Congress threw a $2.5 million lifeline last fall to start the long-planned effort to save Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area from erosion.
The $16 million project, aimed at halting erosion that has been claiming about 7 feet of shoreline per year, began on Jan. 6 and is expected to be completed by August 2026.
If Congress had not granted the additional money through the Great American Outdoors Act, officials would have had to cut the project to $14 million and put it out for new construction bids.
With the money in hand, however, Dickerson Infrastructure of Fort Pierce is preparing to begin the work. Bulldozers aren’t expected until March.
Once completed, the project will transform the sea’s edge into a living shoreline, using native plants and riprap to reduce erosion. Plans also include a public boardwalk, a water taxi dock, terraced walls and the creation of a 2-acre salt marsh.
While the prospect of massive federal budget cuts has endangered projects across the country, the federal Bureau of Land Management manager overseeing the project, Peter DeWitt, said the congressional allocation appears safe.
For boaters, some anchorages will be blocked intermittently during construction. Ultimately, the project will eliminate all but five mooring spots along the Indian River on the park’s eastern side.
The work also will disrupt the 1-mile trail that winds around the lighthouse. A 500-foot segment has been routed away from construction zones.
The elevated dune portion of the trail will be off-limits during construction.
The proposal calls for construction of 21 riprap breakwaters along the inlet side of the park to reduce wave action. Above the rocks, a public boardwalk would be built, leading to a dock for ferries and water taxis.
The living shoreline uses nature rather than concrete barriers to protect the coast. Among the additions: 10,000 mangroves.
Protecting species first
Before the bulldozers roll in, the project team is focusing on protecting the site’s resident wildlife: gopher tortoises and vital plant species.
They’ve been monitoring gopher tortoise burrows for 20 years, identifying 10 burrows with about five tortoises. The protected creatures will be temporarily relocated to other suitable areas within the 120-acre site, DeWitt said.
“Gopher tortoises are such a delight to see on the site,” he said. “We want to afford them as much protection as possible.”
State law requires a 28-day monitoring period for gopher tortoise habitat. To make sure the gophers don’t come back, workers are installing fences that go 18 inches below ground to block the burrowing animals.
The team is also watching for eastern indigo snakes, a federally protected species known to inhabit tortoise burrows, though they are rarely spotted on the site.
“We’re looking to make sure everybody survives,” DeWitt said.
The BLM is seeking volunteers to help with plant preservation. The focus is on salvaging native species such as cocoplum, wild coffee and various stoppers – bushes that produce berries vital for local birds and butterflies.
“We’re trying to capture as much of that diversity that would otherwise be mowed down and destroyed by the earth-moving equipment,” DeWitt said.
Salvaged plants will be temporarily potted and maintained until they can be replanted after construction.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
