Partnering with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), our Foundation helped construct a new wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and fishing pier at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center (SYCC) in Apollo Beach, Florida. Volunteers donated more than 2,000 hours of skilled labor valued at over $100,000 to create the new boardwalk and pier.
The multi-year, collaborative effort gives thousands of youth and their families opportunities to study, enjoy, and appreciate the Gulf of Mexico’s inshore fish and wildlife resources. Part of the FWC’s Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network, SYCC is a marine-focused conservation education center on the eastern shore of Tampa Bay. The campus includes a 6,000-square-foot education facility and annually serves more than 11,000 youth and adults. The boardwalk and pier flank a restored saltwater pond and marsh adjacent to the educational complex. The new structure allows visitors to study coastal marine habitats. It also serves as the perfect platform to teach the joys of fishing, thereby supporting the FYCCN’s goal to create the next generation of conservationists by providing youth opportunities to participate in traditional outdoor activities that inspire lifelong stewardship for fish and wildlife conservation.
