FOX 13: Volunteers needed to plant 12,000 sea oats on Anna Maria Island after busy hurricane season

It’s a small, but mighty plant.

Sea oats can help prevent some flooding and erosion.

They’re now being replanted in areas where they were lost on Anna Maria Island.

Last year’s hurricanes devastated the beach community.

Keep Manatee Beautiful is helping restore the island, by planting thousands of sea oats.

But they need help in doing so.

Volunteers on Bradenton Beach are working to bring the natural habitat back to life. "When I saw the true damage to our local environment, it was heartbreaking," said Jennifer Hoffman.

Jennifer Hoffman with Keep Manatee Beautiful witnessed the first hand devastation of hurricane Helene.

Sand dunes and vital plants like sea oats were gone.

"This the size of the plug we are putting in. This little baby will keep our dunes in place for years to come, she told FOX 13.

Hoffman said the dunes buffer against high tides and flooding and act as a habitat for birds and help protect sea turtles.

"These plants right here are what keeps the dunes in place and what stops the forward motion of the water. It is imperative we have these in place before the next storm comes through," she said.

Matthew Azzara helped plant 600 sea oats along the bay at Coquina South Boat Ramp.

"It was in a bad shape and I like getting it back to how it was," he said.

What's next:

Keep Manatee Beautiful needs help in plating the sea oats on the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

They need around 300 volunteers to plant 12,000 sea oats across 5 miles of the island on July 26.

"It is our duty as citizens here. If we left everything flat we would start losing our marine life as well. Not just worrying about storms," said Hoffman.

It’s not hard to do, and all ages are welcome.

All you have to do is sign up and show up.

Gloves and mini-shovels will be provided, but you can bring your own if you’d like.

"You are making a bit of a difference with every sea oat," said Azzara.

Keep Manatee Beautiful hopes many more volunteers will sign up to give back to the beaches that so many enjoy.

"It is really important that we put this nature back to as good as we can for as long as we can," said Hoffman.

What you can do:

You can visit the Keep Manatee Beautiful website to sign up.