lp e H n a C o o T You
Clean Up The Ocean
Story by STEVE TRAIMAN Photos from Byrne Ocean Conservation The Byrne Ocean Conservation/Water Warrior Alliance evolved out of a communal desire to improve the dire state of the ocean. It is a collective of several nonprofit groups around the Tampa Bay area that hold marine debris removal and STEAM education a primary focus. Paradise NEWS got this information from Jenna Byrne, director and a founder of Byrne Ocean Conservation. Jenna earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability Management from St. Petersburg College in 2017 and founded Byrne Ocean Conservation in St. Petersburg at the age of 28. Then she formed the Water Warrior’s Alliance, a local, grassroots, donor and volunteer-fueled nonprofit organization.
Some Paradise NEWS readers may recognize Jenna from prior roles managing Rumfish Grill or in sales at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Water Warrior Alliance acts as a hub to the partners and provides ways to share with the community the impact all the organizations are making in our fight to save the oceans.
The group’s goal is to make the community aware of the growing marine crisis and ways they, individually, can make a difference and impact.
They work at removing marine debris, hosting an annual St. Pete ocean sweep trash collection tournament with over $10k in prizes, which is the fundraiser for Camp Coral. Camp Coral is a two-week overnight PADI open water scuba camp that assists Mote Marine with the Coral Restoration Project in the Florida Keys. The Water Warrior Alliance empowers our community to advocate for the local environment to ensure a healthy way of life for future generations.
The following are a few of the groups that make up the Water Warrior Alliance and have pledged to participate in the group’s educational and community outreach programs. Each of these esteemed and very active and conscientious groups adds their flavor and expertise to the planned projects, within the Water Warrior Alliance umbrella. Their participation impacts the overall growth of the alliance.
Included are Tampa Bay Estuary Program, LETTS DIVE!!, Sweetwater Kayaks, Freedom Boat Club, Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, Mote Marine Sarasota, Stream2Sea, Florida Sea Grant, Gator Jims, Gulfport Dive Center, FWC, Save the Manatees, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Sans Market, Mermaid Florida, Mad Beach Dive Shop, SCUBI JEWS, Don Cesar, Sea Shepherd, PADI, Mother Kombucha, Project Aware, 4RWorld, Auburn Supply, Ecojoia, City of St. Pete and The Chattaway. ParadiseNewsFL.com | MARCH 2022
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