This month the National Park Service continues its ecological community restoration program in the Judith’s Fancy/Hemer’s Peninsula part of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. This project is in collaboration with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services/Ecological Services, Boqueron Puerto Rico Coastal Program. We hope to restore approximately 15 acres of Salt River Bay’s coastal wetlands and uplands and enhance native plant diversity to park areas dramatically altered during a failed hotel/marina development in the 1960-70s.
In May, NPS Florida/Caribbean Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT), Everglades NP, Homestead, Florida completed Phase I: the control of non-native exotic plants on the man-made peninsula/former hotel site and uplands adjoining the Mangrove Lagoon through the mechanical removal of exotic plants and direct application of low-impact herbicides to target species. Over the past year we have completed Phase II: contracting of a local grower, ArtFarm LLC, to grow native plant seedlings from St. Croix seed stock. At present, the seedlings and small trees are ready to plant out.
The week of July 16-20 we begin Phase III: the planting out of prepared seedlings in reclaimed and controlled areas. Our efforts combine NPS-St. Croix’s Resource Management and Facilities staff, NPS’s South Florida/Caribbean Exotic Plant Management Team, NPS-St. Croix’s Summer 2012 Youth Conservation Corps, Art Farm, and Geographic Consulting VI.