The Ladies of the Lagoon, an Indian River Land Trust support group, gathered with members of the Vero Beach Women’s Club to learn about efforts of the Land Trust to conserve and protect our natural resources.
The event also focused on the county’s $50 million Environmental Bond Referendum that environmental organizations, community groups and businesses are asking residents to vote ‘Yes’ on in the Nov. 8 ballot. The county has acquired hundreds of conservation acres through passage of two previous bond measures, for $26 million in 1992 and $50 million in 2004.
Welcoming everyone to the Women’s Club’s landmark building, Charlotte Terry, president, and Gail Alexander, vice president, gave a brief history of the nonprofit, founded in 1915, and its activities, including an annual Tea Party to fund scholarships for GYAC college-bound students, and Monday evening Yoga for Charity to benefit Healthy Start Coalition.
Melissa DePriest, IRLT director of philanthropy and marketing, said the Land Trust, founded in 1990 and funded solely by private donations, works to preserve wildlife habitats and natural resources, purchase waterfront land to protect the lagoon, and provide access for recreation and education.
“We’re very proud that since our founding, we’ve been able to protect 1,200 acres in Indian River County and more than 12 miles of actual shoreline,” said DePriest.
The southernmost property is Oyster Bar Marsh, a joint project with the county, which acquired its portion after passage of a prior bond referendum.
“Then, over the course of several years, we were able to acquire and put together 155 acres. That will be our newest trail and it’s our first public trail on the barrier island,” said DePriest. Its other public trails are the Toni Robinson Trail, its northernmost property, and the Lagoon Greenway.
Another recent acquisition, stretching from the western side of the Barber Bridge northward, extended prior purchases to 300 acres, now protected forever. Their 226-acre Coastal Oaks Preserve, home to the rare butterfly orchid, runs from U.S. 1 to the lagoon and includes previously commercially zoned areas near the Hallstrom House.
“So property acquisition is a key part of what we do and enables us to fulfill our mission. It really helps us protect these scenic waterfronts that make Vero so special,” said DePriest. “We couldn’t do it without a supportive community.”
Ken Grudens, IRLT executive director, said land stewardship is equally important. Restoration projects have included removing exotics and restoring wetlands and habitats. A saltmarsh restoration project preserved the habitat for the apple snail, a food source for snail kites.
“So the restoration helps the entire ecosystem and keeps species in our area that would otherwise have to move to find their preferred menu,” said DePriest.
Explaining hydrological restorations, Grudens said mosquito impoundments, while obviously needed, can limit fish access, so they put culverts under impoundment roads. Fish can now move in and out and the water is kept cleaner and oxygenated.
Grudens said their Bee Gum Point property, previously slated for 17 waterfront homes, is now “for the birds.” An important rest stop along the migration flyway, roughly 165 bird species have been identified there, as have diamondback terrapins, which are rare to this area.
“So again, think about the impact that development would have had on all those species,” said Grudens.
Citing the importance of a successful bond passage, he said the county has been able to acquire such important lands as Lost Tree Islands, expanded the Pelican Island Wildlife Refuge, and created the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area.
“The list goes on of the properties they protected, and they continue to steward. This is an opportunity to pick up land that the bond left off. The county needs to get the land now, before it’s gone,” said Grudens.
He said there is a huge north/south wildlife corridor in the western part of the county that is home to black bear and panther, with wetlands, uplands, pine flatwoods and native species habitat that the county could protect if residents approve the bond.
“I know there are a couple of other referendums that are a little more controversial or confusing.
This one isn’t. It’s very simple. Vote for bond,” said Grudens.
Following two years of pandemic picnics, the Land Trust’s major annual fundraiser will return to Rock City Gardens on Nov. 10. For more information, visit IRLT.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
