Overview
The Landings community is located east of US 41 on Landings Blvd. in Little Sarasota Bay Watershed. Several years ago the Landings South 2 Pond was totally devoid of aquatic vegetation and quite barren looking. Also, fertilization and lawn mowing practices were degrading water quality. A small group of residents decided to plant some water plants in an effort to make the pond more attractive and to provide cover for water birds and mosquito eating minnows. A modest amount of planting was done, but donated money was quickly used up. We wanted to do more, but just didn’t have the necessary funds. Working with the NEST program in 2008 we applied for and were given a grant from The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWIFTMUD) to restore our pond to a more natural state and to improve water quality. The Landings South 2 pond connects to other ponds and overflows into Roberts Bay via the Landings South 1 pond during storm events. Because of these interconnections, restoring our pond has the potential for wide spread ecological benefits and the shoreline plantings will act as biological filters and shoreline stabilizers. We also intend to strictly abide by Sarasota County’s new Fertilization regulations, and to experiment with mowing practices. Russ Hoffman, a local environmental restoration company, was hired to do the restoration work. A Neighborhood watershed education workshop was provided by Mr. Hoffman and Rob Wright, from the Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team. Presidents of all Landings Community Associations were invited to this workshop.
NEST Leader – Larry Fleming
