Our group of student and adult volunteers will be planting native plants at North Lido Beach Park on Saturday, July 14. The group will include 20 middle school students from the Duke University Talent Identification Program, a marine biology summer camp focused on estuaries and marshes. Bay Guardian volunteers planted more than 2,000 plants last year at the same site.
The new tidal tributary at North Lido Beach Park was completed in March 2011. The restoration project improved 30 acres on the 70 acre site. The effort removed non-native vegetation, excavated the tidal wetland, contoured the upland area, created dunes, and planted thousands of native plants. The tidal wetland was created to provide essential habitat for estuarine dependent fish species.
This is the fourth Bay Guardian outing for 2012. Prior volunteer projects occurred at Emerson Point Preserve in Manatee County, North Water Tower Park in Sarasota County and Quick Point Preserve on Longboat Key.