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Preserve grows 119 acres larger
By SUSAN THURSTON © St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001 NEW TAMPA -- A prime spot for hiking and birdwatching is getting bigger thanks to the county's recent purchase of 119 acres of forest and wetlands between Lutz and New Tampa. The County Commission agreed Wednesday to spend $125,000 to buy a piece of the Cypress Creek Preserve through its land preservation program. The purchase protects the land from development and gives residents access to the 2,370-acre preserve from County Line Road just west of the Interstate 275/75 split. "We've been working on it for a long time," said Kurt Gremley, real estate manager for Hillsborough's Environmental Land Acquisition and Preservation Program, known as ELAPP. "Our patience finally succeeded." The land is home to snakes, deer and birds that are gradually losing their space to development in Lutz, New Tampa and Pasco County. The preserve serves as a natural filter for water that drains into the Hillsborough River, Tampa's main source of drinking water. "It's good quality habitat from a water quality standpoint," said Rob Heath, the environmental supervisor who manages the county's preservation lands. "It's really important." Of the 119 acres, only about 1 acre off County Line Road was suitable for development, Gremley said. The rest has wetlands and pine and oak trees. County records show that William and Esther Greer of Titusville bought it in 1992. Eventually, the county may build a parking lot and a trail leading into the site. Like all land in the preservation program, it will be open to hikers during the day. The purchase expands to the south the 297-acre Jennings site that the county bought last year for $1-million. The site contains more than 150 acres of wetlands and can be reached from Robertson Trail. Over the last decade, the county has acquired more than 32,000 acres for preservation through a voter-approved property tax. The county bought its first chunk of the Cypress Creek Preserve in 1996. In January, the county added 122 acres along the east side of Interstate 75 south of Bruce B. Downs that had been slated for commercial development. The land connects to Flatwoods Parks, a popular site for biking, skating and jogging. The county is still negotiating for another 1,000 acres west of Interstate 275 owned by brothers Bobby and Earl Diez. - Susan Thurston can be reached at (813) 226-3463 or thurston@sptimes.com.
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