From now until June 15, 2007 the National Park Service is taking comments from the general public on the future of 146,000 acres of near wilderness in Broward County's backyard. These lands are known as the 'Addition Lands' of Big Cypress National Preserve. Once privately owned by the Collier family and leased out to individuals and groups for farming, ranches and hunting camps, this land officially became the property of the National Park Service through a land swap in 1996. Located less than an hour from downtown Ft. Lauderdale, this beautiful piece of land now owned by the American people is easily accessible off I-75 just west of the Miccosukee Tribal Lands.

Unlike the local parks many of us are familiar with, this is a very big piece of land. If laid over Broward County it would stretch from the beach to US 27 past Weston. From north to south it would extend from Las Olas Blvd. to Boca Raton. With little man-made disturbance, it is large enough to support an almost incredible level of biodiversity. Of the more than 850 species of plants in the preserve, 72 are listed as threatened or endangered by the state of Florida. Animal life is equally diverse with 30 species listed as endangered, threatened or species of special concern. These include the Florida black bear, the wood stork, the red-cockaded woodpecker as well as Florida's own official state mammal ­ the Florida panther.

Once roaming throughout the southeast, the Florida panther's habitat has been reduced to only 5 percent of its original range. The vast majority of its remaining habitat is located in Big Cypress preserve with the Addition Lands having perhaps the highest concentration of all. Of the 80 or so panthers which remain, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that from 20 to 30 utilize these lands throughout the year. The National Park Service conducted a four year study in another area of the preserve popular with both panthers and off-road vehicle hunting ­ the Bear Island section in the northwest corner of the preserve. The study concluded that there was a reduction in use of this area by panthers from 30 to 40 percent during hunting season which was when most of the off-road traffic takes place. With virtually no undisturbed or undeveloped habitat surrounding the Addition Lands, these may well be this animal's last stand in its tough struggle against extinction. Seven panthers have been killed so far this year in traffic accidents on nearby roads.

For many years, the Broward Group of the Sierra Club has been battling to protect the Big Cypress National Preserve from the destruction caused by vehicular use in a wetland. As in the above cited panther study, the National Park Service's own research has concluded that off-road vehicle use not only causes disturbance to wildlife, but also leads to destruction of vegetation and roots; rutting, compaction and oxidation of the soil; assists in the spread of invasive plant species by churning up the ground cover and transporting seeds in tire treads; creates changes in hydrology by directing the natural sheet flow into ruts that can be 3 to 4 feet deep; and creates conflicts between users who drive motor vehicles and those who come out to Big Cypress for a different kind of experience. While the off-road vehicle users complain about their lack of 'access', permitting motor vehicles in the Addition Lands will deny access to thousands of residents and tourists who will lose the ability to experience the natural sounds, smells and landscapes of the Addition Lands.

Please take a moment to help protect this irreplaceable piece of south Florida's natural heritage. As the National Park Service develops their management plan for the Addition, public comments can be entered on their website. The Broward Sierra Club Group is enthusiastically endorsing Alternative F. This will prohibit all recreational motor vehicles on the Addition Lands and create a federally designated wilderness area of 109,000 acres giving this land permanent protection. Click on either of the links below:

National Park Service's On-line Comment Form
Sierra Club's On-line 'Send Big Cypress Message to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne'

As Henry David Thoreau said in his wonderful essay 'Walking' ­ "I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright." To have this much nature protected in our very own backyard is an opportunity we should not miss out on.