County changes emphasis on Conservation 20/20 land buy requirements

How much would pay to preserve Southwest Florida’s landscape? Some experts we spoke to say Lee County is using your money to protect some land for the wrong reasons.

The county just added more protected land on the Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve last year, but potential changes could put other undeveloped land and wildlife at risk of bulldozers.

Right now there are more than 28-thousand acres of land in Lee County that is protected under the Conservation 20/20 program. Now county commissioners are looking at making changes to the program that’s been around since 1996 and wildlife protection groups and environmental experts aren’t excited about it.

MAP: Conservation 20/20 Nominations

Carl Veaux with Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife says wildlife is at a premium, “We lost so much wildlife in the sea … It’s a very risky proposition.”

Retired FGCU professor Dr. Bill Hammond says nothing’s been broken and that it’s been working pretty well.

Tuesday, commissioners voted to change the criteria used to decide which land to buy and protect. Putting a bigger emphasis on water quality. Veaux says it should be on wildlife, not water, “The percentage was good as the way it stood.”

Commissioners paused on passing through a new application and review process for buying the land. The proposed change would allow land applications to be submitted and reviewed on a yearly basis.

“Once those natural lands have been broken up and sold and developed, the likelihood of putting that type of quality back in Lee County is very slim,” Hammond added.

A timeline that local wildlife groups fear could then open the door to developers. And Hammond has seen it before, “We’ve had properties bought out from under us more than once … they don’t need to change that.”

And they plan to fight those proposed changes.

In the meantime, commissioners are asking county staff to take another look at the application and review process that was tabled at Tuesday’s meeting.

https://youtu.be/o_-mup5j3sc