Mother Nature's Stewards

A line has been drawn in the sand.

South Florida is committed to environmental causes. We're recycling, planting trees, cleaning up beaches and waterways, teaching responsible stewardship and working to create a sustainable future for the region's rich biodiversity.

Making a pledge to the environment has never been more critical. The survival of our planet - and life as we know it - depends on what we do today. With the rollback of federal regulations implemented to curb climate change and limit environmental pollution, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem.

But environmentally focused nonprofits in the area, both large and small, have forged ahead, making a positive impact on the local level. By devoting time, energy, resources and passion to intervention, conservation and education, they are creating better communities for generations to come.

Community Greening

You can call the people behind Community Greening tree-huggers - they don't mind. Based in Delray Beach, the group plants trees, creates and maintains green spaces, and provides environmental education programs.

Mark Cassini and Matt Shipley, friends who were like-minded about caring for the environment and starting a nonprofit, founded Community Greening two years ago. The organization got a boost after connecting with the Arbor Day Foundation's Alliance for Community Trees network.

Believing that trees "have enormous long-term benefits for our environment" and "green space contributes to a resilient and sustainable community," according to its website, Community Greening aims to educate the public about the historical and cultural significance of trees in neighborhoods. For example, tree canopy quality is correlated with income level, say Cassini and Shipley, and Community Greening focuses its campaign where the tree canopy is poorest.

The nonprofit partners with cities, community organizations and corporations to provide groups and neighborhoods with free native trees and delivery; species and site selection; permits for underground utilities; and all the tools for planting. Project partners supply volunteers, litter cleanup and a maintenance commitment.

A recent project converted a portion of Catherine Strong Park in Delray Beach into a community grove with the planting of 77 fruit and native trees by volunteers and city staff. Local residents will be able to pick guava, mangoes and other fruit to take home.

The collaborative effort of planting trees "breaks down racial and social barriers," believe Cassini and Shipley, connecting neighbors and promoting pride in communities.

Contact: communitygreening.org

Fishing For Families In Need

Responsible fishing education and marine conservation are the goals of Fishing for Families in Need (F4FN), a nonprofit started by then 15-year-old Lucas Metropulos in 2007 with children from Florence Fuller Child Development Centers in Boca Raton.

The program uses the skill of fishing as a mechanism for teaching socioeconomically disadvantaged children about best practices for ocean and freshwater conservation. It also collects and distributes leftover fish from tournaments and private individuals to soup kitchens. Volunteers gut, clean and fillet the fish that will be cooked to feed the needy.

Lucas' younger brother, Nicholas, is executive director of the primarily youth-run program that has expanded from Boca Raton to Miami. F4FN hopes to set up a program in Tampa soon.

Youth classes, for children 5-18 years old, range from two to eight weeks during the school year and summer. Volunteers teach children the basics of fishing and how to enjoy the sport in a responsible manner. Topics include invasive species, overfishing, ocean pollution, marine conservation, coastal habitats and more. Kids learn basic fishing knots, how to cast and what to carry in their tackle boxes.

A unique aspect of the responsible angling education program, says Nicholas, is that the volunteers are mostly high school- and college-age students, providing positive role models and serving as mentors to young anglers.

F4FN will host a beach cleanup with Sandoway Discovery Center in Delray Beach on Nov. 3 from 8-11 a.m.

Contact: f4fn.org

The Reef Institute

Coral is key at The Reef Institute, a nonprofit marine science research and education center and aquarium in West Palm Beach. It began as a scientific enterprise for research but grew to involve the community with marine stewardship awareness programs, classes, field trips, school modules, summer camps, internships and promoting careers in science, says executive director Elizabeth Badgett.

The institute's primary mission is coral reef conservation through education, research and restoration. Fifty percent of the world's coral reefs died in the last three decades, according to the institute's website, and most of the coral reefs are predicted to be gone by 2050.

One of The Reef Institute's biggest in-house projects is spawning coral. Badgett explains that, because of ocean conditions, coral are not getting the environmental cues to spawn, and they're dying off faster due to acidic waters. The hope is to one day put these spawned coral back into the wild. The institute also serves as a host site for coral larvae research, and its coral farm is used to teach school groups and visitors about conservation and ocean stewardship. 

The institute is conducting genetic analysis of coral species for conservation purposes and gives public and private aquariums the opportunity to join conservation efforts by keeping documented endangered coral under their care. Other projects include monitoring coral reefs in the area and restoring damaged, fragmented reefs.

Contact: reefinstitute.org

Sea Angels

The motto of the Sea Angels is: "Be the change - one piece of litter at a time." This grassroots environmental-conservation organization focuses on litter cleanup at Ocean Inlet Park in Ocean Ridge, meeting on the last Saturday of every month from 8-10:30 a.m.

Sea Angels prides itself on doing things in a "greener way," providing reusable supplies - like buckets, grabbers and gloves - for volunteers; using only reef- and eco-friendly sunscreen; and forgoing one-use plastic water bottles in favor of a water cooler. The wrappers from provided snacks are also recycled.

Robyn and Mike Halasz founded the nonprofit in 2010. Its mission is to "help educate everyone to the plight of litter on our beaches, in our oceans and how it is affecting the environment," according to its website.

One of Sea Angels' big projects was the implementation of a mono-filament disposal program at Ocean Inlet Park. The group maintains six bins for recycling fishing line.

Upcoming cleanups are on Nov. 24 and Dec. 29. All ages are welcome, no preregistration is necessary and parking is free. Sea Angels also provides volunteer hours to those who need them.

Sea Angels wants to grow and is in the planning stages of expanding nationally and offering a chapter affiliate program.

Contact: seaangels.org

Florida Native Plant Society, Palm Beach County Chapter

Native plants are the gateway to sustainability, says Master Gardener Susan Lerner, president of the Florida Native Plant Society, Palm Beach County Chapter. Without native plants, the local food web would collapse, and each part of the web is crucial to the survival of a different species.

The mission of the Florida Native Plant Society is to promote the preservation, conservation and restoration of Florida's native plants and native plant communities.

The Palm Beach County Chapter was organized in 1981 and incorporated in 1992. Chapters hold monthly meetings with presentations and programs, run educational field trips, and lead projects to preserve native plants and habitats.

The Palm Beach County Chapter meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month (except December) at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach. The Nov. 20 meeting features author, botanist and gardener Ginny Stibolt. The chapter's annual self-guided native garden tour will take place in central Palm Beach County, west of Military Trail, on Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a native plant sale will take place on Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach.

Contact: palmbeach. fnpschapters.org

Delray Beach Children's Garden

Since its official opening in October 2016, the Delray Beach Children's Garden - created to nurture eco-consciousness in children through play, exploration and learning in nature - has flourished.

The nonprofit garden was founded by horticulturalist Jeannie Fernsworth and early childhood educator Shelly Zacks, with children included in the planning and design and support from city officials and community groups. The founders' philosophy is that, if children can learn and explore in nature, they will grow up to be environmental stewards.

The garden, located on two acres leased from St. Paul's Episcopal Church, includes a veggie garden labyrinth, fruit trees, a fish and turtle pond, a twig tunnel, a banana forest, a healing garden, an outdoor classroom, and interactive weather and solar power stations.

Delray Beach Children's Garden gives youth the opportunity "to play outdoors in a rugged setting," says garden director Christina Nicodemou, who began as a volunteer. "Children don't go out alone anymore." She describes the garden as a village and a hub for families.

The garden has expanded its science and nature programs. New this fall is a nature play program conducted in English and Spanish for children and their parents or caregivers. Other programs include a young botanists club, an eco-consciousness club, yoga, meditation and woodworking. Farmer Jay's Junior Sprouts Club, led by urban gardener Jason McCobb, teaches kids where food comes from and about sustainable agriculture.

Youth volunteerism is encouraged, and adult volunteers serve as garden ambassadors, conducting tours of the garden.

Contact: delraybeachchildrens garden.org

Surfrider Foundation, Palm Beach Chapter

The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection of the world's oceans, waves and beaches through its network of 82 chapters and 86 student clubs.

It was founded in 1984 by a group of surfers in Malibu, California. The Palm Beach Chapter, established in 1997, is one of 11 chapters in Florida, and it focuses on beach access, clean water, ocean protection, coastal preservation and plastics pollution.

Rise Above Plastics is an initiative to reduce the use of plastics impacting the marine ecosystem by raising awareness and promoting reduction in use as well as recycling.

Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force uses volunteer water- sampling technicians in its water testing, education and advocacy program. The chapter alerts residents and officials about water quality problems.

The mission of the Ocean Friendly Gardens program is to educate and train members and the public about preventing urban runoff, which the group says is the No. 1 source of ocean pollution. The OFG blog on the chapter's website posts about projects and offers tips for homeowners to prevent urban runoff.

Chapter events this fall included an International Coastal Cleanup of Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach and a plastic-free living workshop for Jupiter residents that outlined steps for cutting out single-use plastics. O

Contact: palmbeachcounty. surfrider.org