The long-awaited seagrass restoration project in Moore’s Creek will be installed on Thursday, June 2nd through Friday, June 3rd, starting across from the Manatee Center manatee mural, at 480 N Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, FL west until Moore’s Creek at 7th street.
Photo courtesy of Sea & Shoreline
Last year, the Manatee Observation and Education Center (MOEC) and Treasure Coast Manatee Foundation (TCMF) raised over $75,000 to restore nearly one acre of seagrass in Moore’s Creek and educate local schools and public about it. The restoration project will be led by Sea & Shoreline, a Florida-based restoration company who also led the successful seagrass restoration efforts in Crystal River. Sea & Shoreline will monitor progress for three years following installation. In Fall 2022, Sea & Shoreline will also install a seagrass enhancement and research project located at the Fort Pierce Yacht Club and funded by a grant from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.
The Florida manatee population is in peril. A record-breaking 1,101 manatees were found deceased in 2021, many sick or starving from lack of natural food sources in the Indian River Lagoon. Manatees eat as much as 120 pounds, or 10% of their body weight, in aquatic vegetation every single day.
MOEC is a not-for-profit environmental learning center, located in downtown Fort Pierce, at the basin of Moore’s Creek and the Indian River Lagoon. Now in its 26th year, the mission of MOEC is to promote understanding and responsible actions for the protection of the Treasure Coast’s fragile ecosystem and its inhabitants. To volunteer or support the Center’s continued work, please visit the Manatee Center at 480 North Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, or call 772-429-6266 to learn more.