| Trails Help Preserve Natural
Florida
(Note: Reading this article should raise every goose-bump you have, and every Red Flag. The intent is so transparent: this IS The Wildlands Project. This IS the Gulf of Mexico to Canada corridor, complete with huge buffer zone. Better get cracking and fight this NOW!) July 10, 2003 Tampa Tribune To submit a Letter to the Editor: tribletters@tampatrib.com I n 1964, real estate broker and wildlife photographer James Kern was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he had an idea: Why not build a similar trail running the length of Florida? He soon created the Florida Trail Association. He and his fellow hiking enthusiasts worked with public agencies and private landowners to assemble more than 1,000 miles of trail. The Florida National Scenic Trail was added to the national trails system in 1983, one of only eight trails to be so designated by Congress. Yet for all that progress, the Florida trail remains incomplete. It will ultimately run from the Western Panhandle to the Big Cypress Preserve in South Florida, a length of some 1,300 miles through the state. By way of comparison, the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine -- and crosses 14 states -- is 2,000 miles. But while hikers now can ramble along some 1,000 miles, there are key gaps, and about 300 miles of the trail are along roads or highways -- not exactly a wilderness experience. It is time to complete this noble venture. Residents and tourists would be able to traverse unpaved and unspoiled Florida. Besides providing recreational opportunities, this "green ribbon'' also would serve as a wildlife corridor, a refuge running the length of the state. Satellite trails would allow hikers to reach other destinations, including Hillsborough County and the Florida Keys. The trail would also connect with a trail in Georgia that leads to the Appalachian Trail. Ultimately an ambitious (or insane) hiker could walk from the Keys to Maine. The bulk of the Florida National Scenic Trail is located on public land. Agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the state Parks Department and the water districts have been helpful. But to finish the project, backers must acquire easements -- or outright ownership -- to more than 300 miles. The Florida Trail Association has joined forces with the Great Outdoors Conservancy, a nonprofit national land trust, in an effort to raise $100 million over the next 10 years to complete the corridor. Information is available on the organizations' Web sites: http://www.thegreatoutdoors.org and The campaign is made more urgent by the state's rapid development, which is increasing land values and destroying wilderness. It is significant that the Great Outdoors Conservancy, which has saved land around the Myakka River, is concerned that landowners be treated fairly -- and that they [the landowners] do not see the trail as a threat. Conservancy President Bill LaMee says if necessary the trail will be rerouted, rather than create conflicts. The trail backers also want to assemble 1,000 feet of right-of-way [1,000' per side or total?] to buffer the trail from encroachment. Both public and private dollars are needed. Next year trail advocates will try to obtain funds from the Legislature. Lawmakers' support is critical and would show private donors the state is committed to the venture. Relatively few people would probably ever walk the length of the trail. That shouldn't matter. You don't need to know how to hoist a backpack or pitch a tent to understand the value of preserving the natural heart of Florida. |