Canterbury Students Help to Restore Waterways

ST. PETERSBURG - Students from Canterbury Prep School recently volunteered their time to work on restoration projects in the Tampa Bay estuary. They helped to restore salt marsh grass at Clam Bayou and build oyster beds at Weedon Island Preserve.

The eco-friendly projects are designed to tap the power of nature to reduce pollution in the Tampa Bay estuary and teach children about marine science.

In the first community service project, middle-school students in Grades 5-8 harvested and planted marsh grass in Clam Bayou, in south St. Petersburg. The marsh grass was transplanted from a Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Facility in Port Manatee.

The newly planted marsh grass will filter pollutants in the Tampa Bay estuary. Salt marshes prevent erosion and provide habitat for juvenile fish and invertebrates like crabs, worms, and mollusks. The students planted 6,000 marsh grass plants along the coastline, under the direction of  Tampa Bay Watch staff.

In the second program, upper school students worked to create oyster beds at Weedon Island Preserve, in north St. Petersburg. Old oyster shells were put in mesh bags, which were then placed in the waterway. New oysters will establish and grow there, filtering the water in Tampa Bay.

In addition to learning about Florida marine science firsthand, the students also were able to contribute their time to helping improve water quality in the Tampa Bay estuary. Their work was done through Canterbury's Marine Studies Program.

"This is the first year we did this at this large scale," said Jenna Cummings, assistant director of Maine Studies. Last year it was just one class. This time it was the entire middle and upper schools," which is about 225 students.

The project is funded by grants through the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.