Watershed Audio Tour
A watershed is an area of land where all the rainfall collects and flows downstream into a particular body of water, like Manatee River or Sarasota Bay. Unfortunately, this water can pick up a lot of pollution along the way. In order to keep our favorite downstream fishing spots, beaches, and waterways healthy, we need to take care of our upstream area too.
The Watershed Audio Tour explores the habitats, plants, and wildlife that make our area so unique and highlights the many ways we can better protect and enjoy these natural wonders. Topics include local sustainability, conservation, restoration, wildlife, ecosystems, water quality, and more.
This free tour features 40 stops around Sarasota and Manatee counties that can be accessed by phone from anywhere (941-926-6813), or visit the featured locations at outdoor sites to get an up-close and personal experience.
Funded in part by the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the Florida Beverage Association.
Choose your own adventure by clicking a tour stop below:
- Walk on the Wildlife Side:
- Learn about the longest studied dolphin population in the world (#34)
- Find out how much seagrass a manatee can eat in a day (#22)
- Explore the nurseries of the sea (#11)
- Become a Watershed Hero
- Practice sustainable catch and release fishing (#35)
- Protect birds by passing on plastic (#39)
- Turn your home/yard into a rainwater cleaning machine (#7)
- Let Us Tell You a Story
- The history behind the Celery Fields (#1)
- Prehistoric life on the Manatee River (#25)
- How citizens came together to protect the Sister Keys (#23)
PROJECT PARTNERS
Audio Tour Stop Locations
Tour Stops
Stop 23: Bay Island Restoration
Stop 25: Prehistoric Life on the River
Stop 26: Footsteps of the Past
Stop 28: Lemur Land Conservation
Stop 29: Red Bug Slough Preserve
Stop 30: Life Between the Tides
Stop 33: Restoration and Perico Preserve
Stop 36: Sustainable Pond Management
Stop 39: Plastic Pollution and Seabirds
Stop 40: Las Prácticas de Pesca Sostenibles (#35 Sustainable Fishing en español)
WATERSHED STORYBOARDS
Many of our audio tour stops located at SEC member sites throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties are paired with a storyboard. These colorful educational signs tell stories about our local watersheds, highlighting the unique and vibrant habitats occurring there and the simple things individuals can do to help protect them. Each sign delivers a unique message to enhance public understanding of the important and fragile role the natural environment plays in sustaining the health and welfare of our community. Funded in part by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Hydrologic Cycle
Land Conservation
Flatwoods
Rainwater Capture
Plankton
Mangroves
Seagrass
Aquatic Plants
Bay Neighbors
Canopy Trees
Prescribed Fire
Phillippi Creek
Estuaries
