Picnic Island Park, Tampa, FL (#108)


Poking south from downtown Tampa is the Interbay Peninsula – a 3x7-mile spit of land.  It’s kinda the uvula of Tampa Bay – that hangy ball at the back of mouths. 

 

Toward the tip, the peninsula becomes quite industrial.  On one side is a port where all the fuel for Tampa International Airport arrives.  On the other is MacDill Air Force base.  Between ‘em is a little haven of a municipal park idyllically named Picnic Island - a rose between thorns.  Marketed as a hidden gem in South Tampa, this spacious park is the perfect place to bring the family to relax or have a picnic. 

 

But parks at the end of peninsulas in hurricane prone areas have a short shelf life unless fortified.   And fortification can be done in a variety of ways.  The Nature Conservancy, working with the City of Tampa, and the University of Miami partnered on a demonstration project at Picnic Island to showcase nature-based solutions to minimize erosion and flood risk.  Installing red mangroves has been shown to reduce wave height by up to 66%, slowing storm surge.  And in calmer times, mangroves provide habitat for a variety of species. 

  

As the planet warms, mangroves become even more pervasive and effective requiring no maintenance.  They’re a no brainer mitigation strategy. 

 

Another great thing mangroves offer is trail cover. If you ever get the chance to wander on a trail through a mangrove, take it.  The shade they proved, and biodiversity they attract, makes for a lovely stroll.  Picnic Island is indeed one of Tampa’s hidden gems. 

 

***

 

While wandering under mangroves, with crabs and lizards, it hits me: traveling is my religion.  It’s where I find spiritual renewal.

 

And traveling means connecting with special places.

 

And special means anywhere, new or returned to, where a holistic understanding of ecological history and value are developed.

 

My travels have led to hundreds of spiritual renewals, beginning with walks led by my father through the wooded mountains of Pennsylvania, to my month-long sabbatical in 2016, and here most recently to a tiny park at the end of a peninsula protected by red mangroves in Tampa’s urban uvula. 

 



Location: Tampa, FL

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