Conner Park, 492 Bluebill Drive, Naples, FL. 34108
Photo Taken 08.31.2022
Photos taken after Hurricane Ian
Conner Park is a passive park in Collier County, spanning 5 acres of walking trails and Beach Parking. In Late 2021 a group of dedicated volunteers working hand in hand with our maintenance staff installed a butterfly garden. This garden team is primarily made up of residents from the neighboring community of The Dunes.
After Hurricane Ian in September of 2022, the storm surge came up through Turkey Bay and inland for several blocks completely covering this once beautiful park. The park suffered from the saltwater and the loads of debris that washed in with the surge leaving household items and horticultural debris throughout the park, parking lots and roads.
Our dedicated volunteers wasted no time responding to the garden to assess. Within two weeks after Hurricane Ian the team was on site, cleaning up the debris out of the garden and making a plan for future plantings to restore the garden to it's former glory and provide for it's many pollinators. Two hours of hard labor intensive work and hauling debris to a pile for pickup was a major accomplishment.
That is not where this story ends. One volunteer remained on site for another three hours, working alone filling more than 5 large bags of debris, from the grounds surrounding the garden. Dante, a dedicated garden volunteer and resident of the neighboring condominium association managed this massive task by himself. Dante, is another real life superhero residing in our town taking care of our environment, our pollinators, doing what needed to be done before anyone else could get to it. Thank you Dante for your passion for this park, our community, your neighborhood and the hundred people who visit that park each day. (Even when a hurricane just went through.)
https://www.collierparks.com/collier_park/conner-park-beach/
