HOLMES BEACH – More than 40 volunteers planted 1,000 sea oats on Saturday, replacing those that were lost during Hurricane Idalia’s high tides.
Sea oats were lost when Anna Maria Island was hit with storm surge and high winds in the Aug. 31 hurricane.
Keep Manatee Beautiful (KMB) led the volunteer effort with a financial contribution of $5,000 from the City of Holmes Beach and direct assistance from the City’s Code Enforcement division, KMB Executive Director Jennifer Hoffman said.
Volunteers gathered at the 52nd Street entrance to the beach at 8 a.m. and within an hour, the sea oats had been planted.
“One thousand plants, 42 volunteers and done in less than an hour,” she said.
Sea oats are a perennial grass that play a vital role in shoreline protection.
“Sand dunes and sea oats are natural barriers against storm surge and they did their job by breaking up the wind and surf and bracing against storm surge,” Hoffman said. “But large portions of sand dunes and sea oats washed away as tides receded. Holmes Beach officials and I spotted those losses early on and decided to do something about it.”
“Sea oat is an extremely valuable plant for coastline and barrier island protection,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (USDA). “Its massive root system is capable of holding soil and sand in place during extreme weather events.”