Five Year Science Plan for the Tampa Bay Study
Project Leader: Kimberly Yates - April 15, 2003

6e. Develop and organize educational outreach activities.

Products including databases, query systems, maps, fact sheets, open file reports, science articles, predictive models, etc. will be made available through the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science web-site. The web-site will provide access to general and specific information, data bases, interactive data integration tools, etc. Information presented on the site, web-site navigation, and product display will emphasize integrated science efforts. Information will be addressed to a broad audience consisting of scientists, managers, decision makers, and the general public. This web-site will provide the foundation for access to knowledge and information from all USGS Gulf of Mexico Estuaries and other Gulf of Mexico efforts, and relevant external efforts. The site will develop and evolve as information from other investigations is compiled. The Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science web-site can be accessed at http://gulfsci.usgs.gov.

Outreach activities will be developed to foster education of resource managers and the general public on critical science issues in the bay and science activities addressing those issues. Outreach events will consist of presentations at stakeholder meetings, to public interest groups and to educational instructors; permanent displays in outreach centers; development of literature and website components targeting specific audiences; and training courses for scientists, resource managers and educators on how to access and use scientific data and information. We have established and M.O.U. with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) to co-locate USGS IT specialists to facilitate information exchange and partnerships in the development of outreach activities, products, and modeling tools. The MOU will enable sharing of information technology, equipment, and resources. Numerous outreach activities have been developed and are underway. The following list describes planned outreach activities as of fiscal year 2003. These exemplify outreach activities that will continue throughout the duration of the Tampa Bay Study.

• Development of http://gulfsci.usgs.gov web-site, digital library, and IMS

• Permanent display at the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve and Buffer educational outreach center highlighting USGS work in the preserve and discoveries from that work. Distribution of information on the Tampa Bay Study.

• Permanent display at the Weedon Island Aquatic Preserve and Buffer educational outreach center describing the geologic history of the Preserve area and its impact on the evolution of ancient civilization. Distribution of literature on the Tampa Bay Study.

• Presentations to key local public interest groups to educate them on bay issues and science addressing those issues.

• Display at “Spring on the Flats” media event highlighting Tampa Bay science to local television and radio media.

• Development of an educational CD targeting grade school age children introducing them to the Tampa Bay Environment and the value of estuarine resources.

• WETMAP training courses, cost-shared with the GOMP to train high school educators on how to access and utilize habitat maps, the digital library, and IMS.

• Training courses targeting resource managers on how to use web-based data management and modeling tools.

• Technical training courses targeting project scientists and collaborators on how to best utilize web tools for data management and modeling.

• Presentations to Tampa Bay stakeholders.

• Annual science conference with participation from scientists, resource managers, science educators and media.

• Co-hosting and participation in “citizen’s day” - field trip day for the public associated with the Bay Area Science Information Symposium (BASIS) conference co-sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and USGS.

• Development of an Estuary Atlas in cooperation with the TBEP and FMRI as a navigation tool for accessing modeling and other products.

• Annual participation on open houses at USGS in St. Petersburg and Gainesville.

• Display at hand-on exhibit at Great Explorations Museum for children in St. Petersburg.

• MOU with FMRI and co-location of IT specialists.