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June 11, 2008

Gardening: Take it under water

It’s going to be a hot one.

You could go to the beach. Fight beach traffic, walk across a giant parking lot with 100 pounds of gear, scald your feet on hot sand, have some kid shake their towel out on top of you while the people next to you play the Worst Music Ever and talk nonstop about golf.

Or you could get a private boat launch to a secluded spot, where you and a few like-minded folk will pursue a couple of hours of cooling aquatic activities, enjoy free lunch and snacks, before motoring back, with a souvenir of your day’s activities.

Yep. Save the Bay is still looking for Eelgrass Project volunteers for this week, Thursday through Sunday.

They need divers and nondivers for the harvest phase and the transplant phase. Divers dig up eelgrass from existing beds , or plant it in new areas by tacking it to the sandy bottom with bamboo skewers. Other volunteers sort the shoots and bundle them up, or kayak or walk between the divers (eelgrass only grows in shallow water, where the sun can reach it) to deliver supplies and keep things organized, supervised by Save the Bay staffers. Others may stay on the shore or boat. If you’re interested, call or e-mail them and talk it over.

STB supplies wetsuits in a range of sizes to keep everybody comfy. Bring sun and wind protection though -- you're out on the water. Divers must supply all their own gear, although STB may supply some tanks if requested in advance.

Don’t be frightened. Eelgrass contains no actual eels. But it does provide a vital environment for Bay creatures to live in. I wrote last summer about how tiny crabs are literally brawling with each other to move in as you are planting, and little fish swim in and start nibbling on the blades. It’s a very rewarding project.

If this week’s not good for you, check out other harvest/plant dates at savebay.org

Underwater gardening not your thing? They also occasionally need volunteers to plant coastal buffers and other on-shore plantings.

Posted by Paula Constantine  at 11:02 AM | Permalink

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