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During September 2008, students installed the Reclamation Project at Tampa Preparatory School.  The project aims  to help restore the Tampa Bay coastline by planting mangrove seedlings beginning in the spring of 2009.   The eco-art was designed by Xavier Cortada, and presents the mangrove seedlings in plastic cups of water, attached to windows, where they are cultivated until they are ready to be replanted on the coast.  The presence of the native mangroves where they can no longer grow will initiate interest and conversation, thus raising public awareness of the importance of the Tampa Bay wetlands.

Ideally, the students will gather the mangrove propagules again in September 2009 and bring them back to the Tampa Prep community where they will be cultivated until March 2010 . At that time, they will be replanted on the coast.  

  

  

Working with a scientist

Dr. Thomas J. Smith III

	http://sofia.usgs.gov

Dr. Smith is an ecologist and environmental scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. His areas of specialization include ecology and management of both wetland and terrestrial coastal ecosystems, wetlands hydrology, plant community ecology, influence of climate and climate change on the biota, ecology of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. His research activities include coordinating the South Florida Global Climate Change Project, a multi-investigator, interdisciplinary research effort aimed at understanding the response of coastal ecosystems in south Florida, particularly mangrove forests, to various global change scenarios. Personal research is aimed at understanding the response of coastal wetlands (mangroves, salt- and fresh water marshes), to both small scale (e.g., lightning strikes) and large scale (e.g., hurricanes) disturbances and potential interactions across scales.

Institution(s) / Organization(s):
United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States Department of the Interior

Education:
B.S. Zoology, University of Florida, FL, USA, 1976
M.S. Environmental Sciences (Ecology), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA, 1979
Ph.D. Environmental Sciences (Ecology and Climatology), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA, 1984

Area of Expertise / Interest:
Vegetation Dynamics; Climate Dynamics; Ecology; Environmental Science; Ecological Indicators; Habitat Loss; Restoration; Geographic Information Science (GIS); Modeling

Preferred Language:   English

Mailing Address: U.S. Geological Survey 600 Fourth Street South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 USA

Telephone: +1 727-803-8747 ext. 3130 Fax: +1 727-803-2032 E-mail:

Home Page URL:   http://sofia.usgs.gov/people/smith.html

Links to Projects or Publications:
Creation of a Digital Archive of Historical Aerial Photographs for Everglades National Park and the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Hydrologic Variation and Ecological Processes in the Mangrove Forests of South Florida: Response to Restoration
Understanding and Predicting Global Climate Change Impacts on the Vegetation and Fauna of Mangrove Forested Wetlands in Florida
Vegetation Dynamics in Land-Margin Ecosystems: The Mangroves of South Florida
Coastal Everglades Wetlands: Hydrology, Vegetation and Sediment Dynamics
Interrelation of Everglades Hydrology and Florida Bay Dynamics to Ecosystem Processes and Restoration in South Florida