Meeting Archives 2007 Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Annual Planning Meeting   Thursday, October 18, 2007 Seminar topic: "A New Stormwater Strategy".  BEST Executive Director, Mike Brim, and Ms. Danielle Honour of Camp, Dresser & McKee were the featured speakers for this seminar. The stormwater strategy is being developed by the St. Andrew Bay Environmental Study Team, Bay County and the seven municipal government partners.  It’s a unique, innovative and dynamic plan to manage stormwater that will involve all citizens.  The strategy is designed to protect bay waters, safeguard citizens from flooding and save taxpayer dollars.  This is the most comprehensive and ambitious stormwater management program ever undertaken in the history of St. Andrew Bay.  Details included: an introduction of project and partners (Mike Brim), a presentation on the Stormwater Project (Ms. Danielle Honour), Questions & Answer session, Recognition of, and comments by, our local elected officials, Red tide menace (Mike Brim), Volunteer’s needed: Storm drain identification (Mike Brim), Stormwater video update (Mike Brim).   Wednesday, July 18, 2007 Seminar topic: "Billfish on the Line".  Anna Avrigian of the National Marine Fisheries Service provided an outline of billfish species and discussed her position as coordinator of the Recreational Billfish Survey.  She provided a brief history of the program, what the survey entails, and gave examples of how the information collected is used.  Scott Burt discussed the Bay Point Billfish Tournament, how it is organized, and the direction it will take in 2008.  Mr. Burt is managing member of Coastal Marina Management, a marina management and operations consulting company which manages Bay Point Marina.  He was harbormaster at Bay Point for 23 years and was one of the founders of the Bay Point Tournament.  Capt. Tom Putnam of Half Hitch Tackle described what a typical day of billfishing entails.  He also displayed some of the equipment used to catch billfish, and audience members participated in a demonstration on how to land a big fish.  Participants donned a harness, hefted a big-game rod and reel, and battled the “fish” from a fighting chair.   Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Seminar topic: "Shorelines, Saltmarshes, and Solutions: Taking Good Care of our Bay’s Shallow Waters" Featured presentations: 1) West Bay Impoundments – A History and Ecological Evaluation by Dr. Ed Keppner, et al. Dr. Ed Keppner presented his findings from a year-long study at a former shrimp site in West Bay.  He highlighted how the site was impacted by the shrimp-farming operation and how it has adapted to remain an important coastal ecosystem. 2) Living Shorelines of the Panhandle A New Developing Initiative of the Coastal Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Ms. Melody Ray-Culp, Service Biologist. Ms. Melody Ray-Culp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), discussed the development of a “living shorelines” initiative for coastal areas by USFWS.  The goal of this initiative is to establish living shorelines as the primary means for protecting eroding shorelines, where appropriate, in northwest Florida.  Living shorelines are also crucial for maintaining spawning grounds and nursery protection for young fish needed to regenerate local fish populations.  Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Seminar topic: "A Walk on the Wild Side: Some Special Species of Bay County, Florida".  Local experts presented information on Bay County’s special plants, insects, birds, and sea-life. Speakers included: Dr. Neil Lamb, The Birds of West Bay; Dr. Edwin Keppner, An Overview of Wild Things - Bay County, Florida; Mr. Mike Brim, Sharks of St. Andrew Bay: Close Encounters and Common Sense; Mr. John Foster, Sponges, Scallops, and Sea Stars: Spineless Sentinels in St. Andrew Bay.  Former House Speaker Allan Bense delivered the keynote address for this inaugural seminar of 2007. Mr. Bense also received a special award from BEST for all of his efforts to protect the environment in Bay County. Wednesday, January 10, 2007 Seminar Topic: "2007: A Look to the Future. Our Community's Involvement in Conservation".  This seminar was an opportunity for everyone to learn about conservation and community, and participate as BEST planned for the challenges of 2007 and beyond! The entire Steering Committee, BEST, Inc., the Administrative Support Team, and the General Membership gathered to plan and prioritize for BEST in 2007.  A summary of the results will be posted soon. 2006 Wednesday, September 20, 2006 Seminar Topic: “Sitting on top of the Bay: Multiple Uses of the Bay’s Surface”, hosted by our Growth Management Subcommittee.   Featured speakers and subjects: Mr. Steve McLellan, Chair of Steering Committee; "From the Shoreline: Bay County’s Role in Enforcing Watercraft Safety" by Mr. Scott Hair, Code Enforcement Officer, Bay County; "Mercury Marine on St. Andrew Bay"  by Mr. Bill Nesslar and Mr. Clay Galliard, Mercury Marine Corporation; "Seagrass Buoys: Reducing Boater Impacts to Seagrass Beds in St. Andrew Bay" by Ms. Tova Spector, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; "Regulating Recreational Watercraft Uses on the Bay" by Mr. Jeff Gager, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission   Wednesday, July 19, 2006 The program, titled “Sand, Seagrass and Sawfish— A Seminar on the Geology, Vegetation, and Creatures of St. Andrew Bay ” featured speakers from Alabama and Louisiana who presented their work on St. Andrew Bay.  Local speakers presented information on the rare Smalltooth Sawfish.  The premiere showing of BEST’s “SOS Fundraising” video was at the top of the program!  This video is the first of many BEST hopes to produce, such as Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) about the St. Andrew Bay ecosystem, and educational and program videos.   Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Topic: Hurricanes, Oysters, and Pipeline.  Featured speakers: Mark Bowen, Director of Emergency Services for Bay County, talked about hurricane preparedness for the environment, what we can do in advance to minimize a hurricane’s impact and how the County would respond to certain environmental scenarios. Tim Matthews, Wastewater Division Manager, Department of Utility Services for Bay County, gave an update on the armored submerged sewage pipeline in St. Andrew Bay. Mark Berrigan from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services presented oyster management issues and methodologies in West Bay. January 18, 2006 Topic: "2005, It was the BEST of times!"  During this special meeting, Annual Reports highlighting BEST's accomplishments during 2005 were presented by the BEST Sub-committees, the Administrative Support Team, and the BEST, Inc. Board. March 15, 2006 Topic: "Stormwater: Seeking Solutions for Bay County."  Hosted by BEST's Stormwater & Contaminants Sub-Committee. Featured speakers: Mr. Ken Schnell, Bay County Public Works Director, conducted a presentation on Bay County's Stormwater Management Program; Mr. Michael Bomar, Tetra Tech, Inc. reported on the City of Panama City Beach's removal of outfall from West Bay and the associated Wastewater to Wetlands Project;  Mr. Brian Cameron,  University of Florida's IFAS Bay County Extension office.  Mr. Cameron is the the NW Florida Project Coordinator for Project NEMO (Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials), and he reported on this new program.   2005 September 21, 2005 Topic: “The Life and Death of Florida's Sea Turtles:  A Local Perspective on Sea Turtle Preservation"   November  16th, 2005 Topic: "The Sea Life of St. Andrew Bay" featuring Mike Brim, Executive Director of BEST.   Back to top