Help sea stars through citizen science!
Sea Star Stewards is a citizen science program tracking sea star wasting disease at Florida's Blue Heron Bridge and beyond through community-driven data collection.
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Phil Foster Park, Blue Heron Bridge is a no-take zone. All participants in the Sea Star Stewards program agree not to harass, touch, or collect wildlife at Phil Foster Park or any location in accordance with local laws. Regardless of a sea star's health status, you may not touch it, move it, or remove it from the park. All photo submissions imply compliance with local laws.
A healthy red cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus ) pictured at Florida's Blue Heron Bridge, Phil Foster Park.
Photo by Miranda Manross.
Red cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus) at Florida's Blue Heron Bridge, Phil Foster Park. From left to right, the pictures depict a healthy sea star, a wasting sea star with necrotic lesions, and a dead sea star that appears to have "melted" into a pile of ossicles (part of the sea star endoskeleton). Left and middle photos by Colleen Hecker. Right photo by Miranda Manross.