New exhibit at Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center offers authentic look at restoration

ST. PETERBURG, Fla. — Throughout the year the non-profit organization, Tampa Bay Watch, works on several shoreline restoration projects. New this year, they have unveiled an interactive exhibit at their Discovery Center on the St. Pete Pier called Living Shorelines, aimed at showing the community exactly what they do and why it’s so important.

“It’s an exact replica of what we put out into the bay, so we wanted to show people what an oyster reef ball looks like, we wanted to show people what the grasses we install look like, we wanted to show them how oysters filter water and provide habitat for different animals,” said Leah Biery, Executive Director of Education for Tampa Bay Watch.

Living Shorelines has already been wildly popular among field trips, like a recent group from North Shore Elementary.

“Everything is life-sized; everything is an accurate model of the animals that we see. We even have a tank that shows the real animals, and it gives you a really good idea of what you might see in our projects around the bay,” said Biery.

Tampa Bay Watch also said the timing of the exhibit couldn’t be more appropriate.

“Hurricanes are on everyone’s mind after Helene and Milton last year, and a lot of people are looking for ways to get engaged and protecting our community from hurricanes in various ways,” said Biery. “Every time we install a living shoreline it makes us safer from hurricanes.”

The non-profit relies on thousands of volunteers every year to do this kind of work, so it’s important that these students understand that they may be small, but they can make a huge impact.

“It’s amazing. It’s why I do what I do. Seeing the next generation get excited about the environment and nature it gives my job meaning, and I think that goes for everybody at Tampa Bay Watch,” said Biery.