Crystal River Primary School students will be taking a field trip down to Hunter Springs to plant “Rock Star” eelgrass along the water’s edges on Friday, May 18th. These eelgrass plants aren’t just any eelgrass, but are the plants that the students have been watching grow in their classrooms since Eco-Week in December 2017!
During Eco-Week, all K-5 students at Crystal River Primary School learned about the invasive Lyngbya problem in the local waterways. Rock Star eelgrass is known to help purify water in nature and combat nuisance Lyngbya. The Rock Star eelgrass that will be planted is part of a generous donation from the Duke Energy Mariculture Center, north of Crystal River.
This is the second year that Crystal River Primary School has celebrated Eco-Week. This year a 360-degree underwater camera and a water quality sensory machine will provide live data for the students to monitor the eelgrass at Hunter Springs from their classroom. On Friday, the fifth grade students will plant the eelgrass from the classrooms in the water around Hunter Springs. About 1,200 eelgrass plants in all will be planted to beautify and revitalize the habitat. Some plants do get nibbled on by the manatees, but most will thrive!
Crystal River Primary School is the only Eco-School in Citrus County. Save Crystal River is proud to be a supporter of Eco-Week at the school. SCR is thankful for the continued partnership with Duke Energy to create an event that fosters environmental stewardship.
