Two years from when state officials were in the conversation about increasing money making efforts in some state parks, two of these state parks in Florida are going to try Timber Harvesting.
Timber!!
State officials have proposed timber harvesting to two parks in Florida. One is the Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, and the other is the Savannas Preserve State Park in Port. Saint Lucie. But the park in Port St. Lucie will also be offered cattle grazing rights. These two parks have agreed to the plans because they want to find a way to be self-sustainable and also keep in mind with the core value of these parks being resource-based conservation and recreation.
Savannas Preserve in Port St. Lucie is holding its meeting tonight for the public to discuss the option of cattle grazing and timber harvesting in the park. Thursday night is when Myakka State Park in Sarasota will hold its meeting than to the public for them to discuss their approval or concern there as well.
Park Bonus
DEP communications director Lauren Engel said to Tampa Bay Times that the Florida Park Service wants to provide options for people and also help protect the lands from invasive species or overgrowing plants and shrubs. But some other options could help with development.
Myakka State Park also says people can also commercially remove stumps, palms, and palmetto fronds. Savannas Preserve says they are offering local beekeepers to lease land in the park to grow or expand their beehives and charge developers to relocate gopher tortoises to the Savannas Preserve so that way they can build on the gopher tortoises habitat along with harvesting timber and cattle grazing.
There are some people who are still unconvinced that these would work to the advantage of the park. Jono Miller is a member of the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club and opposes many of these changes because it takes away from the purposes of the parks and it means that more and more people would want to take away more precious things from local parks.
