Bahia Honda used to be a luscious green island within the Florida Keys. It is where the historical Oversea railroad is located. It was a beautiful place to walk around with some shaded pathways. Bahia Honda’s beaches were home to many animals. As many people know, pollution has been quite the issue. One use products have plagued our oceans. More recently Hurricane Irma passed over this area and completely destroyed it. Over 160 mile per hour winds blew for an extended period of time. This once gorgeous place was now in ruins.
Tropical Ospreys week one came and cleaned up the beaches of Bahia Honda last week. Park Ranger Final told us, week two, the Least Terns have come back to nest on Bahia Honda. It has been 30 years since they nested here. She counted nine nests so far and hopes to see more in the coming weeks.
We then began cleaning up the beaches as well. It is unreal how much trash is tangled in the sea plants that wash up. Ropes most likely from fishing boats were very common. Ghost gear is an ongoing problem that needs attention. Cans and water bottle caps were the next most common items. Unfortunately, we got rained out of finishing the beach clean-up but I am hoping week three is able to cover some ground.
It is not known why the Least Terns came back to nesting in Bahia Honda, but the fact that it was cleaned just prior to their arrival cannot hurt. The human impact on the ocean is increasing exponentially. It is faster than the rate we can explore the ocean. We are ruining our “bottomless” resource. The ocean holds so many opportunities for the future of this planet, but there will be no future without the aid of everyone. Many say that the children are our future and our only hope. My concern is that we will not even make it that far and it will be too late.
Today is already too late to start helping and getting involved. People should contact their local environmentalists or contact a park ranger to find out how that can help. Even if someone only picked up five pieces of trash every time they visited the beach that could make a difference.
It was so sad to see how bare the area looked compared to pictures taken before the hurricane. But cleaning up the beach to make sure the Terns had a safe place to nest is so rewarding even though we got drenched. Great blog!
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