Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve

Project Spotlight

The Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Management Plan is under review. The review process includes the development of an advisory committee (and associated meetings) and two public meetings to review the amended management plan.

"Driving across the Skyway from Pinellas County to Terra Ceia is like taking a step back in time. In sharp contrast to Tampa Bay’s urban areas, the natural, historical and cultural resources of Terra Ceia give us a glimpse of Florida’s past that many are working to restore and preserve."

Randy Runnels, Aquatic Preserve Manager

Pelican in the bay

Key Accomplishments

Partnered with United States Geological Survey (USGS), local colleges and other institutions to continue a 5-year, interdisciplinary research program. This program integrates studies of historical geology, hydrology, wildlife use and a number of other areas of scientific inquiry.
Working with Southwest Florida Water Management District and USGS has established a baseline monitoring and hydrological program that will give valuable information on the likely effects of proposed habitat restoration on existing habitats.
Established a new automated water quality monitoring station, with web-accessible, nearly real-time data, that may serve as a prototype for similar future stations around the state.

Water quality monitoring station

Water Quality Monitoring

In a pilot project to improve access to water quality data, one of the dataloggers used to monitor water in the preserve has been fitted with telemetry equipment. This allows resource managers and citizens to look at water quality measurements on the internet almost as soon as they are made. By linking to a website through Terra Ceia’s webpage, anyone can see changes in oxygen, salinity, acidity, tide level, turbidity, and other water properties at fifteen minute intervals. In the future, similar stations may form a larger coastal monitoring network across Florida and the nation. Because of modern technology, instruments that used to fill a laboratory now fit in a small cylinder. This water quality data is available at http://comps.marine.usf.edu/fck/

Quick Facts about Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve

Location:

Manatee County

Acreage

26,000 acres of sovereign submerged lands

Contact:

Randy Runnels
Aquatic Preserve Manager
130 Terra Ceia Road
Terra Ceia, FL 34250
941-721-2068

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Further information about Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve

Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Management Plan (1987)

The Spoonbill - Spring 2008

The Spoonbill - Fall 2007

Sponge

Sponges play a valuable role in filtering particles out of the bay.

Bat being handled by researcher

Newer technologies allow researchers to identify bats without handling them and causing stress.

Coral head surrounded by algae

A coral head surrounded by algae attest to the preserve’s biological productivity and diversity.

Red and black mangroves

Red and black mangroves on Mariposa Key

Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Management Plan
The preserve shoreline is dominated by mangroves and numerous mangrove islands.
Submerged habitats include oyster bars and seagrass beds. Areas of hardbottom habitat are colonized by hard and soft coral species.
Tidal creeks, sinkholes and other geological features have added to the complexity of the Terra Ceia shoreline.
At least five species of bats forage for insects over the waters in Terra Ceia. A single bat can eat thousands of insects in one evening.
White pelicans and other migratory birds species arrive from thousands of miles away during their southward winter migrations.
Over 70% of commercially important fish and shellfish species rely on estuaries at some stage of their lives.

Last updated: November 19, 2008