Background

In 1999, the Florida legislature established the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative, a community-based forum to survey public and private programs affecting Biscayne Bay and provide recommendations for actions to protect and enhance the Bay’s resources. The Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative identified the necessity for environmental education, outreach and awareness programs and activities to be specifically focused on Biscayne Bay and to reach all members of the Miami-Dade County community.

The Discover Biscayne Bay Campaign, funded through the South Florida Water Management District and a Department of Interior National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Agreement with Biscayne National Park, is a partnership to coordinate and complement education and outreach programs relating to Biscayne Bay. Partners include the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, Biscayne National Park, Operation Green Leaves, the Biscayne Area Restoration Trust, Florida Sea Grant, Tropical Audubon Society, the Trust for Public Land, the Florida Marine Council, DERM, the Miami Children’s Museum, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, the Deering Estate, Miami Dade County Parks and Recreation, Fairchild Tropical Garden, the Virginia Key Trust, Urban Kayak Outfitters, the South Florida Water Management District, Shake a Leg Miami, and Florida Atlantic University’s Catanese Center for Environmental Solutions.

Major Components of the Campaign Include:

1. Biscayne Bay Alliance Volunteer Program
2. Discover Biscayne Bay Multi-Media Exhibit
3. Outreach programs and events
4. State of the Bay Report/Information Kits
5. www.discoverbiscaynebay.org
6 . Wildlife and Habitat Identification Materials
7. General Public Communications Campaign
8. Gap Analysis of PK-12 Biscayne Bay education programs
9. Alliance Member FCAT Training for Environmental Educators
10. Boater Safety Awareness Campaign and Fishing Line Recycling