TOURS
World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2007
(Descriptions Updated 3/30/07)
You will love Tampa Bay’s glistening waterways and sandy shorelines!
Tampa Bay is the largest open-water estuary in Florida. Ponce de Leon began his search for the Fountain of Youth just south of Tampa Bay. Today, the Bay promises ageless adventure as it touches Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and 35 white sand beaches on barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico. Come and enjoy on your own…
• Fishing for redfish, snook, tarpon, cobia, grouper, snapper, kingfish, mackerel
• Sailing in the wake of the colorful buccaneers of yore
• Taking in world-class animal habitats, thrill rides, and live entertainment for the family at Busch Gardens
• Catching a whiff of cigars and listening to the beat of the streets of Ybor City
• Seeing a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game at Tropicana Field – they’ll be playing Tuesday to Saturday of Congress week. For tickets, visit www.devilrays.com
• Museums, fine restaurants, sea breezes, warm sand, sunsets, beautiful natural habitats
Come and enjoy tours, specially designed for registrants, spouses and guests attending the 2007 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress.
Be sure to have a photo ID on tour with you for assured access to all sites.
Wednesday, May 16, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Tampa Bay Shoreline Restoration Tour
Description: This tour is geared toward spouses and guests, but everyone will enjoy it! Travel with us to the Fred and Ida Schultz Preserve where SWFWMD biologists will give an overview and show off shoreline restoration efforts on Tampa Bay. Also visit the Richard T. Paul Environmental Center and Bird Sanctuary, constructed and underwritten by The Mosaic Company. The Center is a beautiful building right on Tampa Bay, where we will have lunch hosted by Mosaic. During lunch, we will have the opportunity to view the island that is the bird sanctuary. Our tour will end at another restored site, Cockroach Bay. In 2000, the SWFWMD entered into an agreement with Hillsborough County to undertake a 204-acre ecosystem restoration project on three sites collectively known as the “Kitchen” – the Davis, Port Redwing, and Dug Creek tracts. The product of dredge and fill activities in 1960-1970, Port Redwing was destined to become a shipping facility. When development plans failed, its northern half was purchased in 1995 and renamed the “Fred and Ida Schultz Preserve” to honor two very hard-working, very courageous folks who had a strong commitment to protecting important environmental resources in this area for the future. The 120-acre Schultz Preserve project boasts a range of restored habitats and provides storm water treatment for portions of the area watershed and some of the best birdwatching in the area.
Fee: $75 per person, includes transportation and lunch. 27-person max.
Recommended attire: Sunscreen, sun hat, and sturdy walking shoes. Bring your photo ID.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 8:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 9:00 am.
Hosted by: Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).
Wednesday, May 16, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC, Four Corners Phosphate Mining Reclamation Tour
Description: The phosphate industry is Florida’s third largest industry, after tourism and agriculture. About 4,000 men and women are employed by the industry in Central Florida at a total annual payroll estimated at $400 million, with some 20,000 more support jobs. Central Florida’s “Bone Valley” produces 75% of the phosphate required by U.S. farmers and 25% of the world’s supply. Reclamation after phosphate mining provides many opportunities for ecological restoration. The Mosaic Company has successfully reclaimed mining land for use as wetlands, lakes, uplands, wildlife habitats, housing developments, agriculture, industrial sites, power plants, pasture lands, parks, golf courses and tree farms. Some of today’s most popular recreational areas in Polk and Hillsborough counties are on reclaimed land. On this tour, you will go to the plant and see the mining process, then visit the dragline at the mining site. You will also visit beautiful restored areas that were previously mined. Lunch is sponsored by Mosaic.
Fee: $75 per person, includes transportation and lunch. 27-person max.
Recommended attire: Sunscreen, sun hat, and sturdy walking shoes. Bring your photo ID. Participants cannot bring cameras on this tour.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 8:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 9:00 am.
Hosted by: Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC
Thursday, May 17, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm
Howard F. Curran Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility Tour
Description: The treatment plant is a state-of-the-art facility that treats all wastewater discharged to the City of Tampa system from more than 98,000 customers. The plant has a design capacity of 96 million gallons per day, average daily flow. The final product, or effluent water, is discharged to Hillsborough Bay or used as reclaimed water for cooling and irrigation. This high quality water meets all state and federal requirements.
Fee: $75 per person, includes transportation and lunch. 27-person max. Advance registration required for security.
Recommended attire: Long pants, closed-toe flat shoes (no heels, sandals, or sleeveless shirts), sunscreen, and sunglasses. Photo ID is required for admission to the facility.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 8:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 9:00 am.
Hosted by: Howard F. Curran Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility
Friday, May 18, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Hillsborough River Canoe Trip Tour/BBQ Lunch at Nature’s Classroom
Description: Enjoy an easy, 4.5-mile guided downstream paddle in a canoe on the Hillsborough River. Actual time on the river will be approximately two hours. Along the route, expect to see a rich variety of animals and birds, including alligators, turtles, osprey, eagles…and more. A BBQ lunch will be served at Nature’s Classroom, Hillsborough County’s premier 365-acre outdoor classroom in the heart of the Hillsborough River watershed. Enjoy a lunchtime presentation by the Hillsborough Greenways Task Force.
Fee: $95 per person, includes transportation and BBQ lunch. 28-person max.
Recommended attire: Bathing suit or clothes and shoes that can get wet, a sun hat, and sunscreen. Canoeing experience is not necessary.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 8:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 9:00 am.
Hosted by: Environmental Water Research Institute
Friday, May 18, 12:00 noon – 4:30 pm
Tampa Bay Water Regional Surface Water Tour
Description: This tour includes the Tampa Bay Water’s (TBW) Surface Water Treatment Plant, C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir and the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant. TBW supplies more than 112 MGD of water to more than two million residents in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, and the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey. A TBW staff member will serve as tour guide on the bus and give you an overview of the Tampa Bay Water wholesale water supply system. Each stop will include a comprehensive tour of the facility with the TBW and operator staff.
Fee: $75 per person, includes transportation and box lunch. 48-person max. Advance registration required for security. Registration must be submitted by Mayl 1.
Recommended attire: Long pants, shirts with at least quarter sleeve (no sleeveless shirts), closed-toe flat, comfortable walking shoes (no heels, no sandals), sunscreen, sun hat and sunglasses. Photo ID required for admission to TBW’s facilities.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 11:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 12:00 noon. Box lunches will be provided en route.
Hosted by: Tampa Bay Water
Friday, 5/18/07, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Sunset at Clearwater Beach
Description: Along the pristine shores of Clearwater Beach just before the sun sinks into the Gulf of Mexico, people flock to salute the setting sun. Come casual and celebrate this day’s end with us. Sink your feet into the white sand, dip your toes into the warm clear Gulf waters and enjoy our day’s last rays of warm sunshine and plentiful hospitality.
Fee: $35 per person. 48-person max
Recommended attire: Casual, comfortable clothes
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 5:00 pm. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 5:30 pm.
Hosted by: Environmental Water Research Institute
Saturday, May 19, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Western Everglades Tour: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Lake Trafford Airboat Tour
Description: Here’s your opportunity to learn about Western Everglades Restoration Projects first-hand. Visit the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, 3-hours south of Tampa to hear a briefing from SFWMD staff on Everglades projects in the area. Box lunches will be offered during this briefing, with time to explore the Sanctuary’s boardwalk. Travel a short distance to the Lake Trafford Marina, for an update on the Lake Trafford Restoration Project. Climb aboard Florida’s unique back-water transportation mode – an airboat – to go into otherwise inaccessible areas where birds and alligators flourish once again. The abundant vegetation here makes it a birder’s heaven and a photographer’s paradise. Lake Trafford, the largest lake south of Lake Okeechobee, was the victim of nutrient runoff from agriculture and urban development, resulting in a shift from native aquatic vegetation to dense mats of exotic hydrilla. Controlled by herbicides, dead hydrilla accumulated on the bottom, releasing nutrients that impacted local fish populations. Restoration projects removed 3.5 million cubic yards of muck and the local fish populations rebounded. Phase II – littoral/shoreline dredging – is currently underway. The reestablishment of native aquatic vegetation and other measures will follow. The overall project cost is estimated at $15.4 million.
Fee: $95 per person, includes transportation, lunch, and airboat tour. 20-person max. Advance registration required. Registration must be submitted by May 1.
Recommended attire: Sunscreen, sun hat and sturdy walking shoes.
Departure: Please meet in the lobby at 7:30 am. The shuttle bus will depart from the main entrance of the Tampa Marriott Waterside at 8:00 am.
Hosted by: South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
