Attorney Steven “Steve” Koeppel enjoys water skiing, fishing and diving in the waters along the Florida coast. Steven Koeppel believes the preservation of the coastlines is an important issue and has invested time outside his work as an attorney volunteering with the Coastal Conservation Association in Florida.
The Coastal Conservation Association aims to conserve, preserve and enhance coastal resources for current and future generations. It does this on both federal and state levels.
State initiatives can include funding scientific studies, building artificial reefs, monitoring the quality of freshwater inflows, and creating finfish hatcheries. Hundreds of state sponsored projects are currently underway. One such project will begin in 2016 near Fantasy Island in Tampa Bay where $150,000 has been raised to help enhance fisheries habitat.
Heavy traffic on a nearby shipping channel has slowly eroded the shoreline of Fantasy Island. The project will bring in more than 1,000 oyster domes and 40 tons of fossilized oyster shell to stabilize the shoreline and create an environment that will support a thriving oyster reef. Each dome will be placed in about two feet of water, which will allow it to be submerged during high tide and exposed during low tide. These conditions are perfect for oyster growth.
The Fantasy Island oyster reefing project is an example of the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida’s commitment to enhancing and improving the coastline of Florida. Not only will the project help create a thriving and attractive habitat for fish, it will also protect the island from passing boat traffic and stabilize about 700 feet of shoreline.
