SCCF’s Coastal Watch recently partnered with MANG and volunteers from Captains for Clean Water to plant 700 mangroves at Black Skimmer Island in San Carlos Bay. 

Coastal Watch and MANG each provided red and white mangroves for the planting, which helped restore and replace mangroves that were badly damaged by recent hurricanes. 

More than 100 of the mangroves planted were nurtured by the community through Coastal Watch’s Adopt-A-Mangrove program and are now in their forever home on Black Skimmer Island. 

“Restoration projects like these are part of the reason why our program is so valuable for our community,” said Coastal Watch Director Kealy Pfau. “Not only are we educating others on the importance of mangroves by giving them the experience of caring for them in their homes, offices, and businesses, but we are using those mangroves at restoration sites.”

The Oct. 24 planting is part of SCCF’s ongoing partnership with MANG, an outdoor apparel company based on the east coast of Florida. Watch FOX-4 video coverage.

“There’s nothing more meaningful than being out on site with SCCF, surrounded by people who share the same passion for restoring our coastlines,” said MANG Chief Restoration Officer and Co-Founder Keith Rossin. 

“Every mangrove we plant together is a reminder that real change happens when community and purpose come together. Watching volunteers, families, and partners get their hands in the soil is what it’s all about. It’s not just restoration, it’s connection, and it’s how we bring Florida’s coastlines back to life one mangrove at a time.”

Part of a larger ongoing restoration project in partnership with J.N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, plantings are intended to restore refuge-owned rookery islands in the area. 

The mangroves on these critical barrier islands provide nesting habitat for many different bird species, as well as other critical environmental benefits to the health of our coastal ecosystems.

Future mangrove planting events for volunteers will be held on these islands in the coming months. 

Coastal Watch will host its next Adopt-a-Mangrove event on Nov. 7 from 9 – 11 a.m. at the Bailey Homestead. All are welcome to stop by to “adopt” and care for their very own mangrove. Participants will care for their own mangroves until they are planted at a restoration site in the spring. 
Learn more about the Adopt-a-Mangrove program.