Volunteers hoist 100-pound reef balls onto a special sling
developed by Coastal Conservation Association member Mike Flynn.
CCA, Tampa BayWatch, the city of Tampa and Bayshore Beautiful
Homeowners Association all helped with this March 2003 project. More
than 100 volunteers installed 127 reef balls along the shallow shore
of Bayshore Boulevard - Tampa’s signature scenic drive. We hope the
reef balls will enhance fisheries habitat in this part of Tampa Bay
and protect a small intertidal wetland from being gnawed away by
waves.
The volunteers pass the heavy reef balls down the line and out to
waters about 2 feet deep at low tide, where they are deployed in
rows.
The volunteers showed great “team spirit,” working together in
assembly-line fashion for more than 3 hours to deploy the 127 reef
balls.
Once the reef balls were deployed, volunteers planted marsh grass
along the remnant stretch of shoreline struggling to survive. The
grass will help to stabilize the shoreline and provide habitat for
crabs, wading birds and other creatures.
