Plan for Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve is being updated
The state Management Plan for Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve is being updated. You can review the draft plan and submit your comments until July 5. (see more info.) Every single comment from the public is being carefully considered for inclusion in the plan, so if you have any ideas about how this aquatic preserve should be managed, it is worth your time to send them in.
I am participating in the drafting of the management plan as the citizen representative on the Advisory Council for the plan. I’m impressed with the teamwork of the various state & local agency staff members involved with Cockroach Bay, and their sincere caring for this ecological treasure. Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White is also on the Advisory Council, and it’s great to see an elected official so interested in our environmental resources and working so diligently on this.
The Management Plan is a long document, dry in places, but you might find it worth skimming for some interesting information about the aquatic preserve. For example, not many people realize that corals live in Cockroach Bay — including the uncommon orange and yellow color variants of the purple sea whip (Leptogorgia virgulata). The distinctive diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is another fascinating resident.
