MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

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Great Explorations Water Planet Pinellas
Project Type Cooperative Funding
AOR(s)
Water Supply, Flood Protection, Water Quality, Natural Systems
Basin(s) Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Northwest Hillsborough, Coastal Rivers, Pinellas-Anclote River,
Withlacoochee River, Manasota
Cooperator(s)
Great Explorations
Project Manager HULL, MARY MARGARET
Task Manager(s)
Status Cancelled
Description
Great Explorations is an interactive children's museum in St. Petersburg. Water Planet: Lessons in Stewardship is a
two-phase set of water education exhibits. Phase 1 educates the audience on Florida-friendly landscaping, water
conservation, protecting wetlands, wildlife and water quality. Interactive exhibits include Explore a Wetland featuring
larger-than-life plants and wildlife with interactive signage; a plant repopulation nursery; a play area where visitors learn
the importance of responsible water usage in daily life; Nature Trading Post where visitors can research and trade
natural items such as shells and gain trading points by removing trash from local waters; and Fish Tales where visitors
can learn all about our local fish, fishing and boating rules and monofilament recycling. Phase 2 will include educating
the audience about groundwater, how to keep water clean, flooding and erosion, wind and weather. The goal is to
complete Phase 1 by November 2009. This exhibit was created with input from community focus groups; museum
Board members, staff and Youth Apprentices; and outside design professionals. Members of several environmental
groups, including the District, met with museum staff members and contributed ideas to further define exhibit
components and determine environmental lessons. The museum serves 150,000 annual visitors.
Benefits
The District benefits from teaching children and their families about water conservation and protection. Great
Explorations reaches 150,000 people annually through museum attendance, special events and programming. The
exhibits provide engaging learning experiences consistent with District priorities for this audience. As an added benefit,
the museum recently received a multi-year grant to provide after-school programming for 50 at-risk children and
summer programming for 85. These children will become an ongoing focus group participating in pre- and posttesting
and helping evaluate the effectiveness of the messages on participants and their families.
Costs
The total cost of the project - $150,000 - was originally planned to be phased over two years. Phase 1 in FY2009 is
$75,000, with contributions from the following Basins: Alafia River--$2,150, Coastal Rivers--$2,135, Hillsborough
River--$5,594, Pinellas-Anclote River--$60,375, Manasota--$1,700, Northwest Hillsborough--$2,675, and
Withlacoochee River -- $371. These percentages are based on cooperator-supplied attendance figures. With 150,000
visitors, the cost of the total project (both phases) is $1 per person. Exhibit life is generally ten years, reducing the cost
to the District over this period. Because of the project delays during Phase 1, the cooperator did not submit a proposal
for FY2010, but plans to submit a proposal for Phase 2 in FY2011.
Additional Information
In 2003, the museum opened the Great Splash! water education exhibit, which has been moved and improved over
the years. Funding came from the District, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration through the Pinellas
County Environmental Fund, the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program (TBNEP), Progress Energy, Tampa Bay
Water and others. Museum staff developed and continue to present stage demonstrations and classroom programs to
complement these water education exhibits. A recent grant from TBNEP is funding a program that brings at-risk
children into the museum to participate in water-related activities, attend water science demonstrations and discover
how to learn more on their own.
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