FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 15, 2014
650-ACRES OF CONSERVATION LAND APPROVED FOR ACQUISITION BY ARC
~Acquisition of Bond Ranch parcel will enhance current restoration plans~
TALLAHASSEE – Today the
Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) voted to amend the existing boundary
line of the Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Florida Forever Project to include Bond
Ranch, a 650-acre parcel. This step enables the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection’s Division of State Lands to move forward with the
acquisition of the parcel. Acquisition of conservation land is generally
limited to Florida Forever project boundaries.
DEP’s Division of State Lands worked with the South
Florida Water Management District and the Trust for Public Land to fast-track
the boundary amendment to place it on today’s ARC agenda. The division will
partner with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which has
committed $1.5 million for acquisition of the parcel.
“Adding the Bond Ranch parcel to the
Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods project will augment the current restoration efforts
for Charlotte Harbor and the Caloosahatchee River watershed,” said Kelley
Boree, director of DEP’s Division of State Lands. “I appreciate our partners
recognizing the importance of this acquisition happening quickly and in concert
with FDOT’s I-75 widening project.”
Bond Ranch is vital in the multi-phased regional
hydrologic restoration effort. The restoration initiative will not only restore
the original flow of water across Charlotte County and into Charlotte Harbor,
but will also reduce the flow of excess water south into Lee County and the
Caloosahatchee River watershed. The reduction will result in better flood
protection for North Fort Myers as well as reducing nutrient loads to the
Charlotte Harbor Estuary.
This parcel
is integral to the success of the Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Initiative, a
multi-agency, multi-year effort to return this watershed’s waterflow to its
historic westward direction. Multiple local, state and federal agencies are participating
in this initiative that covers approximately 90 square miles and five
sub-watersheds. Acquisition of the parcel, which is adjacent to Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area, will also result in immediate increased wildlife habitat.
ARC is a 10 member group of representatives from various
agencies with land conservation experience tasked with the responsibility of evaluating conservation lands for possible state acquisition and management. Along
with the addition of Bond Ranch, ARC voted to update five management plans and
considered five proposals for possible addition to the December 2014 Florida
Forever list. For more information on specific items from today’s
meeting, click HERE.
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