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Bringing Bay Back To Life Has Been Invigorating

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 31, 2008

I am departing the Tampa Bay Estuary Program after 17 very satisfying years working with many bright people dedicated to restoring and protecting one of our region's most precious jewels - Tampa Bay.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with you.

The bay has come a long way since its low-point in the mid-1970s. Through the hard work and stewardship of countless individuals, Tampa Bay has experienced a remarkable recovery. There is no better example in this country - perhaps the world - of an urban estuary that has undergone such a turnaround.

In 2006, seagrasses occupied more acreage in the bay than mapped at any time since 1950. And in the same year, water clarity targets were met in all major bay segments for the first time since measurements began in 1975. And that's just the beginning of the list of the improvements.

An achievement of that magnitude was not accomplished with only a handful of well-intentioned persons. It was accomplished through the collective contributions, large and small, of thousands of individuals who recognized that a healthy bay and our quality of life are inseparable: county commissioners and water management boards who committed funds for projects to reclaim wastewater and remove pollutants from stormwater runoff; informed voters approving referenda to fund land acquisition and habitat restoration projects; resource managers, research scientists, and consultants collecting the data and doing the rigorous analysis that provide the scientific basis for good decisions; environmental advocates and the media bringing needed attention to neglected problems; CEOs of electric utilities choosing to refire boilers with clean-burning fuels; growers converting to low-volume irrigation with fertigation; homeowners planting Florida-friendly landscapes; operators of phosphate mines and chemical plants switching to environmentally harmless reagents; and environmental regulators exercising their authority firmly but with prudent flexibility. And the list goes on.

Thank you for what you've contributed to the bay's recovery individually and collectively. And thank you in advance for the commitment that I know you will make to sustain the progress of the last 30 years.

Maintaining the quality of the bay with 3 million new residents in the seven-county region by 2050 may seem daunting, but the progress of the last 30 years in the face of intense growth gives us confidence that the challenge can be met.

Dick Eckenrod is the retiring executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

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