Mangroves. It is the Wild West out there in the roots. The blue crab raised both claws up in the air ready for a fight with me. I stood back at a respectful distance and zoomed in with my Nikon lens to capture the crab and the mangrove roots around it.
Soaking wet sneakers, trousers rolled up my thighs I stood in the water soaking up the mangrove ecosystem, feisty blue crab and all, for a newspaper story.
Mangroves are exciting. Roots provide a nursery place for baby fish and shellfish. Braches become rookeries for pelicans and roseate spoonbills. I remember standing in the shallows and thinking: “I can’t believe they’re paying me to have this much fun.”
The truth is the pay was lousy and the hours long but fun in the mangroves made my day.
Mangroves will have their day
That memory came back when I read that July 26 is Mangrove Day – the International Day for the conservation of the mangrove ecosystem. While 123 countries around the world have mangroves, Florida with its long coastline all the way around has a special relationship with mangroves. We need them badly –yet waterfront development continues to erode both wetlands and mangrove forests.
Yes, we do need a day to remind ourselves, and lawmakers, that mangroves matter – preventing erosion, improving water quality by filtering pollutants and on top of all that mangrove forests are fascinating, the stuff of award winning photographs and stories.
Three species of mangroves are found in Florida – red mangroves that grow along the water’s edge. They are the ones with the tangled, reddish roots. Black mangroves grow slightly higher up and white mangroves, growing without the prop roots, are up higher. Height is relative in Florida – a few inches up out of the water can mean a whole different ecosystem.
Take a paddle or walk boardwalks into mangroves
Mangroves have this amazing ability to obtain freshwater from saltwater. And mangroves are the first line of coastal defense, protecting Florida’s uplands from storm winds, waves and floods.
So have you visited mangroves lately? Well gear up – here are some ideas to get you started:
Joan M. Durante Park on Longboat Key, free, boardwalks into the mangroves.
Selby Gardens in Sarasota, paid admission, boardwalks trough mangrove forests.
Sea Life Guided Kayak Tours, Sarasota, does mangrove tunnel tours on Lido Key, paid.
Lemon Bay Park & Environmental Center, Englewood, has mangrove forests, canoe launch. Visit the Environmental Center for free brochures on mangroves and more.
Everglades National Park does airboat tours through mangrove tunnels and wilderness, paid.
Weedon Island Preserve, St. Petersburg, free, has canoe launch, mangrove forests.
Don Pedro State Park, Cape Maze, paid, access by boat or kayak.
J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, paid, do take the Wildlife Drive, also walk the boardwalks.
Florida Bay Outfitters, Key Largo, paid, offers mangrove tunnel tours.
Featured in the News
Lucy Tobias is the featured journalist for July 2018 at the North America Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) see the story here