What's to come at Longboat Key's parks?

For a barrier island of its size, Longboat Key features an impressive variety of parks and preserves, from the highly accessible Bayfront Park overlooking Sarasota Bay to the mangrove-filled Sister Keys that serve as an oasis for Floridian wildlife.

Longboat Key Garden Club members recently took stock of the area's parks and considered what projects it could undertake to help them thrive.

Members met Feb. 10 at Windward Bay, inviting Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Executive Director Ryan Gandy. 

Photo by Dana Kampa

Susan Phillips, former town manager assistant and former Longboat Key Garden Club president, offered further insights into the parks' management.

Phillips and Gandy reviewed the historical development of the parks and extolled the variety of resources they offer the community.

Early development measures included heavily ditching certain marshy areas in an attempt to decrease mosquito populations and planting trees for additional shade, as Gandy described.

"In the 1960s, there were a lot of dredge-and-fill operations that began to transform this barrier island," he said.

Photo by Dana Kampa

Some development efforts were more successful than others, as removing unwanted Australian pine trees later became a nuisance, he said.

Gandy said planners realized from early on that areas like Joan M. Durante Park, located at 5550 Gulf of Mexico Drive, were special spots deserving of preservation for long-term enjoyment.

"The primary goal of this was to, over time, create a native coastal ecosystem in the area," he said. "Even though it is a small park with not too many acres, you can have fairly dense microforests in there, which are really important for wildlife." 

Guided by history, planners aim to think in the long term when it comes to rehabilitation projects.

Photo by Dana Kampa

Over the past year, many of the community's resources have been devoted to post-hurricane cleanup and rebuilding. 

Gandy said, "During that process, I think we all learned a lot about resiliency and what works well in these environments. While you saw damage to things like infrastructure, and you may have seen some mangroves get torn up, they recovered."

Now, the garden club is taking a look beyond that initial recovery to prioritize beautification projects.

Phillips broke down the characteristics of Quick Point Nature Preserve, Bicentennial Park, Bayfront Park, Joan Durante Park and the Sister Keys.

A key area of focus last year for the garden club was replanting Bicentennial Park, which is at the corner of Gulf of Mexico Drive and Bay Isles Road. While there is still work to do there, Phillips outlined a new priority for members.

One area for improvement she highlighted is the ground foliage of Joan Durante Park. Previously, the park had the benefit of two full-time caretakers looking after the greenery. Since their retirement, the iconic rose gardens, planted in memory of the park's namesake, have faded.

While it may not be practical to replant ornamental plants with high-care requirements, Phillips shared her vision of working with the town of Longboat Key to restore some of the park's flora.

"Some material is doing really well and is thriving, beautiful and healthy. But you see here," she said, pointing to a photo of a dirt patch in the park, "all of this is just scorched earth. Some material made it through the hurricanes, but a lot did not."

She proposed looking at ground cover options, prioritizing hardy ornamentals suited to the climate.

Photo by Dana Kampa

"The bones of this park are incredible," she said, lauding the established tree cover and winding shell footpaths. However, she said there is much to be done.

Next steps include deciding what plants may thrive in the park if replanted, she said. Funds raised at events like the upcoming sold-out Taste of the Keys support the club's scholarships and beautification projects. 

To keep up with the club's activities and volunteer opportunities, visit LBKGardenClub.org.