Adopt a Mangrove event helps protect Sanibel’s shoreline

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation invited you to adopt your very own mangrove tree on Thursday.

The program allows volunteers to adopt and grow mangrove seedlings to help the island’s storm surge defense.

Kealy Pfau is wheeling out freshly grown mangroves at Sanibel’s Bailey preserve.

Thanks to the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation’s coastal watch team, the trees are up for adoption. For the last four years, they’ve been growing an army of mangroves through the Adopt a Mangrove event.

John McCormick volunteers each year.

“Every year, I really enjoy seeing them get big,” said McCormick. “There’s a lot of areas around here that need them after all the storms we’ve had, especially after Ian.

That’s exactly why Coastal Watch hosts this event.

After Hurricane Ian, mangrove numbers dwindled in parts of Sanibel.

Foster parents, like McCormick, adopt seedlings to grow at home.

When they bring the plants back, the mangroves are rooted to the storm surge front lines where they can grow up to 20 feet tall.

“Mangroves are our first line of defense when we have tropical storm systems come through,” said Pfau. “They’re going to grow strong, get some good roots, and come back and protect our shorelines.”

Over the past 4 years, the response to “Adopt a mangrove” has been huge, especially after Hurricane Ian, and that planted a seed of an idea for Pfau, the executive director of the Coastal Watch team.

“After Ian, we saw a huge response from the community to want to get involved in this program. So we’ve been able to expand it. Last year, we adopted out over 1000 mangroves, and we’re hoping to do the same this year, if not more,” said Pfau.

Mangroves don’t just help buffer storm surge, they also provide habitat to many different fish, birds and mammals.

SCCF is holding another Adopt a Mangrove event on October 24.

If you would like to find out how you can adopt a mangrove tree, click here.