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Letter to the editor

Crescent Lake restoration marks year's progress

Both the lake and park show results from more than a thousand hours of volunteer effort to improve aesthetics and environment.

By RITA FARLOW, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - A group of volunteers says it is gaining momentum in its effort to clean up and beautify one of St. Petersburg's most popular parks.

Over the past year, 160 volunteers have committed 1,000 hours to transforming Crescent Lake, which was choked with litter and invasive plants.

The north and south ends of the lake have visibly changed. Emergent aquatic plants, like bulrush and pickerelweed, put in earlier this spring, have matured and are now home to nesting birds.

New shoreline plants, shrubs and trees have replaced the weedy bank on the north side.

"It was such a disappointment before. You drove by and it was a cold, dead, litter-strewn lake," said volunteer Tracey Herman, who lives on the lake's south side.

In addition to the new plantings:

- The group has received $7,500 for a second year from Tampa Bay Estuary Program. The money will fund improvements in 2008, including more plantings and the installation of bird perches and floating turtle logs.

- Ocean 101, in conjunction with the city, installed a $2,500 litter catcher on the lake's south end. Ocean 101 is an organization awaiting nonprofit status that was co-founded by Mark Maksimowicz, one of the founders of the Green Armada.

- An ecology fair will be held Dec. 8 to celebrate the restoration project. More than 20 environmental agencies will pass out information, and walking tours of the area will be given.

The project was originally funded by a $6,600 minigrant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program but has been driven forward by local residents, who have formed partnerships with nonprofit environmental agencies.

Organizers said they hope the changes add to the lake's aesthetics and create a more diverse natural habitat for wildlife.

The long-term goal is to improve water quality by reducing the amount of trash, debris and fertilizer that enters the lake - a stormwater retention pond for the city - through 12 culverts.

Water flows out of the lake at the north end, into Coffee Pot Bayou, and finally to Tampa Bay.

By the end of December, volunteers will have installed 300 signs on storm drains that carry water to the lake. Organizers said the signs should help deter littering, thereby stemming the tide of plastic bottles and fast food wrappers that make their way to the lake.

The group is using an adaptive management approach, where small changes are introduced and then monitored for effect.

This allows the plan to evolve based on the success or failure of different aspects.

And there have been some failures. Volunteer biologists are still dealing with invasive species like hydrilla and water lettuce.

And only about half of the original plants have survived, said Jim Bays, a Crescent Heights biologist who is volunteering his time for the project.

But the ones that have made it appear to be thriving.

"They're a great source for new plants. We're using the stands as a nursery," Bays said.

Complete rehabilitation of the lake could take years, Bays said. But Herman and several other volunteers said they're already seeing evidence of the lake's transformation.

"I saw a roseate spoonbill the other day. We're seeing so many different herons. You can stand on the lakeside and hear all the different birds, and that just makes my heart sing," Herman said.

If you go

Environmental fair

The Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association will host a neighborhood celebration and environmental fair, "Celebrating a Healthy Environment," from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Dec. 8 at the north end of the lake, next to the playground.

Organizers will give a brief presentation about the project, and representatives from more than 20 organizations will attend. Walking tours of the lake will be offered.

Family friendly activities provided by the city of St. Petersburg's Teen Arts, Sports and Cultural Opportunities program. Hot dogs, veggie burgers, popcorn, water and juice will be available.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 21:31:21]