Category: Land Aquisition

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Lee County Commissioners agree to move forward with acquisition of 7 parcels in CREW boundary

Lee County Commissioners voted Tuesday to move towards acquiring 7 parcels within the CREW Project boundary that are located in Flint Pen Strand.
This includes the Palm Tree Farm, an approximately 40-acre parcel that has been on the CREW Land & Water Trust wish list for years.
Ben Nelson, chairman of the CREW Trust Board of Trustees, spoke during the meeting and urged county commissioners to move forward with the purchase of the parcels, which were all nominated by willing sellers.
“These parcels may seem small compared to the earlier acquisitions within the CREW Project but they are just as important if not more so,” explained Brenda Brooks, executive director of the CREW Trust. “We’re coming down to the final stretch of acquiring the lands needed to complete the CREW Project, which has not only been part of our mission but also the vision of the CREW Land & Water Trust. I think of these parcels as the final pieces of a puzzle and until you have that final piece, the project still isn’t finished. However these seven parcels gets us closer and closer.”
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Golf October 23, 2015

2015 CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament

Register today and help us bring another class to CREW:

CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament Registration Flyer 2015

Golfers at the CREW Golf Tournament
Golfers at the CREW Golf Tournament

 

Our annual CREW – Stanley Hole Golf Tournament is always fun, ever entertaining, and a great way to network, meet new people, and help to support CREW’s ongoing Environmental Education programs.

CREW Benefit Golf Tournament 2015
WHEN: October 23, 2015
WHERE: Old Corkscrew Golf Club, 17320 Corkscrew Rd., Estero 33928
TIME: Shotgun Start at 8:30 AM (Registration 7:30 – 8:15 AM)
Entry Fee: $100/player or $400/foursome
Hole Sponsorship: $500

Download the hole sponsor and player registration form below, and please be sure to share it with friends….

CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament Registration Flyer 2015
registration picture

 

A big THANK YOU to our 2015 Sponsors:

 

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PRESS RELEASE: SOUTHERN CREW RESTORATION PROJECT

Flint Pen

PRESS RELEASE: June 29, 2015

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

SOUTHERN CREW RESTORATION PROJECT CLEARS ANOTHER HURDLE

~Project phase will restore wetlands, provide flood protection and increase water storage~

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has authorized the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to continue the next phase of the Southern Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Restoration Project. When completed, the project will provide significant benefits to the ecosystem including restoring wetlands and the natural sheetflow of water, improving regional flood protection drainage, increasing water storage and aquifer recharge capability, and reducing the amount of nutrient-rich stormwater reaching the Imperial River and Estero Bay.

“This project exemplifies the commitment of the state of Florida to protecting and restoring the larger south Florida ecosystem,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration Drew Bartlett. “The department will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that restoration continues.”

The authorization issued today is for Phase II of the Southern CREW Restoration Project which encompasses 4,150 acres of multiple native plant communities, including hydric pine flatwoods, strand swamps, wet prairies and marshes that have been fragmented by past construction of ditches and roads. These alterations have resulted in restriction of historic sheetflow, artificial water impoundments and flooding, increased pollutant loading to the Imperial River, an Outstanding Florida Water, and disruption of natural wetland functions.

“The project will restore the southwest corner of the larger CREW project,” said SFWMD Governing Boardmember Rick Barber. “The restoration in this particular location creates a vital buffer area between the CREW project and the eastern urban boundary.”

Phase II of the project consists of ditch backfilling, ditch plugging, road degradation and the construction of low water crossings to allow for the re-establishment of hydrologic conditions similar to those present prior to development attempts of the area in the 1960s. The project is expected to restore approximately 437 acres of wetlands. The project’s enhancements are anticipated to encourage the growth and sustainability of native wetland plant species, providing both food and habitat for wildlife.

The Southern CREW Restoration Project is located in Lee County between the Kehl Canal, which is located adjacent to the northern boundary, east of Interstate 75 and north of Bonita Beach Road.

Original Article:http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/10c091b

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A Look Back on our 25th Anniversary

pictures of CREW

CREW has had an incredible 25th Anniversary Year:

* Over 38,000 visitors to CREW Trails
* Two amazing fundraisers brought in over $30,000
* CREW volunteers donated 3,906 hours
* 4,600 people participated in our environmental education programs

January 2014, the CREW Trust began its 25th anniversary, celebrating 25 years of land conservation and environmental education in southwest Florida. From the kick-off event in frigid cold weather last January to our final #GivingTuesday end-of-year fundraising campaign running through December 31st, this celebration has had something for everyone – a wine & cheese social and a BBQ for CREW members, trail events that included a variety of guided walks about everything from mushrooms to mammals, a geocaching day, a horseback ride through Flint Pen Strand, a guided bicycle ride at Bird Rookery Swamp, a Vitamin N Walk for families, a fabulous 25th anniversary concert featuring the Sarah Hadeka Band and Deb & the Dynamics, and our first #GivingTuesday fundraiser. Thank you to every one of you who volunteered, participated, sponsored, supported, and gave to CREW during 2014, making our 25th anniversary such a success! We look forward to the next 25 years…

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Board of Trustees meeting

The CREW Land & Water Trust will hold its Board of Trustees meeting Friday, January 23, 2015 from 9:00 AM to noon at the Estero Community Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero, FL  33928.

CREW Trust members and other interested parties are welcome to attend. Come out and learn more about your local community.  The full CREW Trust Board only meets three times per year.

people at a trustee meeting
Trustee Meeting
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Gov. Scott Pledges Up to $20 Million for CREW Land Purchases

On August 5th, 2014, Governor Rick Scott announced during a press conference at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary that he’s working with Florida Audubon to purchase key parcels of land within the CREW  (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed). The $20 million pledge would be from the Florida Forever Trust Fund and will be spent in Southwest Florida, with CREW lands being the primary goal. CREW has been on the Florida Forever acquisition list since 1991.  Click here for a DEP fact sheet about CREW and Florida Forever.

One parcel that is of particular interest is the Gargiulo Land Trust – a 600-acre parcel near Corkscrew Sanctuary and Bird Rookery Swamp. CREW Trust Chairman of the Board, Ben Nelson, attended the announcement with Gov. Scott. “Our concentration has been on that particular piece because we knew it was available and it wouldn’t be available for long,” said Nelson. “That was the one that was our focus.” The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council adopted a resolution on August 14th supporting CREW land acquisition by Florida Forever funds.

Gargiulo Land Trust site
Gargiulo Land Trust site (Photo by Land Solutions, Inc.)

This all comes as good news to the CREW Trust, which has worked for 25 years to protect and preserve this watershed through land acquisition, management, and education.

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CREW Trust Celebrates 25 Years of Conservation

CREW Marsh after a Tropical Storm
CREW Marsh after Tropical Storm Faye in 2008 (Photo by Deb Hanson)

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2014. This is a watershed year for the CREW Land & Water Trust as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary! The CREW Trust was formed in 1989 by Joel Kuperberg (a former Naples City Councilman, botanist, head of Florida’s Internal Improvement Fund, and later Director of the Trust for Public Land) as a public-private partnership to coordinate the land acquisition, management, and public outreach for the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). Since then, this watershed stewardship project has accomplished much that it set out to do, including protecting over 45,000-acres of land within the established boundaries of the watershed.

This accomplishment has been the result of efforts by multiple agencies, organizations, landowners, businesses, and private citizens. The CREW Land & Water Trust’s strength over the years has been to build partnerships and bring people together with the vision of protecting this watershed which provides drinking water for residents and visitors to southwest Florida. Some of the main partners are:

  • The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) – the primary landowner and land manager within CREW.
  • Lee and Collier Counties – both of which have purchased land within CREW
  • The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) – which oversees wildlife management, hunting, and law enforcement on CREW lands
  • Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – which is located in the heart of the CREW and whose former Director, Ed Carlson, helped write one of the initial proposals requesting the SFWMD to purchase Bird Rookery Swamp
  • ALICO – which sold the first land to the CREW project – the Corkscrew Marsh unit off of Corkscrew Road.

Here’s a very abbreviated timeline of some of the highlights of our 25 years….

CREW Timeline

The CREW Trust has multiple events planned throughout the year to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Registration is required for all of these events. You can register at http://crewtrust.eventbrite.com

  • January 16 – CREW Wine & Cheese Social (Invitation Only -Members and Volunteers)
  • February 1 – Hike the Loop: 12-Mile Hike at Bird Rookery Swamp
  • February 14 – Love in the Wild Hike
  • March 1 – CREW Concert & Silent Eco-Auction – tickets at http://crewconcert2014.bpt.me/
  • March 21 – CREW Horseback Ride from Flint Pen to Bird Rookery Swamp
  • April 5 – Butterfly Hike with David Cooper @ Marsh Trail
  • April 5 – Geocaching with The Unusual Suspects @ Cypress Dome Trail
  • April 12 – Wildflower Hike with Roger Hammer @ Marsh Trail
  • October TBD – CREW Golf Tournament
  • October TBD – 10K Trail Run
  • November 15 – Vitamin N Hike for Families
  • December 6 – Bike the Loop: 12-mile Bicycle Trail Ride at Bird Rookery Swamp

We hope to see you at one of our events. Come celebrate with us!

And thanks to Chad Gillis and Andrew West for the article in today’s Fort Myers News-Press about the CREW Trust’s 25th Anniversary.

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DEP Conducting Public Lands Assessment

As you may recall, we recently posted about Florida’s water management districts (including the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) – which owns most of the CREW) conducting assessments of their lands to determine if there are any that could be sold off/surplused to other entities to generate revenue for the state.

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Now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is doing a similar assessment of other public lands bought with taxpayer money. Many of these lands are within state parks and wildlife management areas (WMAs). Proceeds from lands surplused and sold through this process will be used to fund the Florida Forever program (up to $50 million) to purchase other, more critically needed conservation lands. CREW is not on the DEP list, but there may be other sites of interest to our members and visitors.

DEP is holding three public meetings this week – today (8/21) in Tallahassee and two webinars on 8/22 and 8/23)  – to get public comment on the process and the parcels being considered for sale/surplus. Many of the parcels are small (<5 acres) and a full listing can be found here. If you’d like to make comments or just want to find our more about the process and plans, you can visit the DEP website.

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SFWMD Land Assessment Draft Recommendations Ready for Review

As you know, most of the CREW lands are owned by the South Florida Water Management District. The District is currently conducting a Lands Assessment of all the lands they hold within the 16-county region they govern. The assessment is to determine if there are some parcels that could be surplused.

Back in May, we told you about the opportunity to provide public comment on the Lands Assessment. You all did a fabulous job of submitting comments. You can see them here. You can also download additional documents from here.

Today (July 30), the District is holding another public hearing for comment on the DRAFT staff recommendations which resulted from your earlier public comment. The meeting will be held at the SFWMD West Coast Service Center Office on McGregor Blvd. in Ft. Myers at 10 AM this morning (July 30). If you cannot make the meeting, additional public comment will be accepted online between now and August 12th.

Thank you all for your participation in this important process and for submitting your thoughts about CREW. It takes everyone’s participation to make sure sound decisions are made.