Opposition to proposed county, forest service land swap
Editor, The Sun:
Dear Forest Supervisor and Members of the Wakulla County Commission:
The Florida Sierra Club is opposed to the proposed exchange of the 163-acre County owned equestrian center for approximately 200 acres of Apalachicola National Forest Land.
The Wakulla County Commission has proposed a land swap between the county and the U.S. Forest Service involving approximately 200 acres of the Apalachicola National Forest near Crawfordville (to be developed as an active recreational complex) for 163 acres of county land (that contains the Wakulla County Equestrian Center).
The Florida Sierra Club believes that public conservation land of the United States is an important natural heritage of all Americans. Public conservation land provides open space, clean water, important habitat for native plants and animals, a last stronghold for many endangered ecosystems, and opportunities for outdoor recreation. We believe that public conservation land should be retained in public ownership and only traded in circumstances that meet the highest environmental standards.
The Apalachicola National Forest is Florida’s largest and one of its most biologically diverse public conservation lands. It is part of our state’s irreplaceable ecological heritage. The Forest’s wetlands, cypress swamps, sinkholes, and longleaf pine ecosystems support imperiled wildlife, protect regional water quality, and help recharge Wakulla Springs, the world’s largest and deepest freshwater spring.
The highest priority should be given to preservation of public conservation land of high biological and ecological value. Land traded out of public ownership generally should be of lesser biological and ecological value and the land acquired in any trade should be land of higher ecological value.
We find the county’s rationale for this exchange flawed and environmentally unsound. The proposed forest parcel is hydrologically fragile, unsuitable for large-scale recreational infrastructure, and integral to the ecological balance of the region. The land includes extensive cypress wetlands and sinkhole terrain — conditions incompatible with the County’s stated goal of constructing a “multi-sport recreation complex” with ballfields, restrooms, and concession stands.
The county lands that are proposed to be transferred to the Forest have been negatively impacted by the development of the Wakulla County Equestrian facility and includes an equestrian arena, picnic facility, hiking trail, restrooms, parking and horse trailer parking, and security lighting.
We urge the Wakulla County Commission to invest in improving existing recreational facilities. Independent consultants recently confirmed ample space already exists within the County’s current recreation system and on school-owned property to meet all identified needs without acquiring federal land.
Prior to any further discussion on a proposed land swap, an environmental assessment of the Forest Service property and the county owned parcel (Wakulla County Equestrian Center parcel) parcel is needed.
But based on the information available to the Sierra Club, it is clear that the existing Apalachicola Forest parcel has higher environmental value that the Wakulla County Equestrian Center parcel. The Sierra Club asks the U.S. Forest Service to reject this proposed land swap and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the Apalachicola National Forest
This proposal betrays the very environmental and community values that make Wakulla County special.
The Florida Sierra Club opposes this land swap and stands with the residents of Wakulla County and all Floridians who believe our national forests should remain public, wild, and protected.
Public participation and transparency in the County’s request for the land exchange is lacking.
Sierra Club believes public participation in decision making is paramount. Any public land exchange should involve a full and open public participation process. Disclosure of appraised values and other critical information should occur early, providing ample opportunity for public review.
Cliff Thaell, Vice Chair
Florida Sierra Club
Grant Gelhardt, Chair
Conservation Committee
Florida Sierra Club
Growth that honors Wakulla’s roots
Editor, The Sun:
Wakulla is changing fast. The once abundantly wild sanctuary is now overrun by fast food, housing developments, and congested traffic with even more development on the rise.
Many of us feel we’ve gotten far off track from what Wakulla should be. Property taxes have crept higher; garbage services have decreased even as costs continue to rise; traffic stacks up at familiar bottlenecks; school campuses feel tight; and the county’s study shows our parks need steady care before we add new ones. None of this is “anti-growth”.
In 1843, Florida established Wakulla County, whose very name has long been tied to “springs” and “Mysterious Waters.” This isn’t just scenery; it’s our story – our way of life. From freshwater to salt, forest to coast is what makes up Wakulla’s heartbeat.
We’ve heard the public repeatedly ask the BOCC to consider slowing down to catch up before they continue to approve zoning changes, more massive subdivisions. Let’s pause, answer a few questions now, instead of addressing the consequences later when the damage is already done and our only option is to say “it’s too late.”
Do our roads, water and sewer, solid-waste systems have the capacity to hold more let alone sufficiently support what already exists?
What is the current school capacity, campus by campus and what is the plan to manage growth?
How many approved-but-unbuilt lots are in the pipeline? How many vacant homes do we already have?
Can we prioritize infill and reuse before carving up more woods?
Our community was founded on springs, rivers, working forests, fisheries, and close-knit communities. From the ancient people along the sinks and rivers to the Spanish at San Marcos and the creation of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, our story is interwoven with “Mysterious Waters” heritage. Growth that forgets that story isn’t prosperity; it’s negligent.
We can welcome new neighbors and new opportunities without losing ourselves any more than we already have. In a world that is moving and changing so rapidly, let us choose growth that remembers our story, our history and heritage and keeps Wakulla a refuge, a natural place to be.
Chloe Clark Broker
Wakulla Resident
