On April 25, community members gathered at Bahia Honda State Park to celebrate Earth Day by planting mangroves and learning more about the ecosystems that help protect the Florida Keys.

The event was led by CoastLove, a local grassroots organization focused on coastal restoration, environmental education, and community stewardship. Through support from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ In Paradise For Good Community Grants Program, CoastLove is bringing volunteers together across the Keys to restore shorelines through hands-on mangrove planting and cleanup projects.

Mangroves play an essential role in the Florida Keys. They help improve water quality, provide habitat for marine life, reduce erosion, and strengthen coastlines against storms and flooding. Yet these ecosystems continue to face pressure from stronger storms, habitat loss, and coastal development.

Rather than approaching restoration work only as an environmental project, CoastLove has built its program around community participation and education. Volunteers learn why mangroves matter and how healthy coastlines support the Keys’ environment, economy, and way of life.

Earlier this year, CoastLove partnered with the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida for a weekend of primitive camping, shoreline restoration, and outdoor education at Camp Wesumkee in Big Pine Key, a campground heavily damaged during Hurricane Irma.

Much of the property had gone largely unused due to storm damage and the cost of rebuilding. CoastLove’s restoration project gave scout troops a reason to return.

Theresa Moody, Program Director for the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida, described the experience as transformational for both the scouts and the campground itself.

“CoastLove has led us to create an annual tradition of cleaning up this campground, restoring the shoreline, and camping there. We’ve now made at least 120 advocates for Camp Wesumkee and this habitat, both in our council and beyond.”

Through the project, scouts earned Tree Promise patches while learning camping skills, exploring local ecosystems, and participating directly in mangrove restoration efforts.

CoastLove grows many of the mangroves used in these projects at its nursery on Summerland Key using locally collected propagules, helping preserve ecological integrity while reducing costs and environmental impact.

So far this year, the organization has completed multiple restoration events, planted hundreds of mangroves, and engaged volunteers of all ages in stewardship efforts across the Keys.

Programs like this demonstrate how environmental restoration can also strengthen community connections, education, and long-term resilience for the Florida Keys.