In southern Hillsborough County, an environmental change is taking place through the work of Tampa Electric's Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) team members – and the community and student volunteers who work alongside them. (See photos below.) Here, habitat restoration is transforming acres of former commercial fish farm into what it once was: a tidally-influenced, natural shoreline estuarine habitat and freshwater ponds with native plants that fish, birds and other animals need in order to thrive.
As part of Tampa Electric's commitment to the environment, the company is working to restore the Newman Branch restoration site, located south of the Manatee Viewing Center and Big Bend Power Station. This work has been ongoing since 2006, with groups of students and community volunteers helping plant native grasses while they learn about caring for Florida's coastal habitats.
In March 2009, the Conservation Lands Program division of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) honored Tampa Electric's Environmental, Health & Safety department at the Green Swamp near Dade City. EHS representatives received recognition and a plaque for the ongoing restoration work.
On March 27, restoration work continued at Newman Branch. About 15 students from RCMA Wimauma Academy planted native grasses along one of the freshwater ponds at the site. Prior to Tampa Electric's ownership and the restoration work, the 12-acre site was a fish farm later abandoned and overgrown with invasive species like Brazilian pepper.
Joining the students were officials from SWFWMD and Ecosphere Restoration Institute Inc., a non-profit collaborative of biologists specializing in habitat restoration and management. From Tampa Electric, team members from the company's EHS and Energy Delivery departments participated.
“It's an honor to be able to conduct this habitat restoration with such a great, dedicated group of volunteers," said Wendy Anastasiou, environmental specialist at the Manatee Viewing Center and a coordinator of the student planting events. “The restoration of Newman Branch shows that when people come together for the sake of the environment, we can truly return a piece of land like this to its natural state – one where a multitude of creatures and plants will thrive."
Added Kristina Angiulli, manager of System Reliability with Tampa Electric, “Working with the children from the RCMA was a wonderful experience – it was great to see their enthusiasm for the project. Who knows, the work they did on that day could have planted the seed for a future conservationist!"
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