Florida Gulf Coast University students and staff worked alongside Island Coast High School students to plant a new mangrove forest on Bowditch Point Monday.

FGCU Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies Win Everham connected the two schools for the project. Both Island Coast and FGCU had access to mangrove propagules, which develop while attached to a parent mangrove tree, detach and take root elsewhere to grow.

"Those propagules are legal to obtain if you find them floating and you have a permit," Everham said. "They float up onto the shore. It's a natural process."

Mangroves offer benefits to Fort Myers Beach’s ecosystem. They serve as a habitat for native species and provide sightseeing opportunities for tourists. When fully mature, mangroves protect from storm surge, a large t

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