On December 29, 2007, Karen Walker, Bill Marquardt, Mark Chargois, and several friends and neighbors planted 40 citrus trees at the Pineland site, replacing trees lost to citrus canker in the fall of 2004.

one person digs a hole. Another person uses a screen to sift through the dirt.
Judy D’Agostino digs a hole for a grapefruit tree, while Bunny Hutchinson sifts the dirt to be sure no archaeological materials are being disturbed. Photo by W. Marquardt

See: Friends of the Randell Research Center Newsletter Vol. 3, No.4, p. 2.

Although citrus trees are not original to Florida, they have been an important part of Florida’s – and Pineland’s – recent history and economy. Our new trees were planted where the grand old trees had been, and we hope that one day they will be producing citrus once again, helping to educate visitors about the agricultural history of Pine Island. The citrus trees were bought with funds contributed by the Friends of the RRC. Thank you all for making this possible.

group of people eight stand and sit around a small citrus tree that has just been planted
The citrus-planting party. Left to right, standing: Pat Nanney, Bill Marquardt, Judy D’Agostino, Bunny Hutchinson, Mark Chargois; seated: Rona Stage, grapefruit tree, Margi Nanney, Karen Walker. Photo by M. Nanney

This article was taken from the Friends of the Randell Research Center Newsletter Vol 6, No. 4. December 2007.