Sea grass: food for the sea oats

Red oats, wild oats, desert oats, side oats and the countless other oats on the beach serve many purposes.

For Navarre Beach, it is the sea oat that acts as a preservative for the beach locals and tourists who visit year after year. Sea oats that blanket the Navarre Beach landscape help protect the berms for erosion, and in spring and early part of summer, those oats receive a boost of valuable nutrients from the sea grass that wash up on the shore. The sea grass and sea oat symbiotic relationship creates a natural barrier against sand and berm erosion.

“The sea grass holds the sand in place until the grass deteriorates,” said Terry Wallace, Navarre Beach supervisor for Santa Rosa County.

For the complete story, see the June 7 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe online.