Sarasota, Florida -- Time to get your feet wet and help the county's bays. Sarasota County needs volunteers to survey seagrass growth in area waterways.

Seagrass beds are important to the health of the ecosystem. The beds help stabilize shorelines and provide food and cover for a variety of wildlife.

A training session for volunteers is scheduled for Saturday, August 10th at the Turtle Beach Community Center, 8918 Midnight Pass Road, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. p.m. A portion of the training takes place in the water, so participants should dress accordingly.

Sarasota, Florida - Nesting sea turtles have been keeping Mote's Sea Turtle Patrol busy. So far the biologists and volunteers that make up the patrol have documented 1,365 loggerhead nests and nine of the more rare green sea turtle nests on 35 miles of local beaches.

Researchers say this year's totals are strong and could possibly surpass record numbers. The official nesting season ends October 31st.

Sarasota, Florida -- In accordance with Sarasota and Manatee County urban fertilizer ordinances, the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) reminds residents not to use fertilizer products containing nitrogen and phosphorus from June 1 through September 30.

Rainwater washes excess fertilizer into storm drains, which results in nitrogen and phosphorus being transported into Sarasota Bay through tributaries and storm drains. These chemicals can fuel excessive growth of algae, which smothers natural vegetation and feeds invasive weeds.