South Creek Oyster Habitat Enhancement and Restoration

Description: The City of Sarasota, Florida is acting as the Purchasing Agent for the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP). The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, a special district of the State of Florida, is requesting Proposals from qualified  individuals or firms to provide services to enhance and create oyster reef habitat (<2 acres) within the southern portion of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program area, near the mouth of South Creek. The successful Proposal shall provide all personnel, services, materials, equipment, tools, consumables, transportation, skills and incidentals necessary to provide the services described in this Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposers are encouraged to propose low-cost, plastic-free novel restoration techniques that have a proven track record of success (e.g., cotton rag pots, cement-jute volcanoes). Placement of reef domes/modules, plastic -free oyster bags, anchored vertical oyster gardens/anchors, and fossilized or recycled cultch will also be considered. Proposers will be expected to provide cost estimates for each task and summarize for the entire project, materials should be included in cost estimate. Proposers will be expected to provide an estimate of cost per square foot of materials and installation and an estimated total area of restored oyster coverage that can be achieved at this cost within the budget limits. Proposers are encouraged to create multiple opportunities for volunteering and/or direct community involvement in oyster reef restoration activities. Proposers will be expected to secure all necessary permits for oyster restoration on sovereignty submerged lands within 3 months of notice to proceed. No services under this Solicitation require licensure under Chapters 471, 472, or 481, F.S., GIS deliverables are for documentation only and are not survey products. The SBEP is a part of the US EPA National Estuary Program, created by Congress to protect and preserve the estuaries and watersheds in the Sarasota Bay region along Florida’s Gulf Coast – recognized as “estuaries of national significance.” The Sarasota Bay waterways were designated as priority water bodies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Section 320 of the Water Quality Act of 1987. The program is the partnership of local, state and federal governments and agencies as well as non-profits, research institutions, universities and community members. SBEP collective funding and resources to improve ecosystems and communities in the region is guided by specific supported projects and actions outlines in the SBEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) and annual work plan in the following categories WQQ: Water Quality and Quantity, WH: Watershed Habitats, FW: Fish & Wildlife, and CE: Community Engagement. Oyster habitat enhancement meets multiple objectives in the SBEP CCMP Watershed Habitat Activity WH-5: Monitor oyster reef habitat quality, explore optimal placement of new reefs, and establish/enhance oyster and artificial reefs; and Fish & Wildlife Activity FW-2: Monitor native bivalve populations and protect, restore, and enhance their habitats. Projects involving community support and engagement from other governmental stakeholders in the habitat enhancement and restoration process also support Community Engagement Activity CE-2: Support volunteer restoration and citizen science activities that contribute to assessment, monitoring, and restoration of bay and gulf waters, shorelines, wetlands, and other habitats. The Sarasota Bay Estuary is a series of five coastal lagoons located on the southwest coast of Florida. The watershed of this region is over 85% developed into an urban landscape (Figure 1) with shorelines that are over 80% hardened with seawalls. Restoration opportunities are limited due to the private ownership of most of the properties along the coast and within the watershed. The remaining habitats are largely state submerged lands, state and county parks, municipal park properties, and stormwater conveyances in the watershed and are under constant pressure from rising tides that compresses the habitats against hardened infrastructure that is mostly under private ownership. The habitats within the bay and watershed represent a rich mosaic that includes seagrass meadows, hardbottom, oyster reefs, beaches, saltwater wetlands, freshwater wetlands, and upland habitats. The SBEP uses Habitat Restoration Plans to focus its finite resources on restoration and conservation projects that are impactful. This project will be completed in the southern portion of the SBEP area to balance the distribution of funds throughout the entire region. The project area will be in the South Creek watershed, which is a tidal tributary to Blackburn Bay. Blackburn Bay receives salt water through the Venice Inlet and fresh water from a canal and South Creek. This enhancement should focus on oyster habitat west of 41 bridge and east of Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW) for appropriate salinity requirements. Project Area Fig. 1 South Creek Watershed and Blackburn Bay Fig. 2 Aeriel view of project area Courtesy of Sarasota County oyster mapping & monitoring program