Celebrated Pine Islanders: Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard describes himself as an island boy, since he was born in Bokeelia in 1946 and raised here, although he did leave for a time to see what the outside world looked like, but confesses he missed home and came back.
Having deeply planted roots here helped instill a love for his surroundings, Ballard said, as his mother had been born in Cayo Costa in 1929 and moved to Bokeelia in 1943. In 1966, Ballard took a job with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, a company that made jet engines.
“So, I went over to Palm Beach and started my career working for them. I worked there for 3 years and then decided that I didn’t like being a number. It was a big company, so I quit my job and met my future wife,” Ballard said.
It was at this point he’d made the decision to move to Connecticut to be closer to her and fittingly, took a job closer to where she was living. They were married 5 years after his move to Connecticut, and on their way back to Florida, he said, they moved to New Hampshire for the summer and didn’t make it back to Florida for 27 years, until 2000. Having purchased Ballard’s aunt’s home in 1988, they had a place in Bokeelia, but didn’t make it back to the island until 2018.
“I always missed it (Pine Island), even when I was in Connecticut. When we came home to visit my parents-as soon as we got off the plane and got in the car to head out to the island-when I got into Matlacha I’d roll down the windows and take a deep breath to smell that nice, salty air and say ‘I’m home.’ It’s always been a part of me and maybe always will be,” Ballard said.
For his part, as a Pine Islander Ballard said he thinks his involvement with the Calusa Land Trust is likely his biggest contribution. He finds the work done by the CLT, namely trying to preserve the very nature of Pine Island, very focused and honorable, although at first he found himself admittedly uncertain.
“I got involved with this group back in 2010. I was skeptical at first, because I didn’t know what kind of a group it was-I thought maybe it was just a group of outsiders, but then as I got involved and saw what they were trying to do, I was impressed by the approach they were taking and thought I would see what I could do to help save some of Pine Island,” Ballard said.
Originally, Ballard’s involvement with the CLT began as a representative of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, as a member of the citizens advisory committee. He would go to the meetings and report on the activities, he said. It wasn’t long, he said, until he was asked to join the board and soon after to become vice president of the CLT.
“When the president resigned, I became the president,” Ballard said, adding that the position lasted for 5 years.
When asked if he would run again to be board president, Ballard said he wanted to be careful not to retain ownership of the organization, but that it should remain the CLT, as it is not his, but belongs to the membership. Currently, the chief land steward, overseeing all the preserves, he said, he’s taken the place of Edward Chapin.
His greatest wish for Pine Island, he said, is that the islanders would have better control of incoming development.
“We’re lucky that we have not become more than what our potential is, because the potential is to destroy this island. That’s why I’m working hard to try to save some of the natural pieces that are left,” Ballard said.
He also said he’s thankful that the Lee County Commissioners have not turned down any 2020 Conservation land nominations put forward, so far. Ballard believes there is plenty of land still available for future development on the island, without having to turn down an opportunity to preserve the precious rural coastal classification, for which, Pine Island is known.
One of the last and greatest pieces of land left of Pine Island, he said, is a property he is currently trying to navigate to be nominated by 2020 Conservation.
“I’m working with the land owners to help them through it and helping them to navigate the process. We don’t have the money for that, we’re a small organization. We’re all volunteers and all our money comes from the locals, ” Ballard said.
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