Posted on June 6, 2024
It has been one year since the Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project was completed. The City and the project engineers report that the project is performing as designed. After Hurricane Irma in 2017 the lagoon was evolving toward closure. In 2023, the City and Collier County funded the ecosystem restoration project which included restoration of the collapsing part of the island and lagoon using approximately 500,000 cubic years of sand. The project also restored wetland areas and tidal flow to the southern part of the Tigertail Lagoon, improving water quality and enhancing environmental habitats and recreational benefits.
The restoration project, as a nature-based solution to coastal erosion and ecosystem degradation, has been featured in the Engineering With Nature Book published by the US Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (2024 Atlas, Volume 3). As the book notes, engineering with nature is an innovative approach to align coastal resiliency and protecting environmental resources, and the Marco Island project was selected as a successful example of “engineering with nature.” The article highlighting the Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Restoration Project is available here: https://issuu.com/poweroferdc/docs/atlasv3-erdc-sr-24-2/112 The article stresses the project’s collaboration including the City, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, federal agencies, and community members such as Friends of Tigertail Beach.
The City, in collaboration with Collier County, Hideaway Beach Tax District, and Humiston & Moore Engineers is committed to continuing monitoring, maintaining and improving this nature-based approach and ensuring continued permit compliance.
