Eighth Grade Coastal Restoration on Campus

Approximately three years ago the power company took the initiative to cut down some Australian pines on the north side of Haskell Feld next to a channel due to the pending arrival of a storm. Australian pines are invasive plants that do not stand up well to strong winds, so their goal was to protect their power lines by cutting the pines that were directly under them. The storm never came, but we have not let their work go to waste! Over the past 3 years, Shorecrest eighth graders have made it part of the Coastal Awareness Program to cut back pines that have regrown in the area with the hopes of restoring the zone in the future.

Thanks to a mini-grant made possible by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program we are now able to work on restoring the area. Current eighth graders were out in the field last Friday cutting down any of the plants that have regrown with the hopes of removing the root systems and preparing the area to be replanted with native species. The Chargers did a great job of removing these invasive plants and are excited by the idea of making the area look better as well as making it a healthier ecosystem for our channel and our native animals.