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Center Academy students pitch in to restore salt marsh

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 12, 2009

APOLLO BEACH - There were a few that didn't want to get their feet muddy, but most of the 19 youngsters from Riverview's Center Academy were happy to plunge in to a restoration project at Newman Branch Creek, near the Big Bend Power Station Tuesday.
Donning double gloves and closed-toe shoes, the fourth through sixth grade students grabbed bags of smooth cord grass, hooked up with volunteers and got to work, transforming a former jungle of noxious exotic plants into a working salt marsh to support crabs, otters, shorebirds and tiny fish.
Salt marshes capture pollutants, protect the shoreline, serve as homes for animals and stop erosion.
Tampa Electric Company has partnered with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to restore the 12-acre tract, deemed a conservation easement by the utility company, which means it will be conserved for the environment in perpetuity.
Yvette C. Hammett
To view a photo gallery of this event, go to: http://snap.tbo.com/photos/index.php?id=2295528

Yvette C. Hammett

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