FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 9, 2015
NORTH
PENINSULA STATE
PARK TO CONTINUE SALT MARSH RESTORATION
WORK
~Additional
restoration to begin along John
Anderson Drive~
ORMOND BY THE SEA – Work is set to reconvene on the ongoing salt marsh
restoration project along John
Anderson Drive in North
Peninsula State
Park in Volusia
County. Mobilization to complete phase three of the project
is expected to begin Jan. 12.
The work will take place along the west side of John
Anderson Drive approximately three-quarters of a mile south of Highbridge Road. Contractors will
restore another nine acres of historic salt marsh that was filled with spoil material
during the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway in the early 1900s.
The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection’s North
Peninsula State
Park continues its partnership with the St. Johns
River Water Management District and the Floridan Resource Conservation and
Development Council on this project. This work, funded by a grant from NOAA’s Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership and St. Johns River
Water Management District, is the continuation of the project’s third
phase.
The marsh restoration project at North Peninsula
State Park began in September
2009. Phases one and two, completed in November 2011, are located along the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway north of Highbridge Road and west of A1A. Phase 3 of the project originally began in
February 2013.
“Restoring the marsh at North Peninsula State Park will create a
healthy, productive saltmarsh habitat for a wide range of plants and animals,”
said Florida Park Service Director Donald Forgione. “This restoration
will create several scenic vistas, increasing opportunities for hiking, fishing
and bird watching.”
During the project, heavy equipment will be brought in to clear
existing vegetation and assist in the removal of spoil material. Once the area
is graded to match elevations in adjacent marshes, re-vegetation will begin and
native vegetation will be reintroduced into the restoration area. The park will
enlist volunteer assistance in the planting activities of the project.
Salt marsh is a natural community that is vital in maintaining thriving
aquatic habitats. Often called nurseries of the sea, salt marsh provides a
vital nesting and feeding habitat for many aquatic plants and animals. For
further information contact Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at 386-517-2086 or click here.
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