NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION When the privately owned Babcock Ranch, a critical landscape connection between Charlotte Harbor and Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, became vulnerable to urban development in 2004, the community's concern increased. The 91,361-acre property provides essential wildlife habitat, and houses one of the area's largest natural water storage tracts. Naturally, concerns were voiced about the need to preserve the integrity of this important stretch of coastal land—so the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) stepped in to facilitate a solution. THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN ACTION Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program The CHNEP presented $5,000 in seed money and a staff member to establish the Babcock Preser- vation Partnership, a grassroots initiative that raised funds and organized a coalition of stake- holders that could influence the acquisition and management of the property. The effort was a remarkable success that even- tually led the state and Lee County to purchase and preserve 80 percent of the Ranch with ambitious efforts still in progress to ensure the remaining acreage remains intact. To make it happen, a core group of stakeholders—including local hunting, sporting and environ- mental groups, realtors, the wa- ter management district, private businesses, educators, citizens, and students—stepped in to do- nate time and resources to the effort. Chico's, the women's clothing retailer headquartered in Florida, got on board with a donation that enabled the group to hire another staff member to run the partnership and launched an advertising campaign that used the Ranch as its model- shoot location. The newspaper in Lee County underwrote the design and pro- duction of 5,000 educational EFFECTIVE EFFICIENT ADAPTIVE COLLABORATIVE ------- pamphlets for use during out- reach events and direct mailings. Reporters, editors and an edito- rial cartoonist also worked to keep the story alive. A local res- ident also contacted family friend Jim Fowler, the well-known nat- uralist and TV host, who donated his time as spokesman for the effort. Lee County offered its he- licopter and pilot to capture Fowler on video flying over the Ranch and explaining the impor- tance of preserving the property. The messages aired regularly on local cable and radio stations- free of charge. In addition, Lee County and a lo- cal restaurant, the Blue Pepper, underwrote the costs of two bus- loads of activists to travel to the state capital to testify at the state's Conservation Lands Com- mittee hearing in support of pur- chasing the Ranch. Elected state officials were called, sent letters, e-mailed, and visited to demon- strate the broad-based support for legislation to authorize the expenditure of state dollars to purchase the Ranch. With over a quarter-million of lo- cal fundraising dollars and the support of the governor and oth- er elected officials in securing state and Federal funding, 73,000 acres were purchased by the State of Florida and Lee County in 2006. This acquisition permanently protects water quality and quantity, provides habitat and preserves open space for generations to come, and demonstrates the strength of the NEP approach to facilitat- ing cooperation among diverse stakeholders in order to protect and preserve the watershed. Visit www.chnep.org to learn more about this and other CHNEP efforts. EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP) is a unique and successful coastal watershed-based program established in 1987 under the Clean Water Act Amendments. The NEP involves the public and collaborates with partners to pro- tect, restore, and maintain the wa- ter quality and ecological integrity of 28 estuaries of national signifi- cance located in 18 coastal states and Puerto Rico. For more information about the NEP go to www.epa.gov/owow/ estuaries. The NEP: Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and Collaborative. EPA-842F09001 ------- |