Florida affiliate joins volunteers to plant new mangroves
Following a maintenance error that resulted in the unpermitted removal of local mangroves, a Florida municipality partnered with Keep Lee County Beautiful (KLCB) to restore the affected area. One year ago, the municipality’s staff was approved to remove mangroves that were impeding a local waterway but unfortunately went beyond the permitted section resulting in a mandate to restore the area.
“They reached out to Keep Lee County Beautiful because we have done mangrove restoration projects on state lands for the last 5 years totaling more than 50,000 mangroves planted,” said Trish Fancher, executive director of Keep Lee County Beautiful. “They also know we plant VERY carefully and have a more than 80% success rate…meaning more than 80% of our seedlings are expected to make it to maturity.”
This past July, KLCB and its volunteers planted 164 one-gallon red mangroves along approximately 640 feet of shoreline. Due to the location of the property, volunteers were transported to the restoration area via boats.
https://www.facebook.com/KLCBInc/posts/10163977301520581Florida has an estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove forests, which are protected by state and local regulations, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website.