you well. On behalf of our Tampa Bay Watch team, we hope that you and your family have been safe and unharmed from the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Our team, beloved community, and friends haved eeply felt the repercussions of this force of nature.
We are grateful that so many of our wonderful friends have reached out to learn more aboutHelene’s impact on our Tampa Bay Watch facilities and our numerous restoration projects and education initiatives throughout the Bay area.
Unfortunately, the storm had a profound impact on our work. While our Discovery Center on the St. Petersburg Pier is again fully operational, our Tierra Verde location has been severely impacted. Our education dock has been destroyed; our oyster shell recycling deck was a total loss, and we have experienced damage from flood waters on the facilities’ ground floors. Unique to our beautiful waterfront location in Tierra Verde is the reality that we cannot access flood insurance coverage, an ongoing issue that we have struggled with at this location. Being on the waterfront is vital to the success of our work, but it has come at a risk like the one Hurricanes Helene and Milton delivered to us.
As we have had the opportunity to tour our most recent bay grass locations and reef ball installation areas, we can see how the mighty waters of the bay have wreaked havoc on the hard work our staff and volunteers have invested in these projects. This was a banner yearf or restoration programs, and it’s now up to all of us at Tampa Bay Watch to restore all that has been impacted.
In the face of such adversity, we are turning to individuals like you for assistance in our collective journey toward recovery of our facilities and bay grasses. Your willingness to extend support of Tampa Bay Watch is the beacon we need to restore our property and programs. If you are able to offer your support, no matter how big or small, we will be immensely grateful. Thank you for considering our request, and please feel free to share this message with others who may also wish to contribute to our recovery efforts.
Donate: www.tampabaywatch.org/get-involved/giving/donate
Volunteer: www.tampabaywatch.org/volunteer
Respectfully, Dwayne Virgint, CEO