County receives award for Fort DeSoto recirculation project
Article published on Thursday, April 6, 2006 |
ST. PETERSBURG – The Gulf of Mexico Program presented Pinellas County’s Fort DeSoto Recirculation Project the first place Gulf Guardian Award for 2005 in the government category.
County Commission Vice Chairman Ronnie Duncan received the award during the recent State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Constructed between February and November 2004, Fort DeSoto’s recirculation project replaced an earthen causeway with a bridge to re-establish the connection between the back bays of Mullet Key in Fort DeSoto County Park. This improved water quality and helped the environmental recovery of seagrass and marine life in the bays.
Judges cited the collaborative effort between numerous state and federal agency partners and private and not-for-profit partners along with the significant environmental and economic impact to the area when making the award.
The project is the first of its kind in Florida and one of only a few similar restoration projects in the United States.
“The Fort DeSoto Recirculation project is an outstanding example of a true public, private, and not-for-profit agency partnership benefiting seagrass, marine life, the residents of Pinellas County and all visitors to Fort DeSoto County Park,” Duncan said in a press release.
Fort DeSoto County Park was originally a group of separate islands. During the park’s development in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the main island was connected to the smaller islands by construction of a causeway. The causeway cut off circulation between the back bays, killing seagrass and harming marine life.
The project reopened a historical water circulation connection after nearly 50 years of stagnation.
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Article published on Thursday, April 6, 2006
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