Update from Brad Oberle, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
On Thursday Sept 23rd, three contractors with 5 staff, 3 NCF personnel, 2 research assistants, 2 alumni and 2 student volunteers managed to unload 4630 plants from two sources at South Coquina Beach Boat Ramp, deliver 3962 to Tidy Island via two barge and boat trips and send the rest back to NCF campus via the NCF truck and a rental trailer. My special thanks to Jay Leverone at the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program for his expertise coordinating the contractors for the event.
Things really got going over the weekend.
On Saturday Sept 25th, more than 30 community volunteers met our colleagues at the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, including Director Dave Tomasko, Outreach Assistant Christine Quigley and Finance Manager Heather Moody. They boarded 4 boats operated by volunteer ferry captains for the trip across the bay to Tidy Island, where I was waiting with 6 volunteers who had paddled from home. We spent several hours planting 8 native species into large-scale, long-term revegetation experiment. My special thanks to SBEP Director of Planning and Communications, Darcy Young, for her expert help organizing the event.
Our ferry boat maestro, Rusty Chinnis, produced an excellent video, including drone footage, capturing the scope and setting for the project, as well as the wonderful community spirit.
On Sunday, a different crew picked up where the Saturday team left off. I guided 5 student volunteers to the site where we met 3 members of the community who paddled from their homes. Applying lessons learned from the first day’s efforts, we significantly advanced the planting effort.
Overall, we planted 1708 perennial plants, which was 75% of all of the plants allocated to the main revegetation effort.
We still have a few more to go. If you are interested in heading back out, especially if you have close access, please contact me and I will include you in my messages about ongoing ecological restoration at Tidy Island.
Thanks to all of you for your support, direct or indirect, of this important, impactful project.