Press Release
Contact: Allison Turk: 305.450.7965
Date: March 17, 2004
Xavier Cortada
mural entitled "Discover Biscayne Bay" to be dedicated by artist
on March 17th at Miami Children's Museum at 3:30 p.m.
Watson Island -- The Biscayne Bay Environmental
Education Alliance through its organizing partner Citizens for a
Better South Florida commissioned a "Discover Biscayne Bay"
mural that is now hanging at the Miami Children's Museum, which
is located on Biscayne Bay. The Biscayne Bay Environmental
Education Alliance is a consortium of public and private
organizations dedicated to raising awareness about issues
affecting Biscayne Bay through education and outreach programs.
The programs are funded through a contract between Citizens for
a Better South Florida and the South Florida Water Management
District.
"The Discover Biscayne Bay mural resulted from a public/private
partnership among Citizens for a Better South Florida, the South
Florida Water Management District, the Miami Children's Museum,
and Xavier Cortada," said Irela Bagué, a member of the SFWMD
Governing Board. "The artist's depiction of the bay represents
the vital connection between people and our environment. Now
millions of visitors, residents and the children of Miami-Dade
County can experience that connection at the Miami Children's
Museum where the mural will be on permanent display."
The South Florida Water Management District received state
appropriations for Biscayne Bay projects in response to
recommendations from the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative (BBPI)
established in 1999 by then Senator Mario Diaz-Balart, former
Representative Carlos Lacasa and Senator Rudy Garcia. The
mission of the BBPI was to develop an open and inclusive
community based forum to survey public and private sector
activities and programs affecting Biscayne Bay, and to provide
recommendations for actions to protect, improve, and enhance the
bay's resources, its social, economic, and natural values, with
its ecological health as a priority. and is the perfect backdrop
to showcase opportunities for Bay access, education, and
appreciation.
When the BBPI concluded its work, the legislature recognized a
continued need to coordinate Biscayne Bay efforts, and
subsequently chartered the creation of the Biscayne Bay Regional
Restoration Coordination Team (BBRRCT.) Since the creation of
the BBPI, the legislature has appropriated more than $18 million
to the South Florida Water Management District towards Biscayne
Bay projects, including funding for land conservation,
education, the development of a Biscayne Bay Strategic Access
Plan, habitat restoration, signage, and economic and scientific
research.
The mural is one component of a comprehensive education program
designed to raise awareness about issues relating to Biscayne
Bay like storm water run-off, deterioration of marine habitat,
visual and physical access, and boater safety. Other education
efforts include hands-on activities with school children to
teach water quality monitoring, training volunteers to identify
and plant drought tolerant plants for watershed preservation, a
boater safety course designed to protect sea grass beds and
marine habitat, a http://www.discoverbiscaynebay.org website,
and public forums.
Citizens for a Better South Florida is a non-profit
environmental education organization dedicated to instilling
environmental awareness among the diverse and multi-cultural
populations within South Florida.
