Before you think it's all rum and revelry, though, rest assured: Tampa Bay Watch has a kick-ass habitat simulation planned for its 3,000-square-foot Discovery Center and, with the grant Duke Energy just awarded them, it's probably going to be kick-ass indeed. The grant, which totals $100,000, will allow Tampa Bay Watch to create a touch-screen exhibit where visitors can build a shoreline habitat.
"Tampa Bay Watch is extremely grateful to have received this generous grant from Duke Energy Foundation. We are honored that Duke Energy has chosen to invest in our second education center and exhibition hall at the new St. Pete Pier, where our citizen science programs will expand public involvement in scientific discovery,” Peter Clark, Tampa Bay Watch president, said via a press release.
The center already includes plans for an aquarium (and we're really hoping it's better than the one there in the nineties), a touch tank, tours and space for Tampa Bay Watch to explain the perils the Tampa Bay estuary has faced — and how it's recovering.
This article appears in Feb 7-14, 2019.