County has a chance to protect black bears

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published August 13, 2007

Does a bear shift from the woods? With a little due diligence and some public money, a preserved piece of property in Aripeka will keep that question from being answered.

Next week, Pasco County commissioners have an opportunity to review and approve a contract to buy 210 acres of black bear habitat, known as Aripeka Heights, in Pasco's northwestern corner.

The county's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program signed a $4.35-million contract in July to grab the property that had been earmarked for construction of 235 homes. If commissioners consummate the deal, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will split the cost.

It's an important acquisition. Encroaching roads and homes can fragment bear habitat, keeping the animals from larger areas needed for food and mating. Preserving the land eases fears that a corridor within the planned housing development would have been too narrow to keep the animals from moving safely within their habitat.

The purchase continues government efforts to protect bear habitat in conservation land along Pasco's and Hernando's western edges. For instance, six years ago, Swiftmud snagged 65 undeveloped acres in northwest Pasco that had been targeted for 189 mobile home lots. Swiftmud now has more than 11,000 acres preserved in Aripeka and Weekiwachee.

The per-acre price of nearly $21,000 for Aripeka Heights is more expensive than earlier government purchases in the vicinity. But the cost reflects land values that boomed earlier in the decade along with a zoning designation approved by commissioners in 2005 that allowed for residential development.

Environmentalists targeted the land for preservation immediately after the county created its ELAMP in 2004. The owner initially rebuffed the voluntary program because the land already was under contract for development. But perseverance, and a coincidental downturn in the housing market, made the government offer more attractive after the development contract changed hands in 2006.

Purchasing Aripeka Heights is a significant commitment to help protect the black bear and also to provide sandhill habitat, the desirable sandy upland terrain that can be host to many endangered species. Commissioners shouldn't hesitate to endorse this acquisition.

[Last modified August 12, 2007, 20:33:45]