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Volunteers replace sea oats

Volunteers replace sea oats

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

HOLMES BEACH – More than 40 volunteers planted 1,000 sea oats on Saturday, replacing those that were lost during Hurricane Idalia’s high tides.

Sea oats were lost when Anna Maria Island was hit with storm surge and high winds in the Aug. 31 hurricane.

Keep Manatee Beautiful (KMB) led the volunteer effort with a financial contribution of $5,000 from the City of Holmes Beach and direct assistance from the City’s Code Enforcement division, KMB Executive Director Jennifer Hoffman said.

Volunteers gathered at the 52nd Street entrance to the beach at 8 a.m. and within an hour, the sea oats had been planted.

“One thousand plants, 42 volunteers and done in less than an hour,” she said.

Sea oats are a perennial grass that play a vital role in shoreline protection.

“Sand dunes and sea oats are natural barriers against storm surge and they did their job by breaking up the wind and surf and bracing against storm surge,” Hoffman said. “But large portions of sand dunes and sea oats washed away as tides receded. Holmes Beach officials and I spotted those losses early on and decided to do something about it.”

“Sea oat is an extremely valuable plant for coastline and barrier island protection,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (USDA). “Its massive root system is capable of holding soil and sand in place during extreme weather events.”

Turtle kids

Young artists work to protect dunes

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Beach, Environment, Outdoors.

HOLMES BEACH – Student artists in Mary Miller’s fifth grade class at Anna Maria Elementary School will soon see their artwork on signs posted on Anna Maria Island beaches to educate people about why it’s important to stay off sand dunes.

The artists were treated to a reception on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Waterline Marina Resort, where more than 50 of their masterpieces were on display.

Turtle kids
Signs like this soon will be installed at Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach to alert people to keep off the sand dunes. – Cindy Lane | Sun

Walking over dunes crushes native plants that hold the dunes together and erodes the dunes, which provide a barrier against storm-driven high tides, according to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, which provided funds for the project to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Gulf Drive alongside Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach, where the first signs will be posted, is particularly susceptible to flooding, and is the hurricane evacuation route for Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach. Ropes and bollards protect the dunes there, but have not deterred all beachgoers from walking across them instead of using beach walkovers, Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie said.

With the theme of “Choose the right path,” the signs will illustrate why using walkovers is preferred, both for erosion control and for wildlife, like sea turtles, shorebirds and even beach mice.

The artwork will be enlarged to make about 60 18- by 24-inch signs. Signs will be available for beachfront vacation rental owners who would like to purchase them for $50 each to help educate visitors about the importance of not disturbing dunes. For more information, call Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638.