A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or coast.
The majority of people in this watershed live within 10 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. This means that many of the activities that take place in the watershed where people live — from maintaining attractive landscapes to creating new roads and buildings — directly impact the gulf and every water body leading up to it.
The Southern Coastal Watershed Excursion will begin at the northern tip of the watershed. Here, we’ll see the De Soto National Memorial, where Hernando de Soto first stepped foot on the New World. After launching our boat, we will travel south and stop at Palma Sola Bay, the area surrounding Sarasota Bay, Oscar Scherer State Park, the Venice area and Lemon Bay. Our final destination will be Gasparilla Sound, near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, where we will disembark.