Peter Clark Email & Phone Number

Peter A. Clark is the Founder and President of Tampa Bay Watch, a non-profit environmental stewardship program established in 1993 to restore and protect the Tampa Bay estuary using community volunteers. Under his watch, the organization has coordinated more than 250,000 volunteers, installed 20,000 oyster reef units and 4,000 tons of oyster shell to create more than five miles of oyster shell reef communities, planted more than 1,000,000 salt marsh grasses to restore 250 acres of coastal tidal ponds to Tampa Bay. In 2005, Tampa Bay Watch completed construction of the $4 million Marine and Education center in Tierra Verde, and in 2019 the new $3 million Discovery Center on the St. Pete Pier. Until 1993, Mr. Clark served as Director of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's Agency on Bay Management, an alliance of agencies charged with protecting the Bay. Mr. Clark has a BS in Marine Biology and over fifty professional publications on natural resource restoration, water quality and environmental planning. Mr. Clark also initiated the nomination, which ultimately led to the designation, of Tampa Bay into the EPA's National Estuary Program. Mr. Clark holds a US Coast Guard Master Captains License, received the Outstanding Environmentalist of the Year award from the Florida Marine Research Institute Environmental Excellence Awards program in 1994, the NOAA Fisheries / American Fisheries Society Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award in 2005, and the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award in 2014.Tampa Bay Watch Tampa Bay Watch performs habitat restoration and protection activities throughout the year, relying heavily on the efforts of community volunteers to help the bay recover from its historic environmental problems. Individuals of all ages from community groups, scout troops, schools and others participate in salt marsh plantings, storm drain markings, oyster bar creation, coastal cleanups, and wildlife protection each year, demonstrating environmental stewardship in its purest form. In addition to the volunteer habitat restoration projects, Tampa Bay Watch has a large-scale environmental education program entitled “Estuary EDventures” in which students in grades Kindergarten through 12 throughout Tampa Bay visit the Tampa Bay Watch Auer Marine Education Center in Tierra Verde and the St. Pete Pier Discovery Center for hands-on educational experiences. The Discovery Center includes an Exhibition Hall that showcases the restoration of the estuary, and a new 45’ Corinthian Catamaran for on the water eco- tours.

Listed skills include Volunteer Management, Fundraising, Grant Writing, Environmental Education, and 1 others.

• 

  President And Founder Of Tampa Bay Watch

  Tampa Bay Watch

  Oct 1993 - Present - Tierra Verde, Florida

  Tampa Bay Watch is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1993 and has proven to be highly effective in mobilizing the Tampa Bay community to participate in habitat restoration and protection activities. Over 150,000 adult and student volunteers have joined forces with Tampa Bay Watch over the last 29 years to help the Bay recover from its once devastated environmental condition.Tampa Bay Watch is working to preserve the delicate ecological balance that exists in Tampa Bay by coordinating and accomplishing a variety of habitat restoration, protection, and education activities throughout the year, utilizing thousands of volunteers to help the bay recover from its environmental problems. Individuals of all ages from community groups, scout troops, schools and others participate in salt marsh plantings, storm drain markings, oyster habitat creation, marine debris cleanups, and wildlife protection each year, demonstrating environmental stewardship in its purest form.Tampa Bay Watch's restoration and protection programs focus on improving water quality, protecting shorelines, and increasing habitat for fish and wildlife. The efforts of Tampa Bay Watch to restore and protect the bay's habitat through stewardship and community awareness provide effective long-term improvements to the bay, and empower our community with the knowledge to counteract our environmental problems. Learning how to achieve and maintain a healthy environment is a legacy that will touch our community and their children for years to come.