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Mobile County Elementary School Kids Help Dauphin Island

By Chad Petri Reporter

Published: Mon, May 05, 2008 - 3:48 am Last Updated: Thu, July 31, 2008 - 1:49 am

Short URL: http://wkrg.com/a/13504/

Chad Petri

As kids feverishly burrow through the sand, everyone's a little bit excited

These young conservationists plant sea oats and learn more about science.

“It helps the plants and it helps Dauphin Island,” says Collier Elementary School student Emily Woodham. The kids are from Dauphin Island and Collier Elementary schools. The sea oat planting was started after hurricane Katrina nearly obliterated the beach.

“Three consecutive years we've planted and we've got some nice growth on our original plants that we put in and it's really doing its job,” says District Conservationist Trent Mathews. If you walk around Dauphin Island you can actually see the progress on this project. This is a gradual project.

“Now we're re establishing the dune itself but at the same time it's also re creating the natural environment for the animals that we have in this area too so it's positives all the way around,” Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board Mike Henderson. Kids like Cameron Guilbeaux are digging holes for more than 2000 sea oat plants.

“You get sand all over you,” says Guilbeaux. After digging a hole it's filled with a gel called “tera sorb” to give the seedling moisture. It's not just another day on the beach; it's a day to leave a mark

“When they come to the beach during the summers and the springs with the families they can come and they can see the progression of the plants and the growth of the dunes and show their families,” says Trent Mathews.