dune - Letters - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T14:20:36Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/forum/topics/feed/tag/duneOcean Ridge Garden Club Completes Phase 3 of Dune Restoration Projecthttps://thecoastalstar.com/forum/topics/ocean-ridge-garden-club-com-pletes-phase-3-of-dune-restoration-pr2021-02-11T19:04:21.000Z2021-02-11T19:04:21.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><span style="left:120px;top:390.5px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">OCEAN RIDGE, February 9, 2021 </span></p>
<p><span style="left:180px;top:419.293px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">Ocean Ridge Garden Club (ORGC) has completed a third stage of replanting a </span><span style="left:120px;top:442.627px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">small stretch of dune along Old Ocean Boulevard by installing native plants favored by </span><span style="left:120px;top:465.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">pollinators. These include plant hosts for caterpillars, others with flowers that are par</span><span style="left:873.333px;top:465.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">-</span><span style="left:120px;top:489.293px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">ticularly preferred by butterflies, and some that provide food for both. For instance, </span><span style="left:120px;top:512.627px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">caterpillars feed on the leaves and butterflies sip the nectar from flowers of bay cedar, </span><span style="left:120px;top:535.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">black bead, frog fruit phyla. But yellow top plants attract only the butterflies, while </span><span style="left:120px;top:559.293px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">passion flower is a plant of choice only for caterpillars, so these plants must be paired </span><span style="left:120px;top:582.627px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">with another species. Each was also carefully positioned according to its level of salt, </span><span style="left:120px;top:605.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">sun and wind tolerance. The plants are part of Butterfly packs that were donated to </span><span style="left:120px;top:629.293px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">the club by the Institute for Regional Conservation along with guidance for planting.</span><span style="left:180px;top:652.627px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">The dune was gifted to the Town of Ocean Ridge over a decade ago, and ORGC </span><span style="left:120px;top:675.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">has maintained the site by trimming back existing plants. But the dune had gradually </span><span style="left:120px;top:699.293px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">been taken over by invasive plants until last year when it became obvious that a drastic </span><span style="left:120px;top:722.627px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">make-over was needed. The project leader is Allison Adams, a Master Gardener and </span><span style="left:120px;top:745.96px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">the new Chair of ORGC’s Beautification & Conservation Committee.</span><span style="left:180px;top:770.228px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">Since dune ecosystems are protected by law in Florida, a local representative at </span><span style="left:120px;top:793.561px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">the Department of Environmental Protection was consulted to make sure the club had </span><span style="left:120px;top:816.895px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">approval to get started with the first phase in August of 2020. Allison began the project </span><span style="left:120px;top:840.228px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">by researching dune-friendly plants to select hardy salt-tolerant species that had deep </span><span style="left:120px;top:863.561px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">sand-stabilizing roots and required little maintenance. </span></p>
<p><span style="left:120px;top:863.561px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">“The dead plants we removed </span><span style="left:120px;top:886.895px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">from the dune were primarily golden creeper. Although dune friendly, it does not like salt </span><span style="left:120px;top:910.228px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">spray,” said Allison. A group of ORGC members assembled on the dune in August to </span><span style="left:120px;top:933.561px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">plant a dozen small saw palmettos. Then in October, the spaces between the palmettos </span><span style="left:120px;top:956.895px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">were filled in with dune daisies to provide a ground cover. </span><span style="left:180px;top:980.228px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">Allison said that her committee views the dune as a long term project since it will </span><span style="left:120px;top:1003.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">always need maintenance. </span></p>
<p><span style="left:120px;top:1003.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">“Over the next year we will continue beautifying the dune </span><span style="left:120px;top:1026.89px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">with the help of our Garden Club members by adding more plants,” she said. As com</span><span style="left:873.333px;top:1026.89px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">-</span><span style="left:120px;top:1050.23px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">mittee member Julia Ward explained, “In addition to restoring the dune, the goal of the </span><span style="left:120px;top:1073.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">project is to create a showcase of native plantings as an example of sustainable con</span><span style="left:863.333px;top:1073.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">-</span><span style="left:120px;top:1096.89px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">servation that can be replicated all along the Ocean Ridge dune”. In doing so, ORGC </span><span style="left:120px;top:1120.23px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">hopes to increase awareness among beachfront property owners of the benefits of </span><span style="left:120px;top:1143.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">restoring native plants to dune areas. </span><span style="left:180px;top:1166.89px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;"> Pedestrians and bicyclers on Old Ocean are invited to visit the dune regularly to </span><span style="left:120px;top:1190.23px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">view the progress. The dune is located near the end of Tropical Drive, and is marked by </span><span style="left:120px;top:1213.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;">Town of Ocean Ridge signage as a beach access point. </span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="left:120px;top:1213.56px;font-size:20px;font-family:sans-serif;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8544069101,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8544069101,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8544069101?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="145" /></a></span><em><span style="left:398.333px;top:920.88px;font-size:18.3333px;font-family:sans-serif;">Left to right: Allison Adams, Kristine de Haseth, Julia Walker </span><span style="left:398.333px;top:940.88px;font-size:18.3333px;font-family:sans-serif;">and Rita Ginsky all pitched in to install the most recent addi</span><span style="left:885px;top:940.88px;font-size:18.3333px;font-family:sans-serif;">-</span><span style="left:398.333px;top:960.88px;font-size:18.3333px;font-family:sans-serif;">tions to the dune cared for by ORGC</span></em></p>
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