As the gateway to the NASA Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Titusville Causeway has always been a prized spot for rocket launches and glimpses of wild Florida. Yet behind the stunning views, years of storms, rising seas, and constant wave action have steadily eroded this shoreline. The damage has taken a toll on water quality, wildlife habitat, and the recreational experience for both locals and visitors.
A large-scale restoration effort is changing that story. This week, four million “Florida super clams” became the newest recruits in this mission to heal the Indian River Lagoon.
Nicknamed “super clams” for their extraordinary resilience, these hard-shell clams come from a small group that survived a devastating algal bloom in 2011 when most of their kind perished. Their descendants have been carefully bred for strength and superior water-filtering ability. Our partner, Sea & Shoreline, deployed them by drone to imitate nature’s spawning process. Now safely burrowed in the lagoon floor, each clam can filter up to 20 gallons of water per day, helping restore clarity without the risks that traditional netted clusters pose for manatees, dolphins, and turtles.
The Titusville Causeway Multi-Trophic Restoration is Florida’s first project to bring together several natural solutions in one plan. Alongside the millions of clams, 2,000 feet of hybrid breakwater reefs have been installed, nearly five acres of seagrass will be planted, new living shorelines will take root, and reshaped sandy banks will protect the area against future storms. Together, these efforts will calm wave action, rebuild habitat, and help keep the water clean for years to come.
This $4.2 million project is a collaborative success made possible by DRMP engineers, Sea & Shoreline, Brevard County Natural Resources, the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Senator Debbie Mayfield, the Tourist Development Council, and generous funders like Fox Rock Foundation and Florida Power & Light. Our Foundation proudly contributed $525,000 to help bring this vision to life.
Seagrass and eelgrass meadows are the lifeblood of Florida’s coastal ecosystems. They trap sediment, filter out pollutants, slow erosion, store carbon, and feed manatees and countless fish and crabs. When these underwater meadows disappear, entire food webs begin to crumble.
“We are committed to reversing this decline,” said Fish & Wildlife Foundation CEO & President Andrew Walker. “Across Florida, our Foundation invests in science-based projects to restore and protect aquatic vegetation. In the Indian River Lagoon alone, we have funded eight seagrass planting sites to jumpstart recovery.”
This year, we also launched a $480,000 project on the Weeki Wachee River.
If you care about manatees, fishing, and thriving underwater habitats, join us! Together, we can rebuild wild Florida for generations to come.
