Adopt-A-Wetland

Introduction
Welcome to the Coastal Florida Adopt-A-Wetland program! This is a hands-on education program that
promotes wetland conservation through volunteer monitoring. Wetlands are valuable coastal resources,
playing an important role in water quality, sediment retention, flood control, and wildlife habitat. This
program’s goals are namely to:
1. Increase public awareness of the state's nonpoint source pollution and water quality issues,
2. Provide citizens with the tools and training to evaluate and protect their local waterways,
3. Educate the public on the importance of wetlands, and
4. Collect quality baseline data and determine the health of our coastal wetlands.
How to Get Started
This manual contains all the information you will need to begin monitoring your adopted wetland. This
manual is designed for groups that include school classes (5th grade through high school), civic organizations,
individuals, families, neighbors, friends, clubs, and companies. The first step is to attend a hands-on training
workshop where instruction will be provided on water quality monitoring and/or the biological-sampling
methods used to determine wetland habitat health. Volunteers who attend a training workshop will be
considered data collectors for one year. After an individual is certified in monitoring, a site must be chosen
for adoption and registered with their local Adopt-A-Wetland coordinator. A watershed survey and map
assessment must also be completed for this particular site on an annual basis. The watershed survey and
map assessment is a simple checklist of land uses and activities that influence your wetland site. If you have
questions or need help to complete the survey, call your AAW coordinator. It is also necessary to obtain a
map of the wetland you are choosing to adopt. This can easily be accomplished using Google Earth. 2
2 www.google.com/earth/
2 DRAFT AUGUST 2015