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Rotary Club and SCCF Partner on $20,000 Mangrove Nursery Project
SCCF is thrilled to announce that a $20,000 Rotary District Grant is supporting SCCF’s new Mangrove Nursery project.
Under the leadership of Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club President Rev. Dr. Sally Haynes, the club committed $10,000 to the project and secured an additional $10,000 in Rotary District matching funds, doubling the investment supporting SCCF’s coastal restoration work.
Skye McDonald-Newman, SCCF Community Conservation Coordinator and a member of the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club since 2024, presented the Mangrove Nursery’s goals at the club’s Sept. 18 meeting.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club for supporting the growth of the SCCF Mangrove Nursery,” said McDonald-Newman. “This grant will expand our capacity to grow mangroves for coastal restoration while creating meaningful opportunities for volunteers, students, and community members of all ages to get their hands in the dirt and learn about coastal restoration.”
SCCF’s volunteer-based mangrove programs include Adopt-a-Mangrove, propagule collection, mangrove restoration plantings, and the SCCF Mangrove Nursery. Through her roles with both SCCF and Rotary, McDonald-Newman will coordinate the project and lead volunteer opportunities supporting the nursery and future mangrove restoration efforts throughout Southwest Florida.
Located on SCCF land on Sanibel-Captiva Road, the SCCF Mangrove Nursery will support long-term hurricane recovery by strengthening degraded shorelines, improving the success of restoration plantings, and expanding education surrounding coastal resilience.
Beyond restoration, the nursery will serve as a hub for environmental education, volunteerism and community engagement. Volunteers, students, residents, and visitors will have opportunities to participate in hands-on experiences focused on mangrove ecosystems, habitat restoration, and the role healthy shorelines play in protecting Southwest Florida communities.
Adopt-a-Mangrove Program
SCCF’s mangrove restoration efforts begin each fall with its Adopt-a-Mangrove program.
“By adopting mangroves and nurturing them at home, you can help restore our local ecosystems. You’ll eventually return the mangroves you care for to SCCF, or you can join us to plant them at one of our shoreline restoration sites later this year,” said McDonald-Newman.
At fall adoption events, SCCF hands out mangrove seedlings, soil, and a pot, along with care instructions. Save the dates for these upcoming adoption events. More information on sign-ups and location is coming soon.
- Friday Oct. 16
- Saturday, Oct. 24
- Saturday, Nov. 21
- Friday, Dec. 4
Nursery to Increase Community Participation
The Mangrove Nursery project builds upon an ongoing relationship between SCCF and the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club. Rotarians and area Interact Clubs have previously volunteered with SCCF on gopher tortoise habitat enhancement, pollinator garden maintenance, oyster habitat restoration, hurricane cleanups, and mangrove restoration. Rotarians have also participated in the Adopt-a-Mangrove program and helped plant mangroves at restoration sites.
The new nursery will help service clubs and other volunteers have even more hands-on connections. Community members will be able to participate in every stage of the restoration process, from propagule collection and nursery care to shoreline planting, while gaining practical knowledge about mangrove ecology, coastal resilience and habitat restoration.
For Haynes and McDonald-Newman, the project represents the type of community partnership Rotary District Grants are designed to support: bringing together local leadership, volunteer service and matching resources to create a greater impact than either organization could achieve alone.