A team of biologists is quietly working beneath the surface of East Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho) in Kissimmee, scrub brushes in hand, to restore one of central Florida’s most important freshwater lakes.
Over the past year, Sea and Shoreline, in partnership with Conservation Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, has planted 250,000 native eelgrass plants across a 50-acre stretch of the lake, a project that organizers say could have a ripple effect all the way to the Florida Everglades.
Josie Whitling, an environmental advisor with Sea and Shoreline, describes the work in simple terms.
“Underwater farmers - we’re underwater farmers out here,” she said.
The project, which began in August 2025, involves planting native eelgrass, also known scientifically as Vallisneria, using a combination of herbivory exclusion devices, or cages, and mechanical planting units, or MPUs, spread across the lake’s northwest shoreline.
Each month, a team of biologists dons masks, snorkels and fins to scrub the cages clean of algae and check on the progress of the plants.
“We come out here and clean every single cage across the 50-acre project. We look for Vallisneria and how it’s growing, how it is doing, and we make sure that our cages are in good condition,” Whitling said. “We clean them because sometimes you can get some algae growth and that can block light.”
Eelgrass is more than just an aquatic plant it’s a cornerstone of a healthy freshwater ecosystem.
“This is a special plant because it does a lot more than just look pretty,” Whitling said. “It filters the water, it provides oxygen, it provides habitat for fish - they lay their eggs there, it acts as a nursery, and it’s like an all-in-one helpful aid to a good ecosystem in this freshwater system.”
Ben Collins, Director of Philanthropy at Conservation Florida, added that the scale of the project carries significant ecological weight.
“A single native eelgrass plant can give 50,000 liters of oxygen into the lake,” Collins said. “So over our 50-acre project, we’re talking about two and a half million liters back into East Lake Toho every day. And that oxygen is really the heartbeat of a healthy lake, from the fish to the wildlife to the water quality.”
East Lake Toho is no ordinary body of water. It sits near the headwaters of the Florida Everglades system, making its health critical to the broader environmental chain.
“This lake is really important because it’s part of the headwaters of the Everglades,” Whitling explained. “It’s like a giant water filtration system. All of these lakes are super important for the ecosystem and the health of it.”
Collins echoed that sentiment and put the project’s location in sharp geographic context.
“Here we are five miles from Orlando International Airport. We’re in the Orlando Metro,” he said. “This is one of the largest, fastest-growing areas in the country, and so protecting and restoring a 12,000-acre freshwater lake in the heart of that kind of development is not only a symbol that resonates with Florida, but that’s exactly the kind of work Conservation Florida is built to do.”
The cages play a critical protective role during the plants’ most vulnerable period.
Samantha Stauffer, Senior Coordinator at Sea and Shoreline, explained why the cages are essential.
“What they do is they help protect the plants for 12 months and get those roots established,” she said.
Once the roots are established, grazing from turtles or other wildlife is less of a threat - even if an animal grazes the plant down to the ground, healthy roots mean it will grow back. The cages are set to be removed after 12 months, which is rapidly approaching for the East Lake Toho project.
Whitling described the layout: each PVC pole in the water marks five cages, and inside each cage are five pots of eelgrass grown in Sea and Shoreline’s nursery. Surrounding each cage are the MPUs, smaller plants used to fill the gaps and encourage the eelgrass to spread naturally.
The project represents a broad collaboration. Sea and Shoreline, an aquatic restoration company founded in 2014, handles the on-the-ground science and maintenance. Conservation Florida, a nonprofit land conservancy, serves as a key partner and helped identify the need for restoration. Funding comes from the state of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Our mission at Sea and Shoreline is to restore and enhance aquatic ecosystems for the habitat and wildlife that depend on them,” Stauffer said.
One year into the project, the results have exceeded expectations.
“This project is just working,” Whitling said. “We come here every single month and the grass is doing incredibly well. The MPUs have in some areas covered the ground so full that you cannot see the sand.”
Stauffer agreed. “This project has been wildly successful,” she said. “The eelgrass has taken off, and the cages that we put in place have really helped with that.”
Collins said the evidence extends beyond what’s visible underwater.
“We know because the things that matter to everyday Floridians, like populations of American alligators and river otters, snowy egrets, bald eagles, largemouth bass, those are here and in healthy supplies,” he said. “We’re seeing the wildlife and the water quality that makes Florida feel like home.”
For Whitling, who joined Sea and Shoreline straight out of school, the project has been more than a first job - it’s been a calling.
“I always knew I didn’t want to work in an office,” she said. “I am very much nature-oriented. It’s part of the reason I think so many people love Florida. The nature connects all of us.”
She said the experience has taught her as much about community as it has about science.
“I got to know so many families around here, so many communities, and we all share the same thing in common, just loving Florida and loving what it has to offer outside,” Whitling said. “It is a collaborative effort out here.”
Collins added a personal connection to the lake’s history and meaning.
“‘Tohopekaliga’, it means something like ‘we will gather together here,’” he said. “I think that’s such a fitting name. Not just because this has for generations been the intersection of wild Florida and the Florida community right here on this lake, but now today, this represents us coming together. Conservation Florida, the state of Florida, Sea and Shoreline all pulling in the same direction.”
With the one-year cage removal approaching, the team is looking ahead with optimism.
“One plant can actually grow as high as seven feet,” Stauffer said. “We expect that just that one plant can expand to other areas.”
Collins encouraged anyone interested in following the project or getting involved to visit ConservationFlorida.org.
“For every dollar given, we’re seeing $36 of conservation impact,” he said. “You can read the whole story about what’s happening here on East Lake Toho, learn about our partners, and see everything we’re doing across the 67 counties in the state of Florida - permanently protecting water, wildlife, and wild places.”
A team of biologists is quietly working beneath the surface of East Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho) in Kissimmee, scrub brushes in hand, to restore one of central Florida’s most important freshwater lakes.
Over the past year, Sea and Shoreline, in partnership with Conservation Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, has planted 250,000 native eelgrass plants across a 50-acre stretch of the lake, a project that organizers say could have a ripple effect all the way to the Florida Everglades.
Josie Whitling, an environmental advisor with Sea and Shoreline, describes the work in simple terms.
“Underwater farmers - we’re underwater farmers out here,” she said.
The project, which began in August 2025, involves planting native eelgrass, also known scientifically as Vallisneria, using a combination of herbivory exclusion devices, or cages, and mechanical planting units, or MPUs, spread across the lake’s northwest shoreline.
Each month, a team of biologists dons masks, snorkels and fins to scrub the cages clean of algae and check on the progress of the plants.
“We come out here and clean every single cage across the 50-acre project. We look for Vallisneria and how it’s growing, how it is doing, and we make sure that our cages are in good condition,” Whitling said. “We clean them because sometimes you can get some algae growth and that can block light.”
Eelgrass is more than just an aquatic plant it’s a cornerstone of a healthy freshwater ecosystem.
“This is a special plant because it does a lot more than just look pretty,” Whitling said. “It filters the water, it provides oxygen, it provides habitat for fish - they lay their eggs there, it acts as a nursery, and it’s like an all-in-one helpful aid to a good ecosystem in this freshwater system.”
Ben Collins, Director of Philanthropy at Conservation Florida, added that the scale of the project carries significant ecological weight.
“A single native eelgrass plant can give 50,000 liters of oxygen into the lake,” Collins said. “So over our 50-acre project, we’re talking about two and a half million liters back into East Lake Toho every day. And that oxygen is really the heartbeat of a healthy lake, from the fish to the wildlife to the water quality.”
East Lake Toho is no ordinary body of water. It sits near the headwaters of the Florida Everglades system, making its health critical to the broader environmental chain.
“This lake is really important because it’s part of the headwaters of the Everglades,” Whitling explained. “It’s like a giant water filtration system. All of these lakes are super important for the ecosystem and the health of it.”
Collins echoed that sentiment and put the project’s location in sharp geographic context.
“Here we are five miles from Orlando International Airport. We’re in the Orlando Metro,” he said. “This is one of the largest, fastest-growing areas in the country, and so protecting and restoring a 12,000-acre freshwater lake in the heart of that kind of development is not only a symbol that resonates with Florida, but that’s exactly the kind of work Conservation Florida is built to do.”
The cages play a critical protective role during the plants’ most vulnerable period.
Samantha Stauffer, Senior Coordinator at Sea and Shoreline, explained why the cages are essential.
“What they do is they help protect the plants for 12 months and get those roots established,” she said.
Once the roots are established, grazing from turtles or other wildlife is less of a threat - even if an animal grazes the plant down to the ground, healthy roots mean it will grow back. The cages are set to be removed after 12 months, which is rapidly approaching for the East Lake Toho project.
Whitling described the layout: each PVC pole in the water marks five cages, and inside each cage are five pots of eelgrass grown in Sea and Shoreline’s nursery. Surrounding each cage are the MPUs, smaller plants used to fill the gaps and encourage the eelgrass to spread naturally.
The project represents a broad collaboration. Sea and Shoreline, an aquatic restoration company founded in 2014, handles the on-the-ground science and maintenance. Conservation Florida, a nonprofit land conservancy, serves as a key partner and helped identify the need for restoration. Funding comes from the state of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Our mission at Sea and Shoreline is to restore and enhance aquatic ecosystems for the habitat and wildlife that depend on them,” Stauffer said.
One year into the project, the results have exceeded expectations.
“This project is just working,” Whitling said. “We come here every single month and the grass is doing incredibly well. The MPUs have in some areas covered the ground so full that you cannot see the sand.”
Stauffer agreed. “This project has been wildly successful,” she said. “The eelgrass has taken off, and the cages that we put in place have really helped with that.”
Collins said the evidence extends beyond what’s visible underwater.
“We know because the things that matter to everyday Floridians, like populations of American alligators and river otters, snowy egrets, bald eagles, largemouth bass, those are here and in healthy supplies,” he said. “We’re seeing the wildlife and the water quality that makes Florida feel like home.”
For Whitling, who joined Sea and Shoreline straight out of school, the project has been more than a first job - it’s been a calling.
“I always knew I didn’t want to work in an office,” she said. “I am very much nature-oriented. It’s part of the reason I think so many people love Florida. The nature connects all of us.”
She said the experience has taught her as much about community as it has about science.
“I got to know so many families around here, so many communities, and we all share the same thing in common, just loving Florida and loving what it has to offer outside,” Whitling said. “It is a collaborative effort out here.”
Collins added a personal connection to the lake’s history and meaning.
“‘Tohopekaliga’, it means something like ‘we will gather together here,’” he said. “I think that’s such a fitting name. Not just because this has for generations been the intersection of wild Florida and the Florida community right here on this lake, but now today, this represents us coming together. Conservation Florida, the state of Florida, Sea and Shoreline all pulling in the same direction.”
With the one-year cage removal approaching, the team is looking ahead with optimism.
“One plant can actually grow as high as seven feet,” Stauffer said. “We expect that just that one plant can expand to other areas.”
Collins encouraged anyone interested in following the project or getting involved to visit ConservationFlorida.org.
“For every dollar given, we’re seeing $36 of conservation impact,” he said. “You can read the whole story about what’s happening here on East Lake Toho, learn about our partners, and see everything we’re doing across the 67 counties in the state of Florida - permanently protecting water, wildlife, and wild places.”