The Lemon Bay Conservancy seagrass monitoring teams, LBC SEAGRASS and Happy Manatees 3, have recently completed their spring monitoring assignments. Each team was responsible for monitoring the health of the seagrass at three of six sites in Lemon Bay.
The teams collected samples of the seagrasses, biotica (the marine growth clinging to the grasses) and algae at each site. Careful notation was made of all water conditions; clarity, depth, composition of the seabed soil, and presence of any predators surrounding each site. The samples and noted information have been submitted to a central lab for analysis. The data collected will serve to determine the health of the seagrass beds in our area.
The Eyes on Seagrass program is sponsored by UF/Sea Grant extension service. Because seagrass provides vital habitat for numerous marine species, it is critical to both monitor and protect. We commend our LBC citizen scientists Jane and Malcolm Collingwood, Lynn Eaton, Charlie Woodruff, Jayne Dean, Beth McKinney who have volunteered to carry out this important program.