Dead Man's Isle project comes alive
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Picture Courtesy of Shelley Alexander Plans to restore Dead Man's Island in Pensacola Bay are slowly but surely moving forward. Grant funding is falling in to place and the permitting process is ongoing.

An effort to restore Dead Man's Island is gaining momentum with the addition of a $20,000 grant. Those close to the project said the money would be used to plant spartina, a coastal salt marsh plant used to stabilize estuarine shorelines.

Local Aquatic Preserve Manager Shelley Alexander, who works for the Florida Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas, said the island has lost approximately 60 to 100 feet of shoreline and four acres of marshland over the last 15 to 20 years. Alexander is working closely with the City of Gulf Breeze to stabilize its shoreline and preserve the historical resources there.

According to environmen- officials looking to restore the island, the small landform is a historical landmark that served as a location for ship maintenance in 1764, a yellow fever quarantine station in 1891, a glue factory and eventually a fish fertilizer plant in 1906. After that, the island was vacated and eventually obtained by the city in 1977 and 1978.

"There are several historical structures including large oak trees now underwater because the erosion has contributed to them washing out into the water," Alexander said of the island, which is located in Pensacola Bay just northwest of High Point Drive in Gulf Breeze proper.

Restoration efforts, which are currently in the permitting process with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), include building a 1,200-foot offshore breakwater used as a wave attenuator and encourage shellfish growth.

"There is no intention for these to be edible oysters," said city representative Steve Milford.

Alexander explained that waters around urbanized areas are closed for shellfish harvesting and consumption due to storm water runoff in Pensacola Bay.

Sand dredged from surrounding bayous, will also be used to help stabilize the island's shoreline. This effort is in the pre application phase with the DEP.

Alexander estimated the entire project will cost approximately $1 million, $45,000 of which has already been awarded in grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Five Star Restoration Program. Alexander said she also wrote and helped the city apply for grants from the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"The city is the sole applicant for all the grants. Our office is writing the grants and contributing as a partner," Alexander said.

The $20,000 grant was awarded by the Five Star Restoration Program- a partnership that includes Southern Company, its subsidiary Gulf Power, the National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Habitat Council, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Milford said city personnel would be involved with the inspecting and monitoring the site.

Alexander said site monitoring is already underway to evaluate water quality and determine what types of invertebrates may be living in the sand.

For more information about the project visit http://deadmansisland. br33z3.com.