Florida transformed degraded farmland into 700-acre Robinson Preserve
Robinson PreservePhoto credit: Lindsay Rosegger/NOAA Fisheries From farmland to fish habitat Measuring success Economic benefits A model for restoration On the edge of Tampa Bay
Robinson PreservePhoto credit: Lindsay Rosegger/NOAA Fisheries From farmland to fish habitat Measuring success Economic benefits A model for restoration On the edge of Tampa Bay, where mangrove forests meet open water and birds call from the treetops, lies a place that was never meant to exist. Robinson Preserve, a 700-acre coastal refuge in Manatee County, Florida, was once degraded farmland slated for development. Today, it is a thriving haven for fish, wildlife and people, a testament to what can happen when a community chooses to invest in the environment, according to the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.The transformation began in 2003, when Manatee County acquired the 482-acre property with support from state and federal partners. Over the next two decades, about $17 million was spent restoring wetlands, planting native vegetation, removing invasive species and building recreational amenities. The result is a preserve that now supports a healthy sportfish population, attracts about 240,000 visitors each year and generates millions of dollars in economic activity for the local community.The original 482-acre farmland property had been approved for a 400-home waterfront golf course community, according to the report. But instead of making way for new homes, the site underwent a different kind of transformation.Manatee County led an effort to restore wetland habitat, remove invasive species and plant native vegetation. NOAA Fisheries supported the restoration through its Community-based Restoration Program, alongside other partners. The first phase of restoration was completed in 2008, and the area was opened to the public.Robinson Preserve quickly became a favourite destination for wildlife and people alike.
A few years later, an additional donation of land expanded the preserve by 150 acres. With funding from the RESTORE Council, NOAAâs Office of Habitat Conservation and its partners restored nearly 135 acres of coastal habitat, including shellfish habitat, seagrasses, mangroves, and salt and freshwater wetlands. The project was one of five NOAA has supported under Connecting Coastal Waters, an initiative that restores Gulf Coast wetlands under the RESTORE Act after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.The second phase of restoration focused on creating habitat to support popular Florida sport fish, including common snook and tarpon. Juvenile snook need the calm, protected waters found in coastal wetlands and mangrove forests to survive. Fisheries biologists, restoration ecologists and civil engineers designed features to protect juvenile fish from predators, as per the report.To make it more challenging for larger fish to reach juveniles, the project team created water features with restricted access. This mimicked natural coastal ponds and creeks used by snook and tarpon as nursery habitat. They also planted mangroves in strategic locations to act as barriers. By minimizing the number of large fish predators entering the nursery, juveniles could eat and grow in relative safety.NOAA Fisheries funded a three-year monitoring study at Robinson Preserve to determine whether the restored habitats were functioning as intended. Researchers monitored water levels, sampled fish communities and tagged fish to track their movement through the preserve and into the surrounding estuary.Surveys found high numbers of juvenile sport fish, including snook, sheepshead and red drum, using the restored wetlands. Scientists also noted that snook in Robinson Preserve were growing as fast, or faster, than those in other restored or natural habitats in the region.âWe found that the restoration created high-quality nursery habitat,â said Kris Kaufman, a NOAA marine habitat restoration specialist who has managed the project since 2017, in the report.
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