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History and Background
FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 14, 2001) - The Board of Lee County
Commissioners today unanimously approved the $6.38-million purchase
of Bunche Beach, one of the most important native, natural, and
pristine coastland areas in the county that potentially could
have been developed. The 720-acre parcel near the Sanibel Causeway is located south
of Summerlin Road and east and west of John Morris Road running
to Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Closing of the sale, from
Summerlin Sands Limited Partnership, is expected on or before
September 7. The property is being purchased through the county's Conservation
2020 program, with a temporary loan of $3 million from the county's
general fund until the program receives in more tax revenues next
fiscal year. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is expected
to reimburse half of the cost of the purchase. Upon closing, the county will have purchased nearly 7,000 acres
through the Conservation 2020 program and set it aside for long-term
conservation. This will be the third largest tract purchased through the program.
In December, the county bought a 1,115-acre tract located on the
north side of the Caloosahatchee River just east and west of Interstate
75 that has 3.5 miles of river frontage. And in April, the county
purchased a 2,388-acre parcel of environmentally sensitive land
in North Fort Myers that is the largest parcel ever bought through
thee five-year-old Conservation 2020 program. That tract, costing
$6.35 million, is located just west of Interstate 75 from the
Charlotte County line to Del Prado Extension. Lee County voters approved Conservation 2020 in November 1996
through a referendum that increased property taxes for seven years
by 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value. The increase
raises about $12 million a year to buy environmentally sensitive
lands. In addition, 10 percent of the funds collected are set
aside for land stewardship activities such as exotic pest plant
control and provision of passive recreation facilities. Significance for Plants and Animals This diverse site includes beach front, beach dune, coastal strand,
saltern, mangrove forest, and oak-palm hammock plant communities.
The beach and associated mudflats/sandbar area of San Carlos Bay
are very important feeding/resting areas for a wide range of plovers,
sandpipers, terns, herons, ducks and skimmers. Significance for Water Resources Provides outfall for stormwater from small coastal drainage basin.
Wetland system provides water quality benefits. Potential for Public Uses This site has approximately one mile of beach fronting San Carlos
Bay. The shoreline area has a high potential for beach-oriented
recreational activities, such as swimming/wading, fishing, paddling,
sail-boarding, and canoeing. The County owns a small parcel at
the end of Bunche Beach Road. This beach enjoys considerable use
by the public. Environmental Management This site is located within the boundaries of the Estero Bay
Aquatic and Buffer Preserve, which is managed by the State Department
of Environmental Protection. The site is accessible by two roads:
Summerlin Blvd. and Bunche Beach Road. |
