Ribbon-cutting held for Galt Preserve
Thursday morning about 200 people gathered at Galt Preserve to celebrate the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting at the new facility.
Two County Commissioners, John Manning and Brian Hamman, were present. Manning served as master of ceremonies.
“I want to welcome everyone here on this chilly morning,” Manning said. “It’s nice to be back in my district doing something constructive. This is truly a beautiful part of the state of Florida and we want it to stay this way.
“First, a little history about this preserve,”he continued. “It was purchased in three separate stages with the first parcel acquired in 2002 and the final in 2007 for a total of $4,415,000. I want to thank the Galt Island Avenue Property Rights Group and the Calusa Land Trust for contributing money to acquire this preserve.”
Pine Island resident Phil Buchanan was a principal member in the Galt Island Avenue Property Rights Group and involved in the purchase of the first property in 2002.
“My wife and I live on the south side of this beautiful preserve,” Buchanan said. “In 2002 I was in a very fortunate position. I was president of the local homeowners association, president of Calusa Land Trust, I was on the Conservation 20/20 management committee, but probably most important I was friends with the developer that owned the property. I remember thinking at the time that this is such a beautiful place that I naturally thought it would make a great preserve.
“We, the Galt Island Avenue Property Rights Group, went door to door and collected $32,500 to get this preserve started – which is incredible considering we only had about 35 houses,” he continued. “The owner agreed to sell the southern portion of this property for $200,000 even though he had permits to build 52 houses on the property. We then turned everything over to the Conservation 20/20 committee and they did a magnificent job. They not only purchased the southern end but managed to purchase the two northern properties creating this fabulous 265 acre preserve for all of us to enjoy.”
The 265-acre preserve is located approximately 7 miles south of Pine Island Center just north of York Road in St. James City.
The preserve is bordered by a Lee County Mosquito Control District helicopter pad along with Stringfellow, Galt Island and York roads to the east and south, a palm nursery to the north, and Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park to the west.
Galt Preserve consists of 12 plant communities; the dominant ones include mangrove swamps and mesic-flatwoods. The preserve is also home to a variety of animal species including bob cat, bald eagle, white ibis, snowy egrets, little blue herons and American alligators, including one old gator with a broken tail that the locals are fond of.
Bald eagles recently started nesting on the preserve after land management efforts removed the invasive exotic melaleuca. The nest is clearly visible from the entry road looking south. There is a 2 mile hiking trail through the preserve and dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash.
Conservation 20/20 Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee (CLASAC) and the C20/20 Program have four main objectives: To protect and preserve natural wildlife habitat; to protect and preserve water quality and supply; to protect developed lands from flooding and to provide resource-based recreation.
With the installation of the new amenities, Galt Preserve is poised to become one of the premiere Conservation 20/20 sites for casual visitors.
Once construction is complete, the preserve will feature hiking trails, a kayak and canoe launch, boardwalks, a fishing pier, a wildlife observation deck, picnic pavilions, restrooms and parking. Visitors can experience bird watching, geocaching, hiking, nature study and photography.
The event concluded with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, opening the preserve.