The Tampa Bay Estuary: An Oral History of Community Collaboration to Restore Ecological Integrity
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Publication Date
January 2015
Abstract
Peter A. Clark is the founder and president of the Tampa Bay Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Tampa Bay estuary. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Clark grew up by Skaneateles Lake. Inspired by the stewardship of the lake, Clark earned a bachelor's degree in marine biology from Long Island University. In the 1970s, Clark moved to Tampa to work as an environmental planner for the Agency on Bay Management. After realizing that Tampa Bay lacked a nonprofit bay stewardship program, Clark founded the Tampa Bay Watch in 1993. In this interview, Clark provides an overview of the development of the Tampa Bay Watch from its modest infancy to its current status as a thriving nonprofit with its own marine center and classroom boat. During his discussion, Clark describes the legislative background and agencies that helped transform the bay during the 1980s and 1990s. Clark also discusses Tampa Bay Watch's volunteer restoration programs including oyster reef enhancement, salt marsh plantings, seagrass monitoring, and scallop searches. Clark continues his interview outlining the educational component of the Tampa Bay Watch including field trips, summer camps, and its signature program, Bay Grasses in Classes.
Keywords
Coastal zone management, Seagrass restoration, Nonprofit organizations, Florida, Oral history, Online audio
Subject: geographic
Florida
Media Type
Oral histories; Interviews
Identifier
T43-00008
Recommended Citation
Clark, Peter A; Hodgson, Ann B; University of South Florida Libraries -- Florida Studies Center.|Oral History Program; and University of South Florida -- Tampa Library, "Peter A. Clark oral history interview" (2015). The Tampa Bay Estuary: An Oral History of Community Collaboration to Restore Ecological Integrity. 8.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tb_estuary_ohp/8
Rights Statement
