We completed our Bay Mini-Grant project in 2024!

RIBBON-CUTTING OF “WILDLIFE OF ANNA MARIA ISLAND” SIGNS ON BRADENTON BEACH SCENIC HIGHWAY

HELD JANUARY 24th, 2025

BRADENTON BEACH – The City of Bradenton Beach Scenic W.A.V.E.S. Partnership Committee had a ribbon-cutting to showcase the first installation of “Wildlife of Anna Maria Island” signs on Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway, which is Gulf Drive/SR 789 within Bradenton Beach city limits. The ceremony was held at John Chappie Park on the Gulfside of 1400 Gulf Drive North. Contributors were recognized for their roles in management, sign design, and funding. Photographs of the ribbon-cutting and “Wildlife of Anna Maria Island” signs at John Chappie Park are attached.

The Bradenton Beach Scenic W.A.V.E.S. Partnership Committee was awarded a $5,000 Tampa Bay Estuary Program Mini-Grant for the design and manufacturing of 2 of 6 wildlife educational signs to be installed at three public parks that are on the Gulf of Mexico shoreline along Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway with John Chappie Park being the first and at Bridge Street Pier on the Intracoastal Waterway where Gulf Islands Ferry embarks/disembarks. From the signs, this scenic highway and adjoining park users will learn how to protect the wildlife and their habitats.

The Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway carries pedestrians, motorists, boaters, anglers, and recreators using SR 789 West. The Gulf of Mexico, Palma Sola Bay, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Pass, Sarasota Bay, and the Intracoastal Waterway converge. The City of Bradenton Beach Scenic W.A.V.E.S. (Waterfronts: Accessible, Viable, Ecological, Sustainable) Partnership Committee is the city advisory committee that represents the Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway Corridor Management Entity for the Florida Department of Transportation Designated Scenic Highway Program.

The sign design was done by Drawn by Dawn Witherington Illustration & Design, then manufactured by iZone Imaging. Each sign is 60″ x 24” high-pressure laminate CHPL and was installed atop aluminum posts by the Bradenton Beach Public Works Department staff. The sign design and content were reviewed for scientific accuracy by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, as well as Wildlife Inc.

Keep Manatee Beautiful has provided 68 color prints of the “Wildlife of Anna Maria Island” sign and 68 thumb drives with information about the wildlife to Manatee County’s public schools, private schools, and community centers.

Scenic W.A.V.E.S. members obtained feedback through surveys from the public where the signs have been placed, both before and after the signs were installed. The surveys asked the public to identify 7 animals in the bays and Gulf of Mexico around Anna Maria Island, 2 reasons why our shorelines are important for wildlife, and 2 ways to help protect the wildlife. A summary of the results provided to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program showed an increase in knowledge based on the pre-/post surveys is considered a success for this outreach effort.