Happy July 2^nd! Did you know in just 5 years, the City of Crystal River will turn 100 years old? Do you know what else is planned to be  completed by July 2, 2023? A clean Kings Bay!

The Kings Bay Restoration Project has been an ongoing effort for the past three years. Several years ago, the Bay was filled with Lyngbya. The algae topped the waters and suffocated the canals. No eelgrass could grow on the bottoms of the canals. When there is no food or available habitat, the wildlife starts to disappear.

Pictured: Three separate areas in various states of restoration.

Since the start of the project, we have made multiple accomplishments! Here are the top 5 outcomes from the Kings Bay Restoration Project from these past 3 years:

1. 88.5 million tons of muck removed!
2. 178 springs vents have been opened!
3. 15.45 acres of canals have been restored!
4. 5 Million eelgrass plants have sprouted from the 1800 eelgrass plants planted two years ago as part of the Pilot Project Phase (Year 1). A total of 63,532 native Rock Star eelgrasses planted so far, which in a couple of years will be about 150 Million eelgrass plants!
5. 93% eelgrass plant survival rate! Global success rate for eelgrass restoration is around 50%

By the 100^th birthday celebration we hope to finish restoring another 77 acres of Kings Bay. We can’t do this without your help and support. Check out our page here to see how you can help protect the eelgrass and stay involved. We want to thank everyone for their continued support and interest in the Kings Bay Restoration Project.

Interested in learning more about the great accomplishments of the KBRP? Click here to read the 2017-2018 Annual Report.