Copy of EcoWalk: Sand Dunes

Coastal dunes do more than their modest height suggests: they absorb wave energy, catch windblown sand and act as a natural flood barrier for a barrier island. This interpretive walk on North Lido explains how they work. It is part of the EcoWalks series from UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County and is guided by the extension's ecology and natural resources educators. The focus is dune ecology, the species found in the dunes and the intertidal zone, and wildlife spotting. The shoreline itself is changing. The city's Lido Beach Dune Restoration Project was the first time Sarasota specifically rebuilt dunes there, using sand dredged from New Pass.