Singer's fine benefits Keys sea-grass project

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Feb 27, 2003 Source: Submitted By: FERTILE APPROACH: Singer's fine benefits Keys sea-grass project By JENNIFER BABSON KEY WEST - Nearly two years after Backstreet Boy Nick Carter grounded his 45-foot boat off Marathon, the $30,573 federal penalty he paid is being put to use. During the next few weeks, biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use part of the money to start installing a series of bird stakes -- basically vertical pipes topped by four-by-four-inch wooden blocks -- in waters off Marathon. The idea: The contraptions will become roosting places for cormorants and other seabirds whose droppings will jump-start the growth of sea grass transplanted to replace what was destroyed by the grounding. ''It's basically natural fertilizer,'' said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which is supervising the project. ``Just the same way you would fertilize your garden, its nutrients will speed the growth of the sea grass.'' About 97 stakes will be placed in the area -- larger than a tennis court -- where the May 2001 grounding occurred, Heck said. The grounding took place less than half a mile from shore on the bay side of Knight's Key in Marathon, not far from the Seven Mile Bridge. Carter, his parents and his siblings live in a waterfront estate a few miles north in Marathon. Efforts to reach Carter on Wednesday were unsuccessful. At the time of the incident, a tow company's efforts to pull Carter's boat -- named N'Control -- out of the shallows added to the damage, Heck said. Sea grass is considered key to the health of nearby coral reef habitats. It serves as a nursery for baby fish, lobster and turtles, and is a favorite food source for tarpon, bonefish and manatees. About 30,000 acres of sea grass in the Keys bear the scars of boat propellers. The damage around Monroe is greater than in any other county in Florida, Heck said. The bird stakes off Marathon will be the first in a series of such temporary structures that are scheduled to be erected up and down the Keys in the coming years, said Sean Meehan, a field scientist for NOAA's Damage Assessment Center. NOAA has tested stakes in some places for a few years now. EASILY ATTRACTED Feathered creatures, said Meehan, flock to the perches in no time. ''It's really pretty quick, within a couple of weeks we see birds roosting upon them,'' he said. ``It's ideal. They are in the open so the birds can see any predators coming at them, and they are over water, which is where the birds feed.'' The main ingredients for this novel approach can be found at any hardware store and cost only a few dollars. At the Marathon site, the stakes will be placed in a pattern two meters apart and will be no more than 10 inches above water at high tide -- a height that makes it easier for the auspicious ''bullets'' to reach their targets. Reflective tape wrapped around the base helps keep the stakes from looking like channel markers, Meehan said. OTHER GRASS After 18 months, the stakes will be pulled to allow for the growth of other kinds of grass -- the slower-growing turtle and manatee grasses -- which will spring up once the sediment has been stabilized. Moreover, researchers will return to the site to extensively measure grass growth and other factors eight times during the next five years. Said Meehan: ``We don't want to use all this money Mr. Carter is providing for the injury and have the grass die.'' Comment on this item. Next Item: Boys' Carter tries on a solo career Prev Item: Kevin talks about new album, Nick's solo