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HOLLYWOOD– The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and Fabien Cousteau, grandson of famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and
founder of Plant A Fish today celebrated Florida Mangrove Day with students from
the Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration magnet school program at
South Plantation High. About 75 students, in partnership with Plant A Fish, took
to the beach at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park to harvest approximately 1,000
propagules, or mangrove seeds that will be grown in a nursery environment at
South Plantation High School.
With the goal of learning the importance of mangroves to Florida aquaculture
and aquatic life, the students will grow the propagules in a nursery environment
within their school for one to two years, and then return the mangroves to their
natural habitat as part of a restoration project.
“As Floridians, it is important to protect our aquatic resources and empower
and support local communities in their conservation efforts,” said DEP Deputy
Secretary Jennifer Fitzwater. “Our environment is the backbone to Florida’s way
of life and today’s event helps ensure residents and visitors can enjoy our
state’s natural landscapes.”
Governor Charlie Crist issued a
proclamation declaring October 1, 2010 as Florida Mangrove Day. The idea of
a Mangrove Day initiative developed from the partnership between Plant A Fish, a
non-profit organization focused on education, empowerment and restoration, and
the Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration magnet school program at
South Plantation High. The Plant A Fish program model focuses on building
partnerships, such as DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks, for the
restoration and preservation of mangroves and coral reefs located in Florida.
“Plant A Fish is excited to partner with the Environmental Science and
Everglades Restoration magnet school program at South Plantation High and DEP’s
Division of Recreation and Parks on the inaugural Mangrove Day event. Our
mission is to educate and empower local communities to play an active role in
the restoration of the oceans for future generations. Florida Mangrove Day
affords us the opportunity to take such steps and also highlight the particular
importance of the role mangroves play in Florida’s delicate aquatic ecosystems,”
said Fabien Cousteau, founder of Plant A Fish.
Mangroves are one of Florida's true natives. They thrive in salty
environments because they are able to obtain freshwater from saltwater.
Florida's estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove forests contribute to the overall
health of the state's southern coastal zone. Mangroves are a distinctive
ecosystem that provide protected nursery areas for fish, crustaceans and
shellfish. They also provide food for a multitude of marine species such as
snook, snapper, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, red drum, oysters and shrimp. Healthy
mangrove forests support Florida's important recreational and commercial
fisheries.
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About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):
DEP is the state’s principal environmental agency, created to protect, conserve
and manage Florida’s environment and natural resources. DEP enforces federal and
state environmental laws, protects Florida’s air and water quality, cleans up
pollution, regulates solid waste management, promotes pollution prevention and
acquires environmentally-sensitive lands for preservation. The agency also
maintains a statewide system of parks, trails and aquatic preserves. For more
information about the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, visit
www.dep.state.fl.us.
About Florida State Parks:
Created in 1935 by the Florida
Legislature, the Florida State Park system has grown from eight to 160 parks in
the last 75 years. Today, the Florida Park Service manages more than 700,000
acres of Florida’s natural environment, including 100 miles of beaches, eight
National Historic Landmarks and 39 sites on the National Register of Historic
Places. Florida State Parks has been recognized by the National Recreation and
Park Association as the nation’s first and only two-time Gold Medal winner for
the nation’s best park service. For more information about Florida’s state
parks, visit
www.FloridaStateParks.org.
About South Plantation High School:
The Environmental Science and
Everglades Restoration Magnet Program at South Plantation High School serves to
facilitate a consortium of public and private
institutions dedicated to restoring and maintaining the Everglades and the
South Florida ecosystems at a sustainable level. The magnet program began in
2001 and offers environmentally focused courses such as Botany, Humanities,
Marine Science, Solar/Alternative Energy, Limnology and Zoology. Service
learning is important in the magnet program and students take part in
environmental initiatives throughout the school year. For more information about
the Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration magnet program please
contact alyce.culpepper@browardschools.com
or elisabeth.jacobi@browardschools.com.
About Plant A Fish:
Plant A Fish is a newly-launched nonprofit, headquartered in New York City, by
third-generation ocean explorer and environmental advocate, Fabien Cousteau,
whose mission is to empower communities to become involved with responsible
‘re-planting’ of key marine species in their local habitats in distressed bodies
of water around the world. Initial targeted projects in 2010-2011 will include
responsible re-planting of mangroves in South Florida, oysters in the New York
Harbor, sea turtles in El Salvador and corals in the Maldives. For more
information, please visit
www.plantafish.org. |
2012 State of Florida