Seagrass Restoration in Moore's Creek

The Treasure Coast Manatee Foundation and Manatee Observation & Education Center are fundraising to restore seagrass in the mouth of Moore's Creek in Downtown Fort Pierce.

850 MANATEES DIED IN FLORIDA BETWEEN JANUARY 1ST AND JULY 9TH, 2021, 
SURPASSING THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST ANNUAL STATEWIDE NUMBER OF 830 MANATEE MORTALITIES IN ALL OF 2013.

Florida's manatee mortality event has captured the attention and hearts of concerned citizens nationwide. With an estimated manatee population of only 6,800, a loss of 850 manatees represents 12.5% of the entire population.  

Source: https://myfwc.com/media/25428/preliminary.pdf

Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recognized that this year's manatee "Unusual Mortality Event" was highest during the early part of the year, when migrating manatees were in the Indian River Lagoon without enough food to eat: "As temperatures warmed up and manatees on the Atlantic Coast dispersed to other habitat for foraging, the numbers of malnourished carcasses and manatees in need of rescue decreased."

Researchers suspect that the 2011 algae super bloom was the tipping point of seagrass die-off in the Indian River Lagoon. Algae blooms block sunlight from getting through to seagrasses beneath the water's surface, which prevents the seagrasses from photosynthesizing and surviving.

The ongoing seagrass decline is especially concerning because seagrasses are important not only as a food source for manatees, but also as a food source, habitat and nursery for many critical species in the Indian River Lagoon, including turtles, seahorses, crabs, birds, and more.

THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON IS HOME TO NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF AMERICA'S MANATEES.

The Indian River Lagoon is also one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere, home to 35 species that are endangered or threatened. (Source: NPR).

Moore's Creek is a modest creek in Downtown Fort Pierce, and the Manatee Center is located on its banks just east of Indian River Drive. As many as 400 manatees are counted visiting Moore's Creek at the Manatee Center every year, in part due to warmer temperatures in the shallow creek, as well as freshwater source for the manatees to drink.

In response to the alarming decline in seagrass populations, and the manatees' Unusual Mortality Event this year, the Treasure Coast Manatee Foundation and Manatee Observation & Education Center are partnering to bring seagrass restoration to the mouth of Moore's Creek in Spring of 2022.

The seagrass restoration will be led by experts at Sea & Shoreline, and will be situated not only as a restoration project but also as an educational exhibit where visitors can learn about the method and value of seagrass restoration in the Indian River Lagoon. The selected seagrasses will be tolerant to varying salinities, since the mouth of Moore's Creek is a brackish environment with varying degrees of salt presence depending upon the water levels and rain events.

We are also fundraising to bring Environmental Educators to St. Lucie County schools and camps with special seagrass restoration programming, to teach our local youth all about the project and the importance of seagrass restoration for our beloved manatees. The programming will be free to the schools and camps, covered instead by the funds raised through this fundraiser and grant opportunity.