DEAR EDITOR:
Now is the time to rally together, speak your mind and save The Outpost, a 30-year protected conservation land of 100 acres.
Now is the time to let your voice be heard in emails to county officials. Now is the time to attend the two public hearings on Aug. 15 and Sept. 17. Your attendance is key to the outcome of the hearings. The hearings will take place in the St. Johns County Auditorium County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine. The Aug. 15 hearing begins at 3:30 p.m.
Ponte Vedra Corporation, a subsidiary of Gate Petroleum, wants to change the conservation land to residential and build 66 homes on 1-acre properties over a 10-year period.
This land is a wildlife treasure that borders Guana Lake for one mile and is almost entirely surrounded by the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR), the only national estuarine research reserve on the east coast of Florida. Development would cause 74 upland acres of the Outpost to be decimated, including the closed canopy hammock that is rare on Florida's coastline. The fertilizer and pesticide run-off will have a negative impact on the water quality of Guana Lake.
The 10-year construction project will most certainly have devastating consequences for migratory and native birds as well as the wildlife. Over a dozen protected animal species are known to exist in the vicinity of the Outpost.
Wild Florida is diminishing day by day. Now is the time for nature-lovers, birders, hikers, kayakers and anglers to join forces and save The Outpost. Now is the time to gather family and friends and get the word out: It's now or never. Save Guana Now is a nonprofit organization. Visit the website for details on sending emails and attending hearings.
Time flies by faster than the wings of hummingbirds. Please, rise to the occasion and attend these meetings. Join together with those of us who want to Save Guana Now and ensure that this exquisite conservation land, Guana Lake and the GTMNERR will be here for generations to come. Maybe forever!
Allison B. Marshak
Ponte Vedra
