Featured Project
Lost River Preserve
Cost: $950,000
Partners: NOAA (America Reinvestment and Recovery Act), Southwest Florida Water Management District
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The only project in the Tampa Bay area to receive a grant from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act enacted by Congress to jump-start economic recovery during the Great Recession, Lost River Preserve expands protection of wetlands in the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve by nearly 70 acres.
Ecosphere designed and implement the restoration of the property, dotted with 200 stagnant pits once used for fish farming. The resulting wetlands, planted with marsh grasses and other native wetland plants, were reconnected to the waters of Tampa Bay and serve as foraging and refuge areas for fish and birds. Agricultural runoff is also treated to improve with water quality entering into Tampa Bay.
Hillsborough County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District also contributed funding for the restoration. Lost River Preserve is open to the public for passive recreation such as birdwatching.
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