Tide Fest at Guana Reserve celebrates estuaries for youth

About 450 students from across the state descended on Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in Northeast Florida for Tide Fest, a regional celebration. The event was designed to teach young people about estuaries and the role they play in Florida’s environment. The reserve stre

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About 450 students from across the state descended on Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in Northeast Florida for Tide Fest, a regional celebration.

The event was designed to teach young people about estuaries and the role they play in Florida’s environment. The reserve stretches about 60 miles in St. Johns and Flagler counties from Ponte Vedra Beach to Palm Coast.

"Tide Fest is a celebration of our local estuary and one of the unique resources of Northeast Florida," said DaleAnn Viger, executive director for the Friends of the GTM Research Reserve. “The event brings students and community into the field for hands-on experiences, helping build lasting connections to a resource that benefits us all."

Tide Fest had a morning

program for students and an afternoon session open to the public. Participants visited eight interactive stations, learning about the estuary and the species that live there. Hands-on activities featured water quality monitoring, oyster aquaculture, watershed function, impacts of turbidity, fish feeding habits and fishing.

The event was led by the St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Johns County Parks and Recreation, Anastasia Mosquito Control District, Matanzas Oyster Company, St. Johns County Audubon andFlorida Water Warriors.

“The district values opportunities like Tide Fest to work alongside partners and engage the students and community in learning about, celebrating and protecting Florida’s water resources," education and outreach coordinator Ali Pressel said.

A young scientist participates in Tide Fest at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, where students learned about Florida's estuaries.

For more information about the reserve and the friends group, go to coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/gtm.html or gtmnerr.org. For more information about the district, go to sjrwmd.com.

Beth Reese Cravey has been a reporter for The Florida Times-Union for 45 years, currently specializing in nonprofits and health. She can be reached at bcravey@jacksonville.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tide Fest at Guana Reserve celebrates estuaries for youth