On Tuesday February 24, MAR was a guest presenter in Dr. Amanda Hagood’s class at Eckerd College. Students learned about coastal resilience and how native habitats work together to protect shorelines. This educational classroom visit is a component that leads up to MAR’s Gulfport Coastal Planting on March 14, 2026.
Eckerd College Classroom Visit
MAR presented to Eckerd College students on coastal resiliency and took time to visit the living shoreline on their campus. Coastal resilience is described as the ability for communities to bounce back after a disruption, like a hurricane. When we rebuild communities considering previous infrastructure challenges and future climate conditions, adaptations can be made that will strengthen the community over time.
The living shoreline on Eckerd’s campus is a great example of blending green and gray infrastructure to work with nature, not against it. The use of a seawall with mangroves and marsh grasses, helps build a foundation for a biodiverse coastal habitat. During the visit, we saw the following plants and animals: red mangroves, marsh grasses, eastern oysters, banded tulip snail, yellow-crowned night heron, great blue herons, brown pelicans, belted kingfisher, anhinga, osprey, mojarra, pinfish, and a variety of other species.
Coastal Resilience in Gulfport, Florida
The impacts of hurricanes can alter ecosystems, and MAR’s upcoming planting in Gulfport aims to restore a portion of the shoreline that has been eroding over the last ten years. The site is located to the east of the Gulfport Casino and a variety of coastal, native plants will be calling the area home. Red and black mangroves, sea grape, marsh grass, and dune sunflower are a few of the species that will be planted. We hope to see you at the Gulfport Coastal Planting and future events this spring! Follow along on MAR’s website and social media pages to see the latest updates with this project.
Event Photos
