Clearwater Restores 7-Acre Prairie at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Clearwater crews are transforming a 7-acre tract at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, replacing invasive plants with native species to restore a severely degraded ecosystem.

The site once housed city greenhouses, dredge material, and rubble. From 2005 to 2007, it served as a staging area for Lake Maggiore dredging operations, leaving the ground covered with invasive species like smutgrass, Bermuda grass, and wedelia.

Over the past three years, volunteers and staff have planted native grasses, wildflowers, and wiregrass across eight plots. The team initially envisioned a wiregrass-based prairie but adapted to the soil conditions by planting lovegrasses, bluestems, lopsided Indiangrass, and partridge pea.

Native vegetation now survives across the plots while invasive species recede. A gopher tortoise recently crossed a newly constructed land bridge and established residence in one plot, signaling the project's ecological success.

Volunteers, called "restoration gardeners," monitor plots and remove invasives alongside city staff. Clearwater residents can apply to join the restoration work.