1	The St. Andrew Bay System
2	The St. Andrew Bay System includes: West Bay North Bay St. Andrew Bay East Bay These bays total 69,120 acres which equals 108 square miles.
3	A Bay is Born The Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago, but it took awhile for the majority of the glaciers covering the continents to melt About 5,000 years ago, the bay was formed as sea level rose For 4,800 years, the bay was left untouched by Western civilization
4	Major Human Events In 1850s, people started cutting down trees on the land surrounding the bay In 1930s, the Intracoastal Waterway was built connecting West Bay to Choctawhatchee Bay In 1970, a shrimp farm was given permission to dredge and dike-off two 330-acre areas along the north shore of West Bay The shrimp farm also netted-off 2,500 acres of southern West Bay to allow the shrimp to grow in an area free of fish predators Since 1970, treated wastewater has been dumped into the southern part of West Bay
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6	Issues associated with harvesting trees and raising shrimp Ditches are dug to drain the forested areas. Chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers are often applied to the trees to increase growth. The 18,000 foot net that stretched across the bay was dipped in an herbicide containing copper. The net was doubled, so actually 36,000’ of net stretched across West Bay.
7	Other Impacts The Lansing Smith Plant, which produces electricity by burning coal, plans to increase its capacity by 300% by installing two natural gas electric generation units. The St. Joe/Arvida Company owns almost all of the land around West Bay and hopes to build a new airport, an industrial park, and several residential areas just north of West Bay
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9	Could these impacts affect seagrass growth? If so, how? Again, get into groups and discuss the possible effects of these impacts on the seagrasses in West Bay. Switch group roles so that you have a chance to do something different this time. What additional information do you need to help you answer the questions you have about seagrasses?