to download the PDF of the - American Society of Civil Engineers

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TOURS FRIDAY, MAY 18 • 5:30 - 9:00 pM
FRIDAY, MAY 18 • 9:00 AM - 3:00 pM
Hillsborough river Canoe Trip Tour /
BBQ lunch at Nature’s Classroom
Enjoy an easy, 4.5-mile guided downstream paddle in
a canoe on the Hillsborough River. Along the route,
expect to see a rich variety of animals and birds, including
alligators, turtles, osprey, eagles… and more. A BBQ
lunch will be served at Nature’s Classroom, Hillsborough
County’s premier 365-acre outdoor classroom in the
heart of the Hillsborough River watershed. Enjoy a
lunchtime presentation by the Hillsborough Greenways
Task Force.
Fee: $95 per person, includes transportation and BBQ lunch.
27-person max. Recommended attire: Bathing suit or clothes
and shoes that can get wet, a sun hat, and sunscreen. Canoeing
experience is not necessary.
FRIDAY, MAY 18 • 12 NOON - 4:30 pM
Tampa Bay Water regional surface Water Tour
Tour Tampa Bay Water’s (TBW) Surface Water Treatment
Plant, C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, and the Tampa
Bay Seawater Desalination Plant. TBW supplies more
than 112 MGD of water to more than 2 million residents
in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, and the
cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and New Port Richey.
A TBW staff member will serve as tour guide on the bus,
give you an overview of the Tampa Bay Water wholesale
water supply system, and answer your questions. Each
stop will include a comprehensive tour of the facility
with the TBW and operator staff. Box lunches will be
provided en route.
Fee: $75 per person, includes transportation and lunch.
27-person max. Advance registration required for security.
Photo ID required for admission to TBW’s facilities.
Recommended attire: Long pants, closed-toe
flat shoes (no heels, sandals, or sleeveless
shirts), sunscreen, and sunglasses.
SUGGESTED DAIlY TOURS
port of Tampa Tour (self tour)
We encourage you to experience the Port of Tampa on your own.
Tampa is Florida’s largest port, handling nearly half of the State’s total
seaborne cargo tonnage. The port is home to a vibrant and diverse
traffic base, which moves efficiently through an extensive array of
terminal facilities encompassing container, bulk, break bulk, roll on/
roll off, project cargoes, and cruise passengers, plus North America’s
largest dockside cold storage terminal. With a main shipping channel
depth of 43 feet, Tampa is also the closest full-service U.S. port to the
Panama Canal. The mixed-use development of entertainment, accommodations,
and retail activity in the Channelside area continues to
make downtown Tampa culturally vibrant and diverse.
The suggested Port of Tampa Tour is free, offered Monday-Friday, and
takes approximately 1.5 hours. Participants will be picked up at 9:00 AM
at the Manta Ray Statue in front of the Florida Aquarium.
everglades (self tour)
Hosted by Tampa Bay Water.
sunset at Clearwater Beach
Along the pristine shores of Clearwater Beach
just before the sun sinks into the Gulf of Mexico,
people flock to salute the setting sun. Come
casual and celebrate this day’s end with us.
Sink your feet into the white sand, dip your toes
into the warm clear Gulf waters, and enjoy our
day’s last rays of warm sunshine and plentiful
hospitality. Transportation provided.
Separate ticket required.
Tickets: $35 per person. 27-person max.
SATURDAY, MAY 19 • 8:00 AM - 8:00 pM
south Florida Water Management district (sFWMd)
Western everglades Tour: Corkscrew swamp sanctuary
and lake Trafford airboat Tour
Here’s your opportunity to learn about Western Everglades Restoration
Projects first-hand. Visit the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, 3-hours
south of Tampa to hear a briefing from SFWMD staff on Everglades
projects in the area. Box lunches will be offered during this briefing,
with time to explore the Sanctuary’s boardwalk. Travel a short distance
to the Lake Trafford Marina, for an update on the Lake Trafford
Restoration Project. Climb aboard Florida’s unique back-water transportation
mode – an airboat – to go into otherwise inaccessible areas
where birds and alligators flourish once again. The abundant vegetation
here makes it a birder’s heaven and a photographer’s paradise.
Lake Trafford, the largest lake south of Lake Okeechobee, was the
victim of nutrient runoff from agriculture and urban development,
resulting in a shift from native aquatic vegetation to dense mats of
exotic hydrilla. Controlled by herbicides, dead hydrilla accumulated on
the bottom, releasing nutrients that impacted local fish populations.
Restoration projects removed 3.5 million cubic yards of muck and the
local fish populations rebounded. Phase II – littoral/shoreline dredging –
is currently underway. The reestablishment of native aquatic vegetation
and other measures will follow. The overall project cost is estimated
at $15.4 million.
Fee: $95 per person, includes transportation, lunch, and
airboat tour. 45-person max. Recommended attire: Sunscreen,
sun hat, and sturdy walking shoes.
sponsored by the south Florida Water Management district.
If you are interested in seeing Florida’s famed Everglades on your own, here are two of many companies that offer tour services:
Earthfoot Small-scale Ecotours in Florida: www.earthfoot.org/us_fl.htm / roger.dykstra@earthfoot.org
Everglades Day Safari: www.ecosafari.com / 239.472.1559 or 800.472.3069 / gator@ecosafari.com
Florida aquarium and dolphin Quest eco-Tour (self tours)
Tampa Bay is home to more than 400 bottlenose dolphins and the Aquarium
takes its guests by boat out to the Bay to see these incredible mammals, along
with spectacular birds and an abundance of native fish, all thriving in a working,
deepwater port, in close proximity to one of the fastest growing population
centers in the United States. See Tampa Bay from the water, aboard a 64-foot
catamaran powerboat!
Experience the Florida Aquarium with more than 10,000 aquatic plants and
animals from Florida and beyond. The Aquarium is among the top aquariums
in the world, with 200,000 sq. ft. of air-conditioned fun. Congress participants
receive a reduced admission fee to visit the Aquarium.
Aquarium is open 9:30 to 5:00 PM daily: Adult: $17.95, Senior over 60: $14.95, and
Child under 13: $12.95. Show your Congress identification to receive the reduced admission
fee. Book your Dolphin Quest Eco-Tour at the Aquarium Guest Services for $14. The
Eco-Tour launches at 12 NOON or 2:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Sunscreen, sun hat, and sunglasses
recommended for the Eco-Tour. Aquarium visitors and Eco-Tour participants may
take the streetcar to the Aquarium.
Everglades’ tourist information is provided for your convenience only. ASCE/EWRI does not endorse these vendors or their services.