FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2012
For more information, call Dan Tonsmeire
or Neva Watford, 850-653-8936
Shallow Seagrass Markers Installed Near Lanark Reef
On January 25th
ten “Shallow Seagrass” caution markers were installed delineating
shallow seagrass beds from Carrabelle to the east end of Lanark Reef to
protect seagrasses from being scarred by boaters unfamiliar with the
area depths and habitats. The caution markers will greatly help protect
900 acres of fragile seagrass beds along Lanark Reef.
Instrumental
in the installation process were Apalachicola Riverkeeper and faculty,
students and President of the Board from AMIkids Panama City Marine
Institute and AMIkids West Florida. Volunteers included students and
Rusty Russell, Executive Director from AMIkids Panama City Marine
Institute; students, teacher Pete Harrison and Captain Ron Boyce,
Executive Director from AMIkids West Florida; Wayland Fulford (Capital
City Bank), President of the Board, AMIkids West Florida; and Pepper
Tonsmeire.
“The
installation would not have been a success without AMIkids Panama City
Marine Institute and AMIkids West Florida,” said Dan Tonsmeire,
Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper. “These
groups were absolutely the best thing we could have had to do that
installation. It went like clockwork.”
AMIkids
started in 1969 doing environmental research and restoration projects
with juvenile offenders and 43 years later, the kids still find that
working in the outdoors and doing good for the environment helps them
reset and start over fresh and with a new outlook. According to Captain
Boyce, the students “love to give back, they want to be respected for
good works, and this project was clearly all of that.” When Riverkeeper
Dan pulled his boat over to ours and told the boys how much the signs
will protect the seagrass beds and all the fish that live in them, they
listened intently and with pride. They were happy to help out. “
Seagrasses
are flowering plants that live underwater in shallow coastal areas.
Seagrass habitats, which may take many decades to form, provide many
benefits to the fish, wildlife and people of Florida. These
seagrass beds provide foraging and nursery habitat for over 2,000,000
juvenile grouper and other Gulf species that spend part of their life
cycle in near shore waters and return to the Gulf when more fully
grown. According
to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), 70 percent of
Florida’s marine recreational fish depend upon seagrass communities at
some time in their lives.
Seagrass
is fragile and can be inadvertently harmed by human activities in and
around our coastal waters. Caution should be taken by boaters when
motoring through seagrass beds. Not all shallow seagrass beds are marked
so if in doubt, boaters should go slow and pole the boat through
grasses if necessary to protect the seagrass beds.
The
completion of the installation marks the culmination of a five-year
project by the Apalachicola Riverkeeper in collaboration with National
Fish & Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, SeaWorld & Busch
Gardens Conservation Fund, Shell Oil Company, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish
& Wildlife Conservation Commission, Apalachicola National Estuarine
Research Reserve, Northwest Florida Water Management District, and the
Turner Foundation.
The
Apalachicola Riverkeeper is a non-profit organization that monitors the
Apalachicola River from the upper reaches at the Florida/Georgia line
downstream 108 miles, through the middle reaches around Wewahitchka, to
the estuary and Bay on the Gulf. Its mission is to provide stewardship
and advocacy for the protection of the Apalachicola River and Bay, its
tributaries and watersheds, in order to improve and maintain its
environmental integrity and to preserve the natural, scenic,
recreational, and commercial fishing character of these waterways. For
more information, visit www.apalachicolariverkeeper.
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