|
Mangrove Action Group
501 (c) (3) Non-profit Organization Our History In 1994, as development in Pelican Bay was continuing north, residents of the high-rises overlooking Clam Bay noticed a large and growing area of dead mangroves. By the end of the year, the die-off area had grown from six acres to twenty acres. Alarmed by its rapid expansion, residents of Pelican Bay sought help from county and state officials. With little assistance forthcoming, in 1995 a group of Pelican Bay residents founded the Mangrove Action Group (MAG). MAG initiated a successful grassroots campaign to raise money to hire the top coastal engineers, marine biologists, and mangrove specialists to address the die-off problem. Additionally, MAG persuaded the Pelican Bay Services Division (PBSD), a special taxing district for Pelican Bay, and WCI (then Pelican Bay’s developer) to assume the mangrove rescue and restoration effort. This ultimately resulted in the creation of the 1998 Clam Bay Restoration and Management Plan which continues to serve as the basis for managing the Clam Bay conservation area, now a county-designated Natural Resources Protection Area (NRPA). Several immediate actions, including dredging the entire Clam Bay system and installing culverts at Seagate, were taken to address the decline of the mangroves. Nevertheless, the mortality of mangroves persisted, and by 2001, the affected area had grown to some 50 acres. It was only after construction of miles of additional hand-dug flushing channels in the mangrove forest during late 2001 that the mangroves started to show signs of recovery. Surveys conducted the following year showed a decrease in the affected area of 12 acres. Since then, the condition of the affected area has steadily improved. PBSD is responsible for maintaining over 13 miles of manually excavated channels, as well as periodic dredging of Clam Pass. The hand-dug flushing channel measure has proven to be effective in the Clam Bay/Clam Pass ecosystem, and it has been replicated in the recent restoration of the vast mangrove die-off on Marco Island. 
Our Mission
The Mangrove Action Group is dedicated to conserving the Clam Pass/Clam Bay Natural Resource Protection Area (NRPA) and its natural environs, to protecting its mangroves, its wetlands and the flow and quality of its water, believing that its unspoiled character makes a critical contribution to the environment, to the flora and fauna that share it, and to the quality of life for Collier County residents and visitors. MAG is a member organization of the Pelican Bay community. Join Us! Mangroves provide essential coastal protection and are homes to marine organisms and bird nurseries. Unlike most vegetation, they thrive in a brackish environment. Mangroves depend on tidal flushing to maintain the right balance of oxygen and nutrients. Many areas have lost their coastal mangroves due to development, a desire for open water views, or alterations that affect the conditions upon which they depend. MAG serves as a watch guard of the mangroves and the Clam Bay ecosystem. We invite you to join us! |