CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The City of Cape Canaveral held one of its largest planting events ever on Saturday, planting 19,000 sea oats across nearly two miles of beach.
In order to maintain and continually strengthen its dune system, the city hosts an annual sea oats planting event with the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers.
Since 2005, volunteers and city staff have planted over 160,000 sea oats beachside.
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Sea oats are native to the US southeast, being found anywhere from Texas to Virginia.
The roots of the plants burrow down several feet, forming a complex web which acts to stabilize sand dunes and hold them in place.
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Meanwhile, above ground, the sea oats’ long wispy reeds serve to catch windblown sand, often causing the sand dunes to increase in height, increasing the overall resilience of the beach.
According to the city’s 2021 Resiliency Action Plan, the city is on target to plant 220,000 sea oats beachside by 2036.
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Each year, the City of Cape Canaveral utilizes Brevard County’s Sea Oat Sales Program to acquire sea oats.
2005: 2,950 sea oats planted
2006: 9,600 sea oats planted
2007: 9,600 sea oats planted
2008: 5,000 sea oats planted
2009: 7,500 sea oats planted
2010: 7,500 sea oats planted
2011: 8,000 sea oats planted
2012: 7,200 sea oats planted
2013: 7,200 sea oats planted
2014: 7,700 sea oats planted
2015: 7,700 sea oats planted
2016: 7,200 sea oats planted
2017: 7,200 sea oats planted
2018: 7,200 sea oats planted
2019: 10,000 sea oats planted
2020: 10,000 sea oats planted
2021: 20,000 sea oats planted
2022: 19,000 sea oats planted
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