Aldo Leopold
understood that a great many people must love the public lands in a natural or
wilderness state in order to keep the public lands safe from industrial
development. He knew that to love wilderness that the great masses must first
be exposed to the natural world. They must develop their unique and personal
relationship with the outdoors one on one. He also understood that by exposing
man to nature, that we were exposing nature to man. He feared that nature might
be so ravaged during that oh so necessary encounter that it might not maintain
its true identity.
“The life of every
river sings its own song, but in most the song is long since marred by the
discords of misuse. Over grazing first mars the plants and then the soil.
Rifle, trap, and poison next deplete the larger birds and mammals. Then comes a
park or forest with roads and tourists.
Parks are made to bring the music to the many, but by the time many are
attuned to hear it, there is little left but noise.” –Aldo Leopold -A Sand
County Almanac
The Unique
Florida experience begins in public lands. These lands might be managed
differently in other States and other countries. Here is a simple description
of three of those divisions.
FLORIDA STATE PARKS
The
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) protects, conserves and manages
Florida's natural resources and enforces the State's environmental laws. The DEP
oversees and manages Florida's award-winning state parks and trails system.
Since 1990, through its innovative land acquisition programs - Preservation
2000 and Florida Forever - more than two million acres of valuable lands have
been preserved, protecting habitat for 190 native and endangered animals and
plants, while restoring ecosystems throughout the state.
Florida's State
Parks encompass more than 700,000 acres and attract more than 20 million visitors
every year.The largest State Park is Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
covering 77,574 acres. The smallest State Park is Fernandina Plaza Historic
State Park at less than an acre. The oldest State Park is Olustee Battlefield
Historic State Park that was dedicated in 1899. The most visited State Park is
Honeymoon Island State Park Northwest of Tampa Bay with 1,134,509 visitors a
year.
A State Park Virtual Tour
FLORIDA STATE FORESTS
One of the
many missions of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is to
safeguard the public and support Florida's agricultural economy by conserving
and protecting the state's agricultural and natural resources by reducing
wildfires, promoting environmentally safe agricultural practices, and managing
public lands. They do this through their State Forest Service.
The Florida
Forest Service has guided the operation of state forests for over 75 years. Its
primary mission, while managing these lands, is to protect and maintain the
biological diversity of the many ecosystems found in and around the state
forests while integrating public use of the resources. Through sound forest
management practices, the Florida Forest Service is able to maintain the
integrity of the forest environment while providing for the state's future
natural resource needs.
There are
currently 35 State Forests that total over 1,058,000 acres.Since its humble
beginnings in 1936 of one state forest with 6,000 acres, Florida ’s state
forest system has grown to include 35 state forests and the management of over
one million acres of forest lands. In the late 1970s, Florida began
aggressively purchasing land for future generations from which more state
forests were created. The focus on land management shifted from simply
management of timber and wildlife resources to a multiple land use management
ethic which includes conservation of natural and cultural resources, wildlife
management, protection of water resources, and outdoor recreation.
Florida’ Wildlife Management Areas
and WEA’s
Florida's Wildlife Management Area system is
managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to sustain the
widest possible range of native wildlife in their natural habitats. These lands
are more rugged than parks, with fewer developed amenities. This system
includes more than 5.8 million acres of land established as WMAs or Wildlife
and Environmental Areas. On the majority of these lands , about 4.4 million
acres, FWC is a cooperating manager working with other governmental or private
landowners to conserve wildlife and provide public use opportunities. On the
remaining lands , about 1.4 million acres, FWC is the landowner or
"lead" managing agency responsible for land stewardship and providing
quality wildlife conservation and recreation opportunities including hunting,
fishing, wildlife viewing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, paddling, scenic
driving, and camping.
FWC has to "manage" wildlife and
wildlife habitat; it doesn't just take care of itself. Few Floridians realize
how much wildlife we have lost on during the last few centuries. Spreading
human settlement and demand for wild meat, plumes and pelts pushed many species
into jeopardy, some into extinction. By early in the 20th century, even white-tailed
deer and wild turkey were reduced to fractions of their original populations.
Yet against this backdrop of loss is another great, untold story-100 years of
wildlife conservation and recovery, as conservationists, sportsmen, and law
enforcement lobbied for legislation to reverse wildlife declines.
Game and
fish populations began to rebound as hunting and fishing harvests became better
regulated, and refuges were created. Many states initiated wildlife management
area programs similar to Florida's, where habitat could be actively managed,
and wildlife populations restored. As a result, in our state, white-tailed
deer, American alligators and wild turkey now thrive.
Some of the
many tools biologists use to help wildlife thrive, and keep WMA users satisfied,
include: species restoration, habitat management and restoration, survey and
monitoring, setting regulations and seasons for hunting and fishing, outreach
and education.
More than 5 million acres are managed as Wildlife
Management Areas for both recreational and conservation purposes. The wildlife
management area system provides excellent sporting opportunities and is favored
by some of the 3.1 million anglers who fish in Florida and our 226,000 hunters.
Wildlife viewers, cyclists, horseback riders, paddlers and other nature lovers
also find wild places to pursue their interests.
WEA’s are Wildlife and Environmental Areas, also called mitigation parks by
conservationists. In the past, attempts to protect endangered and threatened
wildlife through land use regulations in Florida frequently involved the
"on-site" preservation of habitat within the boundaries of a
development. After careful study, biologists determined that this method often
created small, isolated preserves that were easily disturbed by surrounding
development. Additional shortcomings included: poor protection for species with
large home ranges, the isolation of on-site populations from other populations
which could reduce reproduction and lead to local extinction, an inability to
conduct land management practices such as controlled burning because of
the risk to nearby residences, highways and commercial facilities, and
insufficient control over on-site preserves which could result in vandalism,
dumping, arson and construction harmful to wildlife; and disturbance from
increased levels of motor vehicle traffic and domesticated pets.
In 1998 the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) created the Mitigation Park Program as
an off-site alternative to on-site protection. When developers eliminated
habitat for an endangered or threatened species, they paid fees that were used
to buy and manage high quality habitat elsewhere. The program consolidated
mitigation within a geographical region by buying larger, more manageable
tracts, which ranged in size from 368 acres to 2,148 acres. These tracts,
established as Wildlife and Environmental Areas, were opened to the public for
low-intensity forms of recreation such as wildlife viewing, hiking and nature
study. Many tracts were developed in cooperation with other local, state and
federal agencies, but responsibility for the management rested with FWC. All
areas were managed primarily to protect and enhance habitats important to
endangered or threatened wildlife, especially the gopher tortoise.
The program provides a
cost-effective way to preserve wildlife habitat while allowing developers to
retain use of a project site. It protects the most biologically important
sites in a region and maximized resource protection by consolidating small and
isolated tracts into larger units. Additionally, the program provides public
access to lands managed by the state for the long-term protection of wildlife
resources.
