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A pause amid sprawl

More than a privileged few will have a river's view - and solace among the trees - after a young, private land trust accepts a 58-acre gift just west of Bell Shoals Road.

By LETITIA STEIN
Published February 18, 2005

The Tampa Bay Conservancy hopes the success of this effort will raise its local profile. Leaders are discussing the next projects in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. But the group has a long way to go to compete with land trusts in other states with longer track records.

Nationally, more than 1,500 private, nonprofit land trusts exist. Yet only about two dozen operate in Florida, according to the national Land Trust Alliance. Instead, Florida's governments historically have led conservation efforts.

Hillsborough County has preserved 40,000 acres with its Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection and Program. The 18-year-old program has spent $140-million on conservation, including grants from the state and partnerships with the city of Tampa.

But government can only do so much. The county program involves an extended review open to public scrutiny. Some landowners aren't interested in the scrutiny or the red tape.

"For whatever reason, people might not want to work with a government agency," said Peter Fowler, the county's manager of conservation services, who is eager to work with private land trusts like the Tampa Bay Conservancy. "This provides answers."

In fact, environmentalists increasingly see a bigger role for land trusts in Florida.

"There is a role for the private, not-for-profit as a land trust to help and augment the work of the local government," said Charles Roe, Southeast program director for the Land Trust Alliance, a national umbrella group. "There are a lot of special places within communities that are much beloved but might be under the radar of most national groups."

Without a local land trust, Riverview residents may have lost the Gibbons property - 58 acres just west of Bell Shoals Road, near the Boyette Oaks and Bell Creek Hammock subdivisions.

Oak and palmetto forests shade the mix of wetlands and uplands. Bell Creek traverses the property, which includes a span of woods along the Alafia River.

Only hiking, bird watching and recreational uses will be permitted at the preserve.

"We're not talking about any boating," said Rob Heath, a vice president of the Tampa Bay Conservancy and a former manager in county's conservation program. Conservation will protect the local water supply, because Bell Creek flows to the Alafia River, he said.

A few picnic tables along the river would complement his vision of a 11/2-mile hiking trail. In the coming weeks, conservancy volunteers will clear a trail to the river.

The goal at Gibbons preserve is not to attract crowds but to provide a natural refuge for local residents and bring attention to the role that a land trust can play in the community.

"It's just nice to be out here," said Riverview resident Jeanne Krueger, volunteering her time to clear brush from the entrance of the preserve on a recent Saturday morning. "It's better than having a subdivision."

Letitia Stein can be reached at 661-2443 or lstein@sptimes.com

It's a private, nonprofit land trust for Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Manatee counties. In early April, it will open the Myron and Helen Gibbons Nature Preserve. Find information about the conservancy at www.tampabayconservancy.org Volunteers are needed to clear a trail through the preserve. To volunteer, contact executive director William Lorenzen at info@tampabayconservancy.org or 924-8252.

[Last modified February 17, 2005, 10:50:08]