As we who live in the Tampa area are very aware, the development regionally has been extraordinary in the past few years. More and more of our open areas are being converted to housing and businesses. With each bit of “progress,” habitat for birds and other wildlife disappears.
Fortunately, we have a series of environmental conservation actions that have made a difference for Tampa Bay and our county. These include:
- A great program for purchase of significant natural lands – the Jan Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. The program has bought over 64,000 acres in our County. Our adjacent counties are also purchasing important environmental lands. An effort to connect our nature preserves as wildlife corridors increases the sustainability of the wildlife species that live in these habitats.
- We have two great state parks in our county – the Hillsborough River and Alafia State parks. These parks provide important protection of our water supply, animal habitats and public recreation. These parks are for our region’s future and our quality of life.
- The Cockroach Bay, Terra Ceia Bay, Pinellas County, and Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserves guard our bays and waterways. Celebrating its 55-year anniversary, the Aquatic Preserve program is unique to Florida.
- National Wildlife Refuges protect important bird and wildlife habitat in Tampa Bay.
- The Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Agency on Bay and Coastal Management actively lend scientific leadership for our multiple agencies and governments, working collaboratively to protect the invaluable health of our estuary and coastal systems, the economic driver so important for this region.
- Tampa Bay Watch and Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful promote volunteer participation in conservation activities and clean-ups that make a significant difference in our bay, rivers, lakes, streams and byways.
- The Tampa Bay Conservancy is our local land trust, prepared to receive donations of conservation lands and manage them for the future.
- Conservation groups, including Tampa Audubon Society, Suncoast Native Plant Society, the Tampa Group of the Sierra Club and others, bring our multi-talented citizens together to contribute their energies and expertise for the public good.
- The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County is our unique-in-Florida agency that conserves our water and air quality, wetlands and mangroves, and manages our waste.
This is an incomplete list of the current activity that is happening to protect our quality-of-life based directly on conserving our natural resources. Federal rules and laws are also key, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, and so forth.
But our region faces real problems due to its attractiveness for our citizens and new residents. We must maintain our current environmental protections and even increase them if we expect to enjoy clean air and water, a healthy Tampa Bay and Gulf of Mexico, healthy rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, good places for public recreation in nature, and bird and wildlife populations that make Hillsborough County a great place to live and bring up our children.
It won’t be easy, as the political will may be strained by developmental greed and increasing expense of open lands, treating stormwater runoff, protecting water resources, and air quality measures. We must emphasize to our community members – including the general public and our leaders - that we love living in a county that is healthy for humans and our fish, wildlife, and birds. A future where we lose these values would be a tragedy beyond measure.
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