Dunedin, Florida: Island Check: Lake Paloma Eagle Scout Project

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Here we see the last of the three floating islands installed in December 2007 by a local Boy Scouts troop working on an Eagle Scout project. As I mentioned earlier, the islands have come a long way since they were first floated out onto the lake.

It's pretty impressive in a lot of ways. I can just imagine what they might look like in a few years. It hasn't been 12 months yet, and they look great. Perhaps, they will fill in around the edges where many plants were lost in the first few months. I have seen ducks and other water birds wandering around the 'interiors' of the islands, so I won't be surprised if they start building nests out there.
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If you would like to see more of this area, check out Clearwater Beach Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Dunedin, Florida!

Dunedin, Florida: Paloma Lake Boy Scout Project: Heron Island

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Checking back on the Boy Scout Project that I first posted about back in December of last year. The plantings around the lake are doing really well now. And the floating islands are really filling in nicely. I have watched the turtles and herons enjoying this particular island since shortly after it was launched. Now they share it with a healthy shock of lush green growth.

DINING NOTE: I found the coolest little place for cool eats and drinks in Downtown Dunedin yesterday. It's called "Light Bites ...the Mermaid Tavern". Comfortable is the first word I can think of to describe it. Friendly would be the second word. I was fortunate to meet the owner Kimberly Frazier, and found her an entertaining and gracious hostess. Currently, the hours are 6pm to 9pm or ? on weekdays, and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays. I will be heading back for pictures next time, so look for more about this neat place in future posts.

Where is Light Bites? 927 Broadway Street (aka Alt 19), Ste A. Just South of the Holiday Inn Express & North of the Sun Trust Bank. Parking is available adjacent to Light Bites in front of the dental building as well as in the rear. When parking in the rear, look for the mermaid tavern sign marking the back door.
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If you would like to see more of this area, check out Clearwater Beach Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Dunedin, Florida!

Dunedin, Florida: Lake Paloma Eagle Scout Floating Wildlife Islands Project

I was recently tipped off that a local Eagle Scout would be installing floating islands in my favorite duck pond, Lake Paloma, here in Dunedin, Florida. Needless to say, I made arrangements to be there and get some good pictures for my Dunedin blog. After all, this is really cool stuff! :D And so begins a new series that will last at least several days as I show you the progression of this project.

When I arrived that morning, last Saturday, they had already gotten setup and were hard at work. That's when I met Jim Garrison's parents, Roberta and Joe. They were fine with me being there and snapping shots, so I got right to it. One team was beginning the work on one of the floating islands. You can see them in the photo above. Other, lots of others, were at work planting all sorts of wetland fringe plants along the edges of the lake. They even had City of Dunedin personnel there helping. You gotta love that.

In the days ahead, you will follow along as they plant almost a thousand plants, make two different kinds of floating 'islands', and anchor them in the lake. In Friday's St. Petersburg Times, there is a nice story about Jim and his project. Click here if you would like to read it. And if you are feeling supportive, click the Scouting banner below to see how you can help. Thanks!

If you would like to see more of this area, check out Clearwater Daily Photo, and Clearwater Beach Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography for the sake of photography, check out my photo blog. Thanks for coming today!