7/27/2018 Florida algae crisis: Seagrass gardening could help troubled Fort Myers estuary

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/07/19/seagrass-gardening-cultivates-hope-troubled-fort-myers-estuary/784071002/ 1/5

Submerged Caloosahatchee River gardens could helpaquatic life bounce back

Laura Ruane, Fort Myers News-Press Published 7:30 a.m. ET July 19, 2018 | Updated 8:31 a.m. ET July 19, 2018

Beneath the turbid waters of the Caloosahatcheenear Fort Myers, little gardens are growing.

Marine ecology experts teamed up with trainedvolunteers and private homeowners to plant theseplots of submerged aquatic vegetation.

Their goal: Produce seeds that, when conditions areright, will help restore the river’s seagrass meadows.

Seagrasses provide a multitude of benefits to marine wildlife and water quality. Butthey’ve lost a lot of ground in recent years, adding to the estuary’s decline.

Too much salt or too little sunlight can kill the grasses. From 2006 to 2012, back-to-back years of winter drought made the salinity lethal to much of the grass in the river’supper estuary near Fort Myers.

The good news: Seagrass restoration efforts have a fighting chance to succeed,despite the toxic blue-green algae that’s oozed down the Caloosahatchee in recentweeks.

Florida's algae crisis: Toxic algae haters show up in droves at Cape Coral meeting

Living with Florida's algae crisis: What do you do when the water is your home?

However, the blue-green algae is a worrisome complication, said Jennifer Hecker.

She's executive director of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, which lastmonth launched the area's most-recent seagrass gardening initiative.

The algae fouling portions of the river doesn’t poison plants. When combined withother sediments clouding the Caloosahatchee, "it forms a blanket that can block light,even in shallow areas," Hecker said.

That could curtail photosynthesis and plant growth. There's some concern, too, thatthe algae will accumulate on exclusion cages installed over the new plants, alsopotentially blocking the necessary sunlight.

CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN COMMENT EMAIL MORE

(Photo: Ricardo Rolon/The News-Press)

Buy Photo

7/27/2018 Florida algae crisis: Seagrass gardening could help troubled Fort Myers estuary

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/07/19/seagrass-gardening-cultivates-hope-troubled-fort-myers-estuary/784071002/ 2/5

Allison Conner, a scientist for the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and Meg Krieg, measurewater temperature and salinity in an area of the Caloosahatchee River near 4846 East River Drive inFort Myers on June 18, 2018. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and the Calusa Waterkeeperare partnering with others to replant seagrasses in the tidal Caloosahatchee River, between I-75 andU.S. 41 bridges. (Photo: Ricardo Rolon/The News-Press)

The irony is that, if there was more seagrass in the riverbed, "it would lessen theseverity and duration of these harmful algae blooms.

"They'd help clean out some of the nutrient pollution that fuels algae growth," Heckersaid.

The estuary program is a nonregulatory, public-private partnership working to protectestuaries and water resources in Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk, Hardee andDeSoto counties.

Florida's algae crisis: How is it affecting tourism and other businesses?

Editorial: Crisis only grows below the algae on the Caloosahatchee River

It obtained state and federal funding for the seagrass project, arranged for permits andenlisted and trained volunteers.

It's not the only restoration targeting seagrass and the Caloosahatchee, however.

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s marine laboratory is continuing a programit began in 2016.

"There's places all along the river where there should be more grass, " said RickBartleson, an SCCF water quality scientist.

Estuaries rely on seagrass beds to provide nursery habitat for fish and food for grazerssuch as turtles and Florida's threatened manatees.

The grasses also improve water quality and clarity by filtering out nutrients andsediment.

Buy Photo

7/27/2018 Florida algae crisis: Seagrass gardening could help troubled Fort Myers estuary

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/07/19/seagrass-gardening-cultivates-hope-troubled-fort-myers-estuary/784071002/ 3/5

Volunteers Carol Murphy, Patricia Romaine, and Solemi Hernandez team up during a seagrassplanting event along the Caloosahatchee River near 4846 East River Drive in Fort Myers on June 18,2018. Ryan Brushwood, a field biologist for Sea and Shoreline, was supervising the work. CharlotteHarbor National Estuary Program and the Calusa Waterkeeper are partnering with others to replantseagrasses in the tidal Caloosahatchee River, between I-75 and U.S. 41 bridges. (Photo: RicardoRolon/The News-Press)

On June 18, the estuary program’s team planted five submerged gardens between theCaloosahatchee Bridge and Interstate 75.

They planted tape grass (Vallisneria americana) and widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima),two varieties with a long history in the river.

The plants initially are in exclusion cages, to help them get established. They have thechance to flower and produce seeds before marine creatures can gobble them up.

Ultimately, scientists expect the grasses to spread beyond the cages.

Once a month, these plots will be monitored for salinity levels, other indicators of waterquality and water temperature.

Starting in October, volunteers from the Calusa Waterkeeper organization also willmeasure density of the shoots and length of seagrass blades.

Buy Photo

7/27/2018 Florida algae crisis: Seagrass gardening could help troubled Fort Myers estuary

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/07/19/seagrass-gardening-cultivates-hope-troubled-fort-myers-estuary/784071002/ 4/5

Volunteer Carol Murphy prepares to plant seagrass during an event along the Caloosahatchee Rivernear 4846 East River Drive in Fort Myers on June 18, 2018. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Programand the Calusa Waterkeeper are partnering with others to replant seagrasses in the tidalCaloosahatchee River, between I-75 and U.S. 41 bridges. (Photo: Ricardo Rolon/The News-Press)

About 20 citizen-scientists have signed up to do the monitoring, said CalusaWaterkeeper John Cassani.

However, they had to take a pass on checking the plots this week, as originallyplanned.

With the blue-green algae lingering “it’s still a toxic situation. We can’t be puttingpeople in the water and in contact with that stuff,” Cassani said.

Long-range, marine biologist Carter Henne is optimistic about the seagrasses takingroot. He's president of Sea and Shoreline Aquatic Restoration, which provided theplants and logistics advice for the estuary program's seagrass project.

Last month, his company completed a three-year test project farther upstream. Thesubmerged plants are doing well, he said.

He’s also excited because the Fort Myers-area venture isn’t a government-only initiative.

Aerial view of toxic algae bloom flowing in a canal Friday, July 14, 2018 in Cape Coral, Florida. news-press.com, news-press.com

Buy Photo

7/27/2018 Florida algae crisis: Seagrass gardening could help troubled Fort Myers estuary

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/07/19/seagrass-gardening-cultivates-hope-troubled-fort-myers-estuary/784071002/ 5/5

Private homeowners along the Caloosahatchee consented to putting the plantings neartheir properties.

Said Henne: “This gives them an outlet to actually make a difference.”

The more restoration efforts, the better, Bartleson said.

"Our project potentially provides one-and-a-half acres of grass," he said.

"But you need closer to 100 acres just to keep 200 manatees happy."

Seagrass facts

►Seagrass filters water when it captures and traps suspended sediments out of thewater column.

►Up to 90 percent of all commercially harvested seafood in Florida depends onseagrass meadows for survival, according to the Florida Department of EnvironmentalProtection.

►Seagrass meadows mitigate ocean acidification – in which seawater becomes moreacidic. That could make life more difficult for oysters, clams and other marine life

►Seagrass protects shorelines from erosion by stabilizing the bottom, much like agrassy berm controls erosion.

►Poor water quality and boats that run aground put seagrasses at risk.

SOURCE: Seaandshoreline.com and noaa.gov

Toxic algae bloom stinking up canalsand marina in North Fort Myers

FullscreenBuy Photo

1 of 30

30 Photos

Toxic algae bloom stinking up canalsand marina in North Fort Myers