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At Honeymoon Island, a beach is transformed

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY, Times Staff Writer
Published January 20, 2008

JAN. 10: "This is some of the most beautiful white sand I've ever seen pumped onto a beach," said Nicole Elko, who is overseeing the beach restoration for Pinellas County.
	[Jim Damaske | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Courtesy of Pinellas County] Before: Birds and turtles had no place to nest at the beach on Honeymoon Island because of erosion. Even a parking lot was beginning to crumble away. A $2-million restoration project began in August.

DUNEDIN - Shore birds finally have a place to land at Honeymoon Island, thanks to a $2-million beach restoration project.

The state-funded project began in August and is expected to finish next month, said Nicole Elko, a coastal coordinator for Pinellas County who is overseeing the beach restoration.

Before the project, the shore and dunes at the state park had eroded so badly that shore birds and sea turtles had no place to nest, Elko said. Even the parking lot was crumbling into the Gulf of Mexico.

To replace the rocky stretch of beach, 137,000 cubic yards of sand was dredged and pumped from Hurricane Path, an inlet to the south of Honeymoon Island, Elko said. The result was a deepened channel for boaters and a wider, safer beach for island visitors.

"This is some of the most beautiful white sand that I've ever seen pumped onto a beach," she said.

A granite rock structure was also built along the shore to control erosion.

The park had more than 1-million visitors in 2007, park manager Peter Krulder said.

Half of the 2,500 feet of beach closed for construction during the project reopened just before Christmas. The response from visitors has been positive, Krulder said. Christmas week alone, the park received 22,000 people.

"People have just flocked to that area," Krulder said.

Dunedin resident Stanley Koziol, 65, noticed the dramatic difference. Koziol said he comes to Honeymoon Island every week to relax and walk. The walking has become much easier since the beach restoration project began, he said.

"It's a nice, clean area," Koziol said. "Not just for beach but for walking."

Tamara El-Khoury can be reached at tel-khoury@sptimes.com or 727 445-4181.

To help: The park needs volunteers to help plant dune plants on Feb. 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To volunteer, call Karen Malo at (727) 469-5942 ext. 6 or 469-5943 or sign up online at http://www.islandparks.org/worksignup.htm.

[Last modified January 20, 2008, 01:34:59]