As part of an effort to speed up the removal of dead vegetation and allow nature to flourish once again, contractors hired by SCCF began debris removal along Sanibel-Captiva Road in preserve lands last Friday.

“Beyond optimizing our preserves as wildlife habitat, we fully understand that our community’s real estate values and tourism-based economy are inextricably linked to our natural beauty,” said SCCF CEO James Evans. “That is why we are accelerating vegetation removal and implementing land management practices to give nature a boost to flourish and re-grow faster.”

The contractors are cutting down and mulching dead vegetation in the most visible sections of preserve lands up to 75 feet back from the road on the six SCCF properties that border San-Cap Road, including:

• Gretchen Valade Preserve
• Pick Preserve
• West Sanibel River Preserve
• Gulf Ridge Preserve
• Erick Lindblad Preserve
• Sanibel Gardens Preserve

“By clearing the dead vegetation, we will expedite the regrowth of native vegetation and plantings along one of Sanibel’s busiest roads,” said Evans. “We have heard from islanders who miss the visual beauty of our islands. Some have already generously offered donations to help us with this acceleration.”

Landowners across the island, including SCCF, are still dealing with dead vegetation from Hurricanes Ian, Helene, and Milton, as a direct result of storm surge that submerged the island with saltwater.

Many trees in areas that were not in higher uplands could not tolerate saltwater submerging their root systems for very long. Trees such as buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) seemed to die relatively quickly in some areas after the storms because they were in lower areas, but many gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) and strangler figs (Ficus aurea) which are typically found in higher areas, took over a year and a half to perish. This was exacerbated by Helene and Milton.

The San-Cap Road project will take a few weeks to complete and then contractors will be moving onto other properties to begin dead vegetation removal. The next phase will include the removal of dead vegetation adjacent to neighborhoods. If you have any questions, please reach out to SCCF Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz at clechowicz@sccf.org.

“We invite you to help us restore our community’s vitality and well-being by accelerating the re-greening of Sanibel. As you know, nature and our economy are inextricably linked so it simply makes sense to support and invest in what you love,” said Evans.

Please click here to donate online or contact SCCF Development Director Cheryl Giattini, cgiattini@sccf.org, or 239-822-6121 to discuss funding opportunities.