Pats On The Back...

Here's a good example of "the big guy helping the little guy." As Karen and I began planning our subdivision, we soon ran in to the issue of what to do with the edges of the canal and marina area.

As we saw the work proceeding on Coco Plum, it was happening while we were struggling with the "sea wall" issue. We had been advised by some to install sea walls along our newly dredged canal and marina. Not only was this incredibly costly and not terribly attractive, it did nothing to insure that the eco-system along the lagoon could be preserved and enhanced in a lasting fashion.

By focusing on what was the most natural way to preserve the mangrove eco-system,  Stewart Krohn at Coco Plum utilized careful modeling and planning during dredging and landscaping, and then where needed replanted layers of several kinds of mangrove and buttonwood. We watched this with great interest and it soon became clear what we would do at Kokomo.

In the current issue of "Roots and Reef" (download here), Patricia Celenza interviewed the newly appointed Program Coordinator for Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Adrian Vernon. Quotes from that interview are below.

―Most developers just focus on what they need or want to do.  Few developers even consider reserving mangrove buffers to mitigate against erosion, storms, or higher water levels.
―However, I have to big up a couple of local developers. Not only did Stewart Krohn of Coco Plum leave the outside buffer, but he dredged in swampy areas and kept most of the plants.  He has replanted all his canals with mangroves.  Basically, Stewart put back more than 100% of what he removed.
―Another good example of mangrove management on our Peninsula is Kokomo, where developers Drew and Karen Travers, left the mangrove buffer and have already planted three different types of mangrove and buttonwood.

It certainly was not coincidence (and in the interests of full disclosure) that we engaged Adrian Vernon as the lead consultant to spearhead our efforts. Instrumental in our planning was the very valuable advice of Adam Krohn, Coco Plum's lead manager and expert in their landscape development.