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Tag: sea oats

Sea oats planted along Anna Maria shoreline

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – On Saturday, May 23, volunteers planted 4,000 sea oats along the Gulf shoreline in Anna Maria. 

Anna Maria Public Works Manager Dean Jones mentioned the planting project while providing Anna Maria City Commissioners with a capital projects update on Thursday, May 28. 

Jones said the sea plantings were conducted by the Anna Maria Island Garden Club, local Girl Scouts and community volunteers. Jones said multiple, roped-off sections of sea oats were planted on the beach near Gulf Boulevard, between Magnolia and Palm avenues, and additional plantings occurred near the Spring Avenue beach access.

The planted sea oats will help fortify the Anna Maria shoreline. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Jones said the sea oats were planted landward of the erosion control line and over time will spread toward the water. 

“It was a wonderful project,” Jones said. “In a year or two, we’ll start to see the dunes again that were destroyed by (Hurricane) Helene.”

Mayor Mark Short said Keep Manatee Beautiful Executive Director Jennifer Hoffman advised the city on the project. 

“This planting focused on city-owned property,” Short said. “We had Keep Manatee Beautiful out here two, three weeks ago. Jennifer rode the beach. She agreed this area was the worst part of our beach after the storms and was definitely where we needed to focus on.”

The planted sea oats are staked and roped off for their protection. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Commissioner Charlie Salem said there’s an area just north of Elm Avenue that used to have dunes and after the 2024 hurricanes it’s now a wide-open space. 

“At some point, I think it would be useful to take a look at the options there as well,” Salem said. 

Jones noted the hurricanes also destroyed the dune walkovers at Spring and Elm avenues and he’s been tasked with getting bids for their replacement.

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.”