Coastal Watch deems adoption day a success
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Coastal Watch thanked the new mangrove mamas and propagule papas who joined it for the Adopt-A-Mangrove Adoption Day event on Oct. 28. It reported that 546 baby mangroves were adopted into homes across 19 different zip codes in Southwest Florida.
Coastal Watch will host its next adoption day on Dec. 1.
Participants receive a mangrove seedling, pots and soil, along with the guidance needed to take care of the seedling. The baby mangroves will grow until they reach a certain size, at which point the SCCF will ask for them to be returned. The returned mangrove seedlings will be planted at one of the SCCF’s restoration sites, making a direct and positive impact on the local coastal ecosystems.
Coastal Watch reported that mangroves are more than just trees. They are a source of energy, provide a nursery habitat for juvenile fish, a nesting habitat for wading birds, stabilize shorelines by reducing erosion, provide water quality management and are a buffer against storm damage. The Adopt-A-Mangrove program aims to educate the community about the value of mangroves in Southwest Florida.