Florida News Connection
Originally Posted on May 19, 2022
By: Trimmel Gomes
This afternoon, members of the public will get
to have a say on the management plan for the first new aquatic preserve created
in Florida in 32 years.
In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation to create the Nature Coast
Aquatic Preserve, which will protect some 400,000 acres of seagrass spanning
more than 700 square miles along Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties.
Keith Kolasa, aquatic services and waterways manager with the Hernando County
Department of Public Works, said the goal is to be proactive in protecting many
sensitive ecosystems.
"Protect and preserve a resource that's in good shape," said Kolasa,
"versus trying to restore it similar to what we've seen in Tampa Bay and
to the south, where there have been a lot of red tide and algae blooms."
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will host two remaining
public hearings, a
virtual one at 6 p.m. today to present the draft Nature
Coast Aquatic Preserve Management Plan to the public for their
review and feedback, and an
in-person meeting next Tuesday in Crystal River.
Details are on floridadep.gov.
The Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve is the second-largest aquatic preserve in
Florida. Justin Grubich, science and policy officer with The Pew Charitable
Trusts, said the management plan ensures that the way of life can thrive in the
area that is heavily dependent on seagrass.
"Not only the biological inhabitants, all the sea turtles and manatees and
fish and scallops that we like to catch and view," said Grubich, "but
it also helps those coastal communities that depend on those resources for
their livelihood."
Grubich said the management plan is a crucial component because it sets the
road map for nearly everything that will happen at the preserve, from education
to habitat monitoring.
It also identifies the priorities of maintaining those ecosystems and balancing
them with public use.
Grubich said another critical component is gathering data management for
research and learning about species beyond the areas currently known.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Content for this Post is provided by Florida News
Connection, a Bureau of Public News Service.
Public News Service is a member of the The Trust Project.
