CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — You don’t have to be a grown-up to help save Crystal River. Just ask Jocelyn Cates.
“I’m just amazed that this is part of our community, and it feels really cool,” said the 5th grader.
WATCH: Kids help team from Save Crystal River grow key to manatee's survival
Students from Crystal River Primary School brought their classroom to Hunter Springs Park to learn how to plant eelgrass.
The plant is the key to a healthy river and a thriving manatee population.
“If they don’t have food, they are just desperate and they just eat algae,” said student Lincoln Reynolds.
Save Crystal River has been planting and growing eelgrass for a decade.
And while the hurricanes may kill off the leaves, the eelgrass roots remain strong.
“We do see there are plants coming back. The root systems are still stable, and they are growing. The rhizomes (underground stems) are spreading,” said Save Crystal River treasurer Tina Champagne.
While the kids are planting, Sea and Shoreline is cleaning.
They are removing muck from the bottom of the river, so that eelgrass has a place to grow.
The first group of kids to plant eelgrass through this program graduated from high school last year.
“They live here. They have a buy-in. My three children grew up on the water. They all have boats. They all care about the water. They care about the environment. It’s the way they are taught,” said Marie Bienkowski, also with Save Crystal River
As the eelgrass grows, more and more manatees come to feed.
And for a city so connected to the creatures, it’s a welcome sight.
“Just watching these mammals get a better life is awesome,” said Reynolds.
"Your heart just explodes"
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