As hurricane season continues, with last year's catastrophic storm season top of mind for many locals, Keep Manatee Beautiful is looking for 300 volunteers to join its largest sea oat planting effort ever—and play a hands‑on role in protecting Anna Maria Island’s shore.

Sea oats, a tall, slender grass with golden, oat-like seed heads that sway atop stiff stems, play a crucial ecological role in coastal environments. Their long, fibrous root systems help anchor dunes, prevent erosion and provide nesting habitat for turtles, seabirds and pollinators. Plus, the plants' feathery, windblown silhouette is pretty. 

The planting event is set for Saturday, July 26, at 7 a.m. on Coquina Beach. Jennifer Hoffman, executive director of Keep Manatee Beautiful, says the expanded scale is a response to the storms the region has already weathered—and the ones still to come. While the dune systems can replenish naturally under ideal conditions, she says, recent years have seen declines in plant health and regrowth.

“About six years ago, we had a non-rainy season and the dunes were not repopulated as well, so we started with the 1,000 sea oats per year, and that’s where this came into play,” she says. “I wanted to keep things stable as possible after this storm season. It’s important to do something to help.”

This year’s effort will multiply that twelvefold. The 12,000 sea oats—supplied at cost by a grower—cost just over $16,000. Hoffman says the expense is being covered by a mix of private donations and local city funds, with dollar-for-dollar contributions from the cities of Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. “Each city will get what was put in,” she says.

To reach the planting goal, the nonprofit needs 300 volunteers—far more than the usual 30 to 50 who help each year. A test planting in June helped inform the estimate. “We had 600 volunteers put in sea oats as a test group, including a couple of gardeners, a mom and child, and someone who’s never done it,” Hoffman says. “One person can put in up to 50 plants in roughly a two-hour time frame."

Individuals and families are welcome to join the effort, with the only requirement being that children under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Tools will be provided, and volunteers will receive instructions on how to plant the sea oats beforehand, via email. Overflow parking will be available at Coquina Beach, and water shuttles will help volunteers reach the site. Hoffman is also working with the Bradenton Convention and Visitors Bureau to offer free snacks and drinks.

“You don’t have to be an expert,” she says. “I’m looking forward to families coming out.”

The planting will take place along five of the island’s seven miles of beach. To avoid disturbing wildlife, the group is coordinating with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring to flag sea turtle nests. 

“Dunes are essential in helping reduce storm damage,” Hoffman says. “In a normal storm, dunes will hold back that water. You can distinctly see where dunes were—you could see where they held back more water.”

She says the sea oats will begin to take root within six weeks and should start reseeding within a year. “They’ll be fully working toward what we need this hurricane season,” she says. 

Beyond storm protection, the plants support coastal ecosystems already under strain. “Turtles lay their eggs there, so there are plenty of reasons to love and cherish our dunes,” Hoffman says. “And this is our chance to help bring them back.”

Hoffman, who has degrees in nonprofit management and a background in botanical gardening, adds that the planting is just one part of a larger environmental mission. Under her leadership, Keep Manatee Beautiful has given away more than 2,000 trees and helped build six community gardens in recent years, in addition to organizing beach clean-ups and annual dune restoration work.

She sees the sea oat planting as an opportunity for the community to take action against the slow erosion of the coastline that's happening not just because of weather, but because of development.

“You’re seeing the water get warmer, so you have more severe storms—and they cause bigger havoc,” she says. “Even without Helene and Milton, we still have erosion of the beachline and people taking away the vegetation.” For example, mangroves are being removed both legally and illegally to create water views and access for homeowners—a practice that threatens marine nurseries and water quality. “It’s all a cycle,” Hoffman says. “Remove one part of it and it falls apart.”

The costs of inaction, she adds, would go beyond the ecological. “Your taxes would go up, because if we have no dunes and started running our beaches like Daytona, they would have to be replenished much more often," she says. "We would lose our culture, because we’re known for turtle nesting. Sea turtles will die out if they don’t have a place to nest. Gopher tortoises, which are endangered, also live within dune systems.”

And even though 12,000 sea oat plants is a lot to get in the ground, Hoffman says she’s encouraged by the response so far. More than 200 people have already signed up to participate.

“Most people live here because of the environment," she says. "The only way we can continue to have this amazing place is to continue to work to save it.”

The planting takes place, Saturday, July 26 at 7 a.m. at the Coquina Beach parking lot, near the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. Tools provided. Bring water, sunscreen, gloves and closed-toe shoes. Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Register here.