Few organizations have made as much of an impact on local environmental conservation as the Indian River Land Trust. Many of its generous supporters were feted and thanked at an IRLT Conservators Party hosted by Dick and Sally Brickman and Bill and Laura Buck last Wednesday at the Quail Valley River Club.
Board members, top donors and staff members used the opportunity to take stock of their many accomplishments and look to the future.
An enlarged map at the head of the room illustrated the important lands already saved through the financial support of philanthropic donors. The map demonstrated the impressive acreages of ecologically sensitive property which, thanks to their generosity, will be held forever in the public’s interest.
Louis Schacht, current IRLT Board Chair and a third-generation Indian River citrus grower, has an unwavering commitment toward protecting the Indian River Lagoon by conserving acreages such as Pine Island, the Lagoon Greenway and the Coastal Oaks Preserve which directly affect the waterway’s health.
“I am passionate about the lagoon,” said Schacht. “I think it is the jewel of the county. There is really one body of water that we are responsible for and that is the lagoon. The whole world works for the oceans but this is our own body of water. It makes our county really unique and to me, it makes the community.”
Schacht and Dick Brickman have seen the Land Trust grow over the past 25 years, from its early stages to its current recognition as the go-to group for land preservation.
“I am a landscape architect, so I guess it’s in my blood to protect and care about the land,” said Brickman. “Having seen what’s happened from Fort Lauderdale and north, it would be a tragedy to let that happen here. I think already the success of the Land Trust has made sure that is not ever going to happen now. We are not done by a long shot but as you can see by the map, we were in providence at the right time and place.”
Brickman said the economic downturn was a contributory factor in enabling the organization to purchase large tracts of land. It also took generous landowners with a desire to preserve the land, who either bequeathed or donated their property to the county.
“My mother early on was admiring the natural beauty along the Indian River and wanting to protect it because of its special nature,” said Sylvia Larsen. Her mother, Lucia Bravo, donated one of the properties which provide access to the parcel that became the Toni Robinson Trail. The trail is near Hobart Landings, developed by Bravo’s great uncle, Edward Hobart.
“My mother bought and donated the land when she realized that this parcel could be gone one day. She wanted to protect it.”
“We realize how special and unique this place is in Florida and want to try to keep it that way,” said Schacht. “There are no pristine waterway lands like this left in Florida, like there are here in Indian River County.”