The Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS), in partnership with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and with additional support from the Florida Maritime Museum, is launching It Takes a Village, a community education initiative that highlights the connection between a healthy estuary, sustainable seafood, and Cortez’s historic working waterfront. Through bilingual signage, restaurant table cards, walking guides, a new web page, and public events, the project encourages residents and visitors to learn how everyday actions can help protect Sarasota Bay.
It Takes a Village: New Community Initiative Connects Cortez’s Working Waterfront to a Healthy Sarasota Bay“Our grant from the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program has made it possible for us to move forward with our mission of preserving Cortez by focusing on maintaining a healthy estuary – a key element of our Village’s commercial fishing tradition. This incredible estuary has been a food source for humans for thousands of years and the backbone of the Cortez economy for over a century. Now we will connect thousands of “boat to table” seafood customers, Village residents, and visitors with an opportunity to help in large and small ways. Bottom line – a healthy estuary is essential to our cultural and economic survival,” said Cindy Rodgers, President of CVHS.
The project will be introduced during Cortez: Coffee, Culture & Conservation on Saturday, January 31, from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, hosted by SBEP, the CVHS, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH), and Florida Sea Grant/UF/IFAS Extension. The program will include a discussion of It Takes a Village and its goals, followed by a guided tour of the restored FISH Preserve featuring its new trails and bridges. This nearly 100-acre coastal preserve, protected through decades of community effort, has been restored to improve estuarine habitat and public access, with recent enhancements made possible by support from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Attendees will also be invited to take a self-guided tour of Cortez using the new map featuring places of interest, key environmental features and our boat-to-table restaurants and markets…