I love Pine Island. It has no beaches, so development has been slow.
But every year I see development gradually swallowing up more and more of the island and it worries me.
Now, I have nothing against development, per se. I live in a house. Other people have a right to live in a house too.
But people come to Florida for a reason beyond just warm temperatures. We have a more relaxed style of living here that revolves around Snook-filled shallow salt water and trees with legs and dark, cool, moss-draped Live oak hammocks filled with chirping Cicadas, Great Horned owls and Florida white-tailed deer. Developing what’s left will diminish the value of life for all of us.
There is a special part of Pine Island, between Matlacha and Stringfellow Road that goes by in a blur when you drive it. Every time I pass through I wonder what is to become of it. Surely I won’t one day be driving past another sprawl with Wendy’s, Taco Bell, quick lube, Walmart and sundry. Tell me that isn’t going to happen. This is prime real estate for developers.
Here’s the stretch of road:
Pine Island Road, between Matlacha and Stringfellow Road.
The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is trying to save 190 acres on Pine Island (between Cape Coral and Sanibel Island) and is able to buy it for less than half of its appraised value. Closing is scheduled for August 11, 2012. In order to complete the purchase, the Foundation needs to raise $229,000 to cover invasive plant removal. They’ve already raised almost half of that. They are asking for donations to cover the rest.
The Foundation is a legitimate charity which has so far protected over 8,000 acres in Florida and maintains ongoing educational programs.
The Foundation is registered to solicit charitable contributions in Florida: Registration Number :CH16495. They have an independent audit each year. I’ve looked over their tax returns for the last 2 years. They were professionally prepared and show administrative expenses between 9 and 11 percent of total expenses, the rest being spent on land conservation and a tiny bit on fundraising. That’s very good.
I’ll be making a donation right away and I hope that this summer I’ll be able to drive to Pine Island, through this seemingly nondescript section of mangrove-flanked highway, and know that I had a hand in preserving it.
Are you in?
Here’s my little–totally painless–contribution to saving someplace I love:
Every little bit helps!
Here’s more info and a map that shows where the preserve will be.
