ACT LOCALLY! Volunteers Needed for Clam Bayou Mangrove Restoration

News Release – For Immediate Release
September 12, 2012
City of Sanibel
Contact: Natural Resources Department (239) 472-3700

Act Locally! Volunteer for Mangrove Restoration - September 2012

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Volunteers are needed to assist with mangrove restoration for Clam Bayou on September 14th & 15th, 21st & 22nd, and 28 & 29th. Mangroves provide essential habitat for shrimp, crabs, fish, wading birds and also help protect the shoreline from erosion due to waves and tropical storms. Mangroves improve water quality by trapping sediments, nutrients and pollutants, thereby removing them from the water column. Along the edges of open water, well-developed mangrove prop roots provide protection for juvenile animals from their predators as well as serving as an attachment substrate for colonizing filter feeders, such as oysters.

Red mangroves do not produce seeds or seedpods, they produce propagules. Propagules are seedlings which develop and grow on the mother tree until they are mature, at which point they drop to the ground or water. Propagules are available from August through November and are collected by volunteers and planted along the shorelines in Clam Bayou. Hurricanes and human-induced disturbances have degraded the mangroves in Clam Bayou. The City of Sanibel installed box culverts in 2006 to improve tidal flushing into Clam Bayou. Funding for the project is provided by competitive grants and in kind contributions by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, EPA, and SCCF.

Activities include: Collecting propagules, planting seedlings or propagules and paddling to restorations sites. Bring a kayak if you can. Pre-registration is required.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! Call the SCCF Marine Lab at (239) 395-4617 or email marinelab@sccf.org for more information OR to PRE-REGISTER.