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While volunteers will be cleaning up the state park, organizers say the restoration can also be done around homes.
By BARBARA BEHRENDT
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2001
HOMOSASSA SPRINGS -- Attention, homeowners who live near the water: Several environmental groups are planning a project on Saturday that they want you to see.
The Save our Homosassa River Alliance along with the Friends of the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park will be restoring a 300-foot stretch of shoreline in the state wildlife park's Garden of the Springs. Their goal is to build a berm which will capture stormwater runoff and replace exotic plants with native Florida plants.
The project, paid for by a grant through the Coastal Rivers Basin Board, is part of the Earth Day celebration Saturday at the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park.
According to organizers, this is the same sort of project anyone whose property flushes stormwater directly into a water body should undertake.
"Stormwater, if you just let it run off, the first inch of rain will carry off 90 percent of the pollutants," said Ron Miller, grant coordinator for the river alliance. "After a big rainfall, you do get a flush of pollutants into the river . . . so the game is to try to catch that first inch of rain."
Once that first inch is captured, "then you do a pretty good job of picking up the pollutants because that rain filters down through the sand and soil" rather than flowing directly into the river or lake, Miller said.
Since admission is free on Saturday, park officials are hoping for a good crowd to watch the action and learn about the restoration process.
The shoreline, which stretches from the boardwalk over to the new pavilion area, has already been stripped of exotic bamboo. In its place, volunteers will be planting a variety of native species including several kinds of azalea, hazel alder, Carolina yellow jasmine, blue-eyed grass and other Florida vegetation.
Volunteers are still being sought for the project including any high school volunteers who need community service hours toward graduation. Park volunteer coordinator Marla Ivory said volunteers should bring sunscreen, shovels and work gloves. To sign up, volunteers can call 628-5343, ext 116, before Friday and leave a message.
She said there was already a contingent of volunteers through the Southwest Florida Water Management District, but more help is needed.
The Coastal Rivers Basin Board grant is an educational grant, and organizers are trying to spread the word on how to reduce the polluting effects of stormwater runoff.
The Save Our Homosassa River Alliance is recommending that homeowners seek proper permits and guidelines for removing invasive exotic plants, establish a no-fertilizer/no-pesticide area along the shoreline and plant a border of low-maintenance plants between the lawn and the shoreline to absorb nutrients and provide wildlife habitat.