Photo- Three Boardwalks converging in a flooded wood.
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Boardwalk in Ft. Myers Florida.
Aldo Leopold understood that a great many people must
love the public lands in a natural or wilderness state in order to keep the
public lands safe from industrial development. He knew that to love wilderness
that the great masses must first be exposed to the natural world. They must
develop their unique and personal relationship with the outdoors one on one. He
also understood that by exposing man to nature, that we were exposing nature to
man. He feared that nature might be so ravaged during that oh so necessary
encounter that it might not maintain its true identity.
“The life of every river
sings its own song, but in most the song is long since marred by the discords
of misuse. Over grazing first mars the plants and then the soil. Rifle, trap,
and poison next deplete the larger birds and mammals. Then comes a park or
forest with roads and tourists. Parks
are made to bring the music to the many, but by the time many are attuned to
hear it, there is little left but noise.” –Aldo Leopold -A Sand
County Almanac
Some
facilities listed here charge a “Day Use” or parking fee. Most users understand
that they need to pay their way. It not only helps provide for trained park
staff, but keeps the paper towels and toilet paper stocked. It also insures
that are public access areas will be open for generations to come.
The Unique Florida experience begins in public lands.
These lands might be managed differently in other States and other countries.
Here is a simple description of three of those divisions.
FLORIDA
STATE PARKS
The Department of Environmental Protection protects,
conserves, and manages Florida's natural resources and enforces the State's
environmental laws. The DEP oversees and manages Florida's award-winning state
parks and trails system. Since 1990, through its innovative land acquisition
programs - Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever - more than two million acres
of valuable lands have been preserved, protecting habitat for 190 native and
endangered animals and plants, while restoring ecosystems throughout the state.
Florida's State Parks encompass more than 700,000 acres
and attract more than 20 million visitors every year.The largest State Park is Fakahatchee
Strand Preserve State Park covering 77,574 acres. The smallest State Park is
Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park at less than an acre. The oldest State Park
is Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park that was dedicated in 1899. The most
visited State Park is Honeymoon Island State Park Northwest of Tampa Bay with
1,134,509 visitors a year.
Photo- The Bay City Walking Dredge built a portion of the Tamiami Trail
and is a National Historic Engineering Landmark.
It is located at Collier-Seminole State Park.
FLORIDA
STATE FORESTS
One of the many missions of the Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services is to safeguard the public and support Florida's
agricultural economy by conserving and protecting the state's agricultural and
natural resources by reducing wildfires, promoting environmentally safe
agricultural practices, and managing public lands. They do this through their
State Forest Service.
The Florida Forest Service has guided the operation of
state forests for over 75 years. Its primary mission, while managing these
lands, is to protect and maintain the biological diversity of the many
ecosystems found in and around the state forests while integrating public use
of the resources. Through sound forest management practices, the Florida Forest
Service is able to maintain the integrity of the forest environment while
providing for the state's future natural resource needs. The Florida Forest
Service also sponsors a lightly structured “Trailwalker” program that awards
participants patches for specific goals.
Photo- TRAILWALKER Trailhead Kiosk at PicayuneStrand State Forest,
the Sabal Palm loop trail is 3.2 miles of Panther and Bear habitat
There are currently 35 State Forests that total over
1,058,000 acres.Since its humble beginnings in 1936 of one state forest with
6,000 acres, Florida ’s state forest system has grown to include 35 state
forests and the management of over one million acres of forest lands. In the
late 1970s, Florida began aggressively purchasing land for future generations
from which more state forests were created. The focus on land management
shifted from simply management of timber and wildlife resources to a multiple
land use management ethic which includes conservation of natural and cultural
resources, wildlife management, protection of water resources, and outdoor
recreation.
(c) 2012 Will Holcomb- "Boardwalks and Long Walks: Rediscovering Florida"
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