Deadman's Island gets new life from student projects
Volunteers plant dune grasses to stabilize the sand on the north end of the island
BY SCOTT PAGE Gulf Breeze News scott@gulfbreezenews.com

ABOVE: Buz Eddy, Gulf Breeze City Manager (bottom right), helps plant sand stabilizing grasses on Deadman's Island. The April 25 planting effort was the first work of the restoration project that was actually done on the island. Over 600 plants were deposited in all. Scott Page/ Gulf Breeze News

The effort to restore Deadman's Island has been ongoing for a while now, but actual work on the island is now underway. A handful of workers made the boat ride out to Deadman's Island on April 25 to plant a variety of dune grasses and other plants to help stabilize the sand on the north end of the island.

Those helping included Shelley Alexander and Ben Russell of Coastal Aquatics Managed Areas (CAMA); Buz Eddy, Gulf Breeze City Manager; Heather Reed, project manager from Ecological Consulting Services; Lorie Caine and Frederique Perret of Dune Doctors; and Charlie Switzer, a Gulf Breeze resident interested in saving the island.

All of the plants transported to the island are native to the area and were paid for by the $20,000 Five Star Grant. Dune Doctors, a beach erosion and dune restoration contractor located in Pensacola, provided the plants and directed the planting effort.

RIGHT: Students from Gulf Breeze High School construct a nursery. The nursery was built to serve as a place to prepare the plants that are to be sent to Deadman's Island. Teachers Grace French and Mariette Stevenson are guiding the efforts of GBHS students. Scott Page/Gulf Breeze News

The first boat, loaded with plants and workers, left the Gulf Breeze boat ramp around 9 a.m. and it took the crew around four hours to plant 250 spartina patens, 200 seashore paspalum, 130 sea purslane, 30 evening primroses and 20 iva frutescents.

"This is the first day of an ongoing planting process that will run until late spring, early summer," said Alexander. "The best time to plant is in the spring and fall, so we will resume the planting in the fall."

Gulf Breeze High School is also contributing to the effort by building a nursery to house plants that are to be transported to the island.

The school's effort is being led by teachers Grace French and Mariette Stevenson.

"Our main short-term goal is to propagate enough plants to complete one planting," Stevenson said.

Stevenson added that she was unsure what the school's longterm involvement would be.