PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — After years of sitting in limbo, a significant restoration plan is in place for one St. Pete Lake, thanks to the local community.
For the past few years, the non-profit organization, Stewards of Our Urban Lakes has been helping local communities like Jungle Terrace Civic Organization transform their favorite waterways from a problem into a success.
“By not having a decent plant cover or thick plant cover what you get is algae growing,” said Jim Bays, with Stewards of Our Urban Lakes, referring to Jungle Lake.
“At one point, this was one of the worst water quality lakes in the state, and our goal is to make it the best,” said State Representative District 61 Linda Chaney.
CLocal resident Dr. Ed Carlson contacted Chaney about Jungle Lake in 2020
“And I got very concerned because it discharges directly into Boca Ciega Bay,” said Chaney.
“The community is the ones that stayed with it for the last five to seven years and kept looking and looking and looking for a solution to the problem,” said Carlson.
So the community, city, state, and local non-profits, like Stewards of Our Urban Lakes and Keep Pinellas Beautiful, all worked together to establish and execute the Jungle Lake Restoration Plan.
“We’d have to find the right species of plants that can adapt to the water level range within the lake,” said Bays.
In May, dozens of residents got into the water and helped Bays add 600 plants of seven different species. The goal is better filtration.
“So we could see what plants grew best at one-foot, two-foot, three-foot depth levels, and then we’ll plant more of those plants, plants that didn’t do well we won’t,” said Carlson.
“They were up to their thighs, their waist, digging in; they were really enthusiastic; they were out here all day,” said Chaney, who helped with the volunteer efforts.
For Stewards of Our Urban Lakes, this marks the 6th lake they’ve worked to restore in Pinellas County, and they say each and every project starts with a community who cares.
“You have to just keep turning over rocks and turning over rocks until you finally turn over the rock that has the answer in it,” said Carlson. “So the persistence is the key because if we had given up two years ago, it wouldn’t of happened; if we had given up five years ago, it wouldn’t of happened, but we never gave up.”
