SANIBEL, Fla. – The bay side of Sanibel has transformed into an outdoor classroom for local students, offering a hands-on lesson in water and nature.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is teaming up with The Sanibel School to restore the shoreline along Woodring Drive. Kids are planting about 200 mangroves in concrete culverts.
“Let’s see if we can find a culvert that we like,” Kealy McNeal, of SCCF, told the students while in the water. “One or two – that would be great.”
Once they grow, the mangroves can help serve as a barrier along the vulnerable coast.
“Mangroves protect us. They protect us from erosion. They protect us from storm surges. They protect us from high wave energy,” McNeal explained. “They are our first line of defense from storms.”
The school project first began in the fall. Students potted 200 mangrove propagules and planned to plant them. Hurricane Ian had other ideas- destroying nearly all of what they had on campus.
But SCCF was able to gather up more and help the kids finish the job.
“It was great to be able to come out here and actually get to do what we started,” Kayden Block, an 8th grader, told NBC2. “It’s very important. Sanibel’s just very unique.”
And while the hurricane may have derailed their original plans, it actually helped reinforce how important mangroves are – especially in a place like Sanibel.
“The impact wasn’t as severe as it could have been (because of mangroves),” McNeal said. “So letting the kids in on that and teaching them in a hands-on way is going to help instill that ideology for years to come.”
The hope now, for years to come, is that students keep coming back to the spot to watch the growth.
“It’s just really nice to be able to come out here and protect the shoreline,” Block said.
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