Researchers have linked the disappearance of seagrass in Florida (thought to be behind this winter’s explosion of manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon) to a decades-long decline in water quality. But those working to restore the estuary in Volusia County hope living shorelines can help reverse the trend. We want to be at the cutting edge of what’s going on in shoreline restoration, said Greg Wilson, chief scientific officer for the Edgewater-based Riverside Conservancy.
Living shorelines are designed to replicate the natural layout of an estuary, before homes were built and seawalls routinely installed. Walking from the backyard to the Indian River Lagoon, homeowners would first encounter a row of mangroves, then an intertidal zone where clams are submerged, and an oyster reef beyond that breaks the wave action.
Conservationists patted each other on the back for the success. It was short-lived.
Two years later, more than half the grass was gone.
Much of Florida s seagrass would die post 2011. Extreme weather and storm runoff fed algae blooms that harmed seagrass beds along the Panhandle, Big Bend, southwest Florida, and along the east coast from Biscayne Bay to the northern Indian River Lagoon.
Here on the Space Co, drought, then extreme cold, set the stage for severe algae blooms that killed off 60% of the lagoon s seagrass, a consortium of 26 scientists concluded in 2015.
While runoff often delivers the nitrogen and phosphorus that trigger algae blooms, drought preceded the massive lagoon algae blooms that began in late 2010.
Flagler County FireFlight, the county’s emergency’s helicopter, during Friday’s operation. (Flagler County)
Flagler County on Friday successfully completed its first prescribed fire utilizing FireFlight equipped with an aerial ignition machine to set fire to 85 acres within Princess Place Preserve.
“This is a great success for us – the beginning of something safer and more effective for our (Land Management) prescribed fire mitigation program,” said Prescribed Fire Program Supervisor Mike Orlando, who is “burn boss” for the day. “And, the third time is the charm – we scheduled this two other times this year, but things outside of our control prevented it from happening.”
The Hal Scott Preserve contains more than 9,000 acres of natural lands managed by the St. Johns Water Management District for hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, horseback riding and fishing.
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