Partners at Work For Tampa Bay: The Palmetto Estuary Habitat Restoration
Palmetto Estuary (Manatee County)
This 30-acre restoration project involves an innovative partnership of both public and private sector organizations to create an urban nature park along Tampa Bay in northern Manatee County. Restoration, now completed, involved the construction of 6.45 acres of intertidal wetland habitat, in addition to enhancing the existing 23.5 acres of mangroves present on the site by removing invasive Brazilian pepper and Australian pine. The newly created wetland areas were planted with native plants with the assistance of 225 community volunteers. Much of the design, land clearing and surveying costs were paid by the Riviera Dunes Resort, a private development adjacent to the restoration site.
The project was sponsored by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program in conjunction with the City of Palmetto, Scheda Ecological Inc. and the Riviera Dunes Resort. It provides nature viewing opportunities for residents of the small community of Palmetto, as well as important fish and wildlife habitat in a rapidly growing area of the Tampa Bay waterfront.
Top Photo: The Palmetto Estuary site cleared of Brazilian pepper and ready for native plants to be installed.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Bottom Photo: Volunteers plant smooth cordgrass at the Palmetto Estuary habitat restoration.
Photo courtesy of Scheda Ecological
This 30-acre restoration project involves an innovative partnership of both public and private sector organizations to create an urban nature park along Tampa Bay in northern Manatee County. Restoration, now completed, involved the construction of 6.45 acres of intertidal wetland habitat, in addition to enhancing the existing 23.5 acres of mangroves present on the site by removing invasive Brazilian pepper and Australian pine. The newly created wetland areas were planted with native plants with the assistance of 225 community volunteers. Much of the design, land clearing and surveying costs were paid by the Riviera Dunes Resort, a private development adjacent to the restoration site.
The project was sponsored by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program in conjunction with the City of Palmetto, Scheda Ecological Inc. and the Riviera Dunes Resort. It provides nature viewing opportunities for residents of the small community of Palmetto, as well as important fish and wildlife habitat in a rapidly growing area of the Tampa Bay waterfront.