Developers had purchased the land now known as the Picayune Strand to turn it into residential neighborhoods. However, Congress authorized the land to be restored to its natural wetland landscape in 2007, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
The process included ripping up all of the work the developers had laid out, but scientists with Florida Gulf Coast University said research is still underway to better understand if the local habitat has fully recovered.
Dr. Edwin Everham and his team took Fox 4's Lauren Petrelli on a drive two miles into this state park to one of their 20 testing sites where they collect aquatic bugs.
They waddled through thigh-high water to get to a spot where they could dig their nets into the water to start collecting samples.
"We are looking through the tray to see if we can find any aquatic macro-invertebrates. This one is running around because it’s scared but this is one of our aquatic beetles.”
These small "bugs" are key to telling us if all the restoration work which has included plugging canals, removing roads, and building pump stations has helped revive the wetlands.
The final goal is a hefty one. This project will rehabilitate the natural habitat for fish and wildlife like Florida's beloved panther. Plus, Dr. Edwin explained restoring the wetlands can help protect our water supply and prevent saltwater intrusion.
"I’m also hopeful that by creating this wetland landscape with more water flow, we’ll protect our coastlines from the sea level rise and the climate change," said Dr. Everham Edwin.
The team said they will compare the samples from restored sites to unrestored sites to see how the habitat has recovered so far.
Portions of the Picayune Strand were already teeming with wildlife. Dr. Edwin said this is a good sign and it gives him a lot of hope for the future of the park.
"If I live long enough to see the project done, I expect to see a wonderful diversity of wildlife on this land. And I expect to see a great opportunity for people to recreate on this landscape. I think someone is going to get a great commission to start the swap buggy tours on the picayune strand restoration project."
February 2, 2022 is also World Wetlands Day which is aimed at raising awareness about wetland landscapes and its importance to the environment.
