Students, Rotary clubs help restore Journey Key; board member highlights $10,000 grant
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Summary
Board member reported student-led restoration work at Journey Key, noting mangrove and seagrass plantings, oyster rope construction and a $10,000 rotary grant to buy equipment and picnic infrastructure to support student work and public access.
A school board member told colleagues Tuesday that Pasco County students are participating in a restoration project at Journey Key, working on mangrove and seagrass plantings and invasive-species removal, and that local Rotary clubs awarded a $10,000 grant to support the effort.
"High school students are working very hard on this project," the board member said, describing student activities including drilling holes in oyster shells and stringing them as "oyster ropes" to give larval oysters a substrate to attach to. The member said the grant will pay for equipment, picnic benches and signage to support trails and public access. The project, tied to an Energy Management Center restore-act grant, used two pontoon boats to reach the island and is intended to restore habitat and create an accessible outdoor site for families and students.
The board member said volunteers from several Rotary clubs provided both the $10,000 grant and labor to help students prepare materials; she encouraged partners interested in supporting the project to get involved. No formal board action or funding commitment from the district was taken at the meeting; the report appeared during individual board member remarks as an update on community partnerships and student engagement.