Leslie Ovalle/Asst. Entertainment Director
Citizens for a Better South Florida, a non-profit organization that began in 1989 and focuses on bringing education to a diverse, underserved community, will be hosting a habitat restoration day at Virginia Key on Jan. 31 from 8 a.m. to noon.
The event will consist of hands-on restoration, educational booths and food.
The entrance to the park and parking will be free of charge.
The hands-on restoration will be comprised of manually removing invasive exotic plants in the area, which can damage the ecosystem.
“These plants become bullies and take over,” said Laura Tellez, a program director for the organization, “so they must be removed to restore a balance.”
These infamous invasive exotic plants have caused a grave threat to native species, some have even become endangered, according to The City of Miami Parks and Recreation.
A few of the endangered species include: the Biscayne Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum coriaceum), a flowering plant in the citrus family that grows glandular fruits in clusters; the Florida Silver Palm (Coccothrinax argentata), a fan palm with leaves that are dark blue-green above and silver below, it also grown fruits that turn black when ripe; and the Beachberry (Scaevola plumieri), a shrub with dark-green leaves, white flowers and black drupes.
Tools for the restoration will be provided for participants. Tellez recommends all participants to sign up online before the event; to sign up visit citizensrestoration.eventbrite.com
Younger children are not encouraged to participate in the hands-on portion of the event due to the use of hazardous tools; however, there will be other activities and education booths for children to enjoy.
“There will definitely be something for everyone,” said Tellez.
The habitat restoration event will be preceded the day before, Saturday, Jan. 30, by an event titled: “Anti-Poverty Summit: Building Climate Resilience and Social Equity.” This event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and childcare will be provided.
The Saturday event will be educational and will host various speakers, touching upon climate change and initiatives that can provide community resilience.
“The vision is to make sure that people will be part of the solution,” said Tellez.
For more information visit the organization’s website, abettersouthflorida.org
Image courtesy of flikr
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