Message from the Sustainability Manager

Dear Sustainability Champions,

As spring gives way to summer, we want to pause and celebrate the incredible impact our community made from Earth Month (April 2026) through May 2026. Thanks to your enthusiasm, volunteer spirit, and commitment to sustainability, Boca Raton continues to become a greener, cleaner, and more resilient city. 

Earth Month Sustainability Successes 

Residents showed up in a big way across nearly 30 Earth Month and spring sustainability events and programs, leaving a lasting mark on our natural environment. Highlights included: 

• 40 trees planted at Spanish River Athletic Facility/deHoernle Park with a record 76 volunteers (and Mayor Thomson!)  
• More than 6,400 lbs. of e-waste recycled  
• 200 native plants installed along the dunes at Red Reef Park  
• 225.5 lbs. of litter removed during the Intracoastal Cleanup  
• The inaugural Vertical Oyster Garden (VOG) Workshop, where community members built 25 VOGs now installed at the Rutherford Park pier to help support local marine life.
• An Earth Day event at the Susan Whelchel Community Garden, where attendees learned about food forests, sustainable gardening and more.  

Tina Batoh-Jennings

Sustainability Manager, City of Boca Raton

Siena Botzer-Gunter

Sustainability Intern, City of Boca Raton

Upcoming Events - Take Action!



Residential Tree Drop Off- (ongoing while supplies last) 

Thanks to our Tree Planting Partnership with Community Greening, City residents can apply to have a free shade tree delivered directly to their home. Residents can receive one (1) FREE Florida shade tree in a 15-gallon container, that would be dropped off at their door. Residents are responsible for all planting and care of the trees. Learn more about the steps to receiving your free tree on the Community Greening website.

Habitat Restoration at Gopher Tortoise Preserve

Friday, June 26 | 8:30am - 10:30am | Gopher Tortoise Preserve

We need help with: 

• Installing native plants 
• Mild debris clean up 
• Invasive species removal 

Register for the habitat restoration.

Intracoastal Cleanup

Monday, July 6 | 9:00am - 10:30am | Gumbo Limbo Nature Center  

Join us for a cleanup of our waterway following the 4th of July Holiday Weekend. Let’s aim to pick up at least 250 pounds of trash for America’s 250th birthday! 

• Minors must be accompanied by an adult. 
• Closed-toed shoes are required. 
• Participants aged 13+ may use Gumbo Limbo kayaks or canoes (first come, first served; limited supply). Personal vessels will not be allowed at this event. 
• Land-based cleanup is available to all participants.
• GIVEAWAYS from 4Ocean! 

RSVP for the Intracoastal Cleanup.

Native Plant Giveaway

Friday, July 10 | 10am | Wildflower Park

Join the City of Boca Raton's Office of Sustainability for a complimentary plant giveaway! Visit Wildflower Park to collect a native plant to bring home. Information on Florida-Friendly landscaping will be available. No registration is necessary, and plants will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more about the plant giveaway.

WE-LAB: Water and Energy Conservation Workshop

Thursday, July 16 | 6:00 - 7:00pm | Downtown Library

Join the City's Office of Sustainability and Dream in Green for their Water Energy Learning and Behavior (WE-LAB) program. Learn about the connection between energy use and water use and how personal changes in your home can reduce impact on the environment and save you money. The first 50 registered attendees will receive a FREE water and energy-saving toolkit (valued at $50). Register online! 

Vertical Oyster Gardens

Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) are nature-based habitat structures that improve water quality and restore coastal ecosystems. Made from recycled oyster shells suspended beneath docks and piers, they provide a surface for oyster larvae to attach and grow, creating living reefs that support fish, crabs, shrimp, and other marine life.

Oysters are powerful natural filters, with a single adult oyster capable of filtering up to 50 gallons of water per day. As oyster populations grow, they help improve water clarity, reduce excess nutrients, and support seagrass growth, strengthening overall ecosystem health.

In Palm Beach County, the program was advanced by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, which partnered with local restaurants to collect and recycle oyster shells. After curing at MacArthur Beach State Park, the shells are drilled, strung onto stainless steel cable, and assembled into VOG units through volunteer workshops.

Building on this regional effort, the City of Boca Raton hosted its first VOG workshop at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in April 2026, where participants constructed 25 units using shells supplied by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. The VOGs were installed beneath the fishing pier at Rutherford Park in May by staff from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, the Office of Sustainability, and Park Rangers. Baseline weights were recorded to help track oyster growth and habitat development over time.



This pilot project supports the City’s goals of improving water quality, restoring marine habitat, enhancing coastal resilience, and engaging the community in environmental stewardship through a simple but effective nature-based solution.

Stay Cool and Save Energy This Summer

As temperatures rise in South Florida, so does energy use. Air conditioning often accounts for the largest portion of a home's electricity bill during the summer months. Fortunately, a few simple changes can help residents stay comfortable while reducing energy consumption, lowering utility costs, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways to support a more sustainable community.  

Simple Ways to Save Energy This Summer:  

• Set your thermostat a few degrees higher when away from home.  
• Water plants in the early morning  
• Use ceiling fans to improve comfort and reduce reliance on air conditioning.  
• Close blinds and curtains during the hottest parts of the day.  
• Switch to LED light bulbs, which use less energy and generate less heat.  
• Unplug electronics and chargers when not in use.  
• Run dishwashers and laundry machines during cooler evening hours.  

Small actions can add up to significant energy savings throughout the summer while helping Boca Raton work toward a more sustainable future. 

Creature Feature

The Sargassum Fish (Histrio histrio) 

Meet the sargassum fish (Histrio histrio)—a tiny, bizarre-looking master of disguise that lives its entire life hidden in floating mats of seaweed offshore. Rarely noticed, it blends so perfectly into drifting sargassum that it often looks like part of the algae itself. 

Only about 2–7 inches long, the sargassum fish has frilly, weed-like appendages, mottled brown and green coloring, and upward-facing eyes that give it a slightly alien appearance. It can even shift its coloration to better match its surroundings. Instead of actively swimming through open water, it uses its fins to “walk” through seaweed and remains still for long periods, waiting to ambush prey. 

A voracious ambush predator, it can swallow animals nearly as large as its own body, striking quickly to capture shrimp, small fish, and other drifting organisms. 



These fish are closely tied to floating sargassum beds in the Atlantic, which as we have seen, drift toward South Florida beaches in summer. When that happens, the mats bring a whole hidden ecosystem with them—and occasionally a sargassum fish hitching a ride nearshore.  

It’s one of the ocean’s best camouflage artists, spending its life hidden in plain sight within drifting seaweed. But you can check them out in action in this Fish vs. Sargassum | National Geographic Video! 

Read, Watch, and Listen with the Office of Sustainability

Quarterly Call to Action

Challenge

Beat the South Florida heat while helping local wildlife by creating a pollinator hydration station. Place a shallow dish or saucer in a shaded area of your yard or balcony and add a few stones or shells so bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects have a safe place to land while they drink. Refresh the water regularly, especially during the hottest summer months. It's an easy, inexpensive way to support pollinators that help keep our gardens, parks, and natural areas thriving. 

Did You Know? 

South Florida's summer rainstorms don't always provide reliable drinking water for wildlife. During hot weather, shallow puddles can evaporate quickly, and many pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects struggle to find clean, accessible water sources. Even a small water station in your yard can help support local wildlife while giving you a front-row seat to observe some of nature's most important workers in action. 

Want to attract even more pollinators? Pair your water station with native flowering plants such as dune sunflower, firebush, or tickseed to create a mini wildlife oasis right at home. 

Are you, or someone you know, going above and beyond for sustainability in the City of Boca Raton?

Submit them for the next edition!

Email us at sustainability@myboca.us

www.myboca.us/sustainability

sustainability@myboca.us

561-393-7997