September 17, 2021 – PENSACOLA, FL. - The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) invites the community to celebrate National Estuaries Week (September 18th-25th). National Estuaries Week is a nation wide celebration of our estuaries and they many benefits they provide to local communities.
Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water where fresh and salt water mix. They are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, providing critical habitats for a variety of plants and animals. 75% of all recreationally or commercially caught fishery species will spend part of their lives in an estuary. In addition, they protect local communities through water filtration, flood control and shoreline stabilization.
The PPBEP is encouraging residents and visitors to explore and engage with their local estuaries through a week-long schedule of events. Two free kayak trips are being offered to the public thanks to the City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation and the City of Orange Beach Coastal Resources.
National Estuary Week 2021 Events:
Saturday, September 18th 8:00am-12:00pm: International Coastal Cleanup at Perdido Key State Park
Saturday, September 18th 1:00-4:00pm: Pensacola MESS Hall Curiosity Day – Estuaries
Sunday, September 19th 8:00am-1:00pm: Indian Bayou Paddle
Monday, September 20th 11:00am: East Bay Habitat Restoration Virtual Tour
Wednesday, September 22nd 9:00-1:00pm: Perdido Islands Paddle
Thursday, September 23rd 5:30-8:00pm: PPBEP Community Grant Symposium
Friday, September 24th Sunday, September 26th: Pensacola Seafood Festival
Saturday, September 25th 8:30am-11:30am: National Public Lands Day at Big Lagoon State Park
Sunday, September 26th 5:30-7:30pm: Oyster Sunset Cruise
For a full list of events and event details visit: https://www.ppbep.org/get-involved.
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program's Community Grant Program funds projects that serve to restore, preserve, connect, inform, and educate. Through these action projects, the Estuary Program’s vision is to create a healthy and sustainable environment, economy, and community.
The Community Grant Symposium will highlight the work completed by the Estuary Program’s 2020-2021 grant recipients. Presentation topics include a documentary about the Escambia River, video surveys of fish communities on oyster reefs, results of microplastics research, a video mini-series about our waters, and more! The public is invited to attend to learn more about the projects that were funded in our local communities.
“We are thrilled to build on the success of our first Community Grant Program that began in 2020. We look forward to sharing the impressive work accomplished by our 2020-2021 grant recipients during National Estuaries Week. Please join us as we announce our 2021-2022 grant recipients and award $250,000 in funding to restore and protect our waters,” said Logan McDonald, Community Outreach Coordinator for the PPBEP.
