PlaceMattersSP - Harboring Resilience: the Past, Present, and Future of Bayboro Harbor

PlaceMattersSP

Harboring Resilience: the Past, Present, and Future of Bayboro Harbor 

Oliver Laczko

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 6 PM

For over a century, Bayboro Harbor has fueled St. Pete’s growth and economy. But behind its concrete seawalls lies a fragile ecosystem — and a changing climate is pushing us to rethink how we protect our harbor and, by extension, our community. Join Oliver Laczko as he reveals the hidden history and environmental science of Bayboro Harbor, and makes the case for ecological restoration and resilience as key to our region’s future. Discover how restoring Bayboro Harbor can safeguard our city, strengthen Tampa Bay, and inspire action in the face of rising challenges in this interdisciplinary talk.

Oliver Laczko is a fourth year University of South Florida St. Petersburg Judy Genshaft Honors College Student majoring in Environmental Science and Policy, B.S., with minors in Biology and GIS. He serves as the Vice Chair for the Student Green Energy Fund, which directly involves students with sustainability initiatives and alternative energy projects that benefit the campus and the community. Utilizing USF's special collections as well as the archive at SPMOH, Laczko wrote his senior thesis on the human and environmental history of Bayboro Harbor. 

Introduction by Dr. Catherine Wilkins, an interdisciplinary educator whose work explores how art, culture, and history shape the stories we tell about ourselves and the world we inhabit. As a faculty member in the Judy Genshaft Honors College at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, she bridges academic research with community engagement.