FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 5, 2015
DEP
AWARDS $1 MILLION FOR RESTORATION OF ST. LUCIE AND
CALOOSAHATCHEE ESTUARIES
~Funds
will be used to re-establish oyster populations and seagrass beds~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded two $500,000 grants to re-establish
oyster populations and seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon’s St. Lucie
Estuary on Florida’s east coast and the Caloosahatchee Estuary on the west
coast. The grants were awarded to the Florida Oceanographic Society and the
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation respectively, allowing these
organizations to create restoration and monitoring programs in each of the
regions.
“The St. Lucie
and Caloosahatchee estuaries are vital natural resources that must be
maintained and supported,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration
Drew Bartlett. “These projects will help restore healthy oyster populations and
seagrass beds, which are important to these ecosystems and our economy.”
Harmful
freshwater discharges have resulted in losses of oysters and seagrasses in both
estuaries. The grants will be used to re-establish critical estuarine habitats
of shellfish and submerged aquatic vegetation beds.
Since 2005, the
Florida Oceanographic Society has been actively working to restore oyster reefs
and seagrasses. Their shellfish hatchery has produced millions of oysters for
oyster restoration programs. Additionally, they have grown five common native
species of seagrasses for testing and success studies. This grant will enable
the Society to continue these restoration efforts, focused in this case on the
St. Lucie Estuary and the southern Indian River Lagoon.
To offset
habitat impacts and build resiliency, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation
Foundation (SCCF) will use its grant to begin a four-part restoration and
monitoring plan for the Caloosahatchee Estuary. They will replace and restore
damaged habitats to a pre-2013 level and will provide substrate to promote healthy
oyster reef development. SCCF will also grow and replant founder colonies of
submerged aquatic vegetation to build resiliency by providing a source of
healthy reefs and vegetation.
The
Caloosahatchee River was originally a shallow, meandering river, but over the
past 120 years it has experienced extensive modifications in the interest of
navigation, flood control and development. As a result, heavy rainfall brings large
influxes of freshwater and polluted stormwater runoff from both the watershed and
releases from Lake Okeechobee. These events degrade water quality and the
health of oysters and seagrasses in the estuary. DEP, the Southwest Florida Water
Management District, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and local
governments are promoting or implementing best management practices, stormwater
controls and other water quality restoration projects to bring the
Caloosahatchee Estuary back to health.
The
Sanibel-Captive Conservation Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of
coastal habitats and aquatic resources on Sanibel and Captiva and in the
surrounding watershed. http://www.sccf.org
The Florida
Oceanographic Society’s mission is to inspire environmental stewardship of
Florida’s coastal ecosystems through education and research. www.FloridaOcean.org
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