Island Erosion Prompts Volunteers to Assist with Unique Marina Project
Palm City, FL, June 2026 — In the early 1980s, Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club was constructed along the banks of the St. Lucie River. Situated on over 600 acres, the community had a deep-water yacht basin that was protected by a mangrove island, making it safe from hazardous weather and an ideal place to dock boats.
After years of damaging erosion, the island is now being restored to its original condition with added long-term protection from the forces that destroyed it over the last 40 years. Rebuilding the island was tasked to a marine services company, but the chore of replanting the island – including the farming of more than 5,000 mangrove plants – has become a special community project for the residents of Piper’s Landing.
THE ISLAND
Mangroves are uniquely suited to stabilize and build shorelines. But the mangrove island in Piper’s Landing had been steadily collapsing into the marina channel for decades, reducing water depths to the point that many boat owners could no longer safely navigate their boats. A dramatic increase in boat traffic and vessel size, king tides, frequent boat testing by nearby marine companies, and the Lake Okeechobee discharges have created stronger wakes that accelerated soil loss and marina sedimentation. The erosion of the island put both the dock and all the boats in the marina at risk.
