Have you seen WahooHiker’s new video blog yet? I’m impressed. Talk about an extreme blog makeover, and it works. I’ve been meaning to post about Kevin’s video of the hike I led at Silver Glen Springs, where veteran USFS retiree Johnny Pohlers was along for the trek and I imposed on Johnny’s most excellent interpretive skills, and embed the video (see below), but heck, go to his site and watch it there on Vimeo. It’s much higher quality and pretty darn slick.
A recent bulletin from the Florida Trail Association notes a temporary closure of a section of the trail just south of Alexander Springs due to damage of one of the boardwalks in the hydric hammock. The walk-around route, which follows FR 69, is temporary until the boardwalk can be replaced. Call in F-Troop! More details…
In a related story, I found out this weekend that the Office of Greenways and Trails quietly closed their Visitor Center at Buckman Lock for budget savings. This is the northernmost of the two visitor centers they operate, and marks the northern extent of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway. In addition to casual visitors who might expect the facility to be open, it affects Florida Trail long-distance hikers who were planning to stop in for restrooms and potable water as they cross Buckman Lock. Hikers can still park there but I don’t know who you ask for permission to leave your car overnight, I’ll see if I can find out.
I checked the DEP Press Office and saw no official announcement of the closure, nor is mention made on the OGT website, but heard about it directly from the manager of the Cross Florida Greenway.
The Gainesville Sun broke this story last week, but I’d heard about it last weekend from a friend who just emailed me the memo this morning. Here’s the harsh reality - and one I predicted - of our governor’s push to lower property taxes. (Did yours go down? Ours went up). It’s cut into state coffers and every agency has been asked to put a plan forward to cut 10% of their current expenses. Here’s what Florida State Parks plans to do:
In order to reduce the Division of Recreation and Park’s statewide expenditures by 10 percent, a spending reduction plan was developed which includes, among other measures, the temporary closure of 19 state parks until the state’s economy improves and revenues return to normal levels. Temporarily closed parks would be placed into a “caretaker” status until they can be re-opened.
These 19 parks include:
Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park
St. Marks River State Park
Lake June-In-Winter Scrub State Park
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park
Constitution Convention Museum State Park
John Gorrie Museum State Park
Deer Lake State Park
Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park
Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
Terra Ceia Preserve State Park
Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park
Dunns Creek State Park
San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
Dudley Farm Historic State Park
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Florida Nature and Heritage Tourism Center
Cedar Key Museum State Park
For the record, I’ve visited (and hiked, where there were trails) all of these except Kissimmee Prairie and St. Marks (it just opened). Now I’m a HUGE fan of Florida State Parks and the fact that they bring in enormous revenue to the state through tourism should not be ignored. As I did years ago when one of our local county commissioners wanted to sell a park because it didn’t make “enough” money or have “enough” visitation, I simply ask: why can’t a park just be a park? Why does it have to be an income stream?
On that note, here’s another part of the plan:
In addition to the 19 parks listed above, the spending reduction plan calls for the Division to return management of three state parks, which are not owned by the State of Florida, to their owners for future management.
The three properties to be returned to their owners are:
Three Rivers State Park (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Forest Capital Museum State Park (Taylor County)
Egmont Key State Park (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services)
I find it ironic that some of our smaller museums AND the tourism center are on the table, too. What does that say about fulfilling our promises to tourists who learn about this places and want to visit and take an interest in our state’s heritage? The folks in White Springs do a fabulous job and are the primary hub for the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. A closure of that facility affects the economic engine of White Springs: outdoor recreation. Including the Florida Trail, the restaurants, the outfitters … it’s trickle-down economics, remember?
On the big hit list above, I have one specific beef: many of these parks remain little-known but offer great getaways if you know what you’ll find there. For instance, I just wrapped up writing Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders for University Press of Florida. Did you know that Yellow River Marsh Preserve has the highest concentration of carnivorous pitcher plants in all of Florida? Or that Key Largo Hammocks has the highest concentration of National Champion trees in the United States? Tropical trees, of course, and none are over 45 feet tall. Indeed, of the above, Tarkiln Bayou, Lake June-in-Winter, Catfish Creek, Dunns Creek, Windley Key, and Kissimmee Prairie are also in my new book due to their incredible concentrations of botanical wonders.
Many of these parks share something else in common, too (excepting the museums): a general lack of infrastructure. In fact, Yellow River, Tarkiln Bayou, Lake June-in-Winter, Pumpkin Hill, Deer Lake, Catfish Creek, Terra Ceia, Letchworth, Dunns Creek, and Key Largo Hammock have nothing more than a parking lot and (in some cases, not all) a privy. Most of them are free. So what savings is there to close the park?
A dozen of the above-listed parks are also located in rural communities where they are a draw in places that otherwise have no other parks to attract visitors.
I’ll be writing Governor Crist, DEP Secretary Michael Sole, and Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock about this issue. Frankly, I’m ashamed that after assembling such a fabulous state park system, our leaders would want to close parks at a time when folks need them the most. In an economic downturn like this, it’s far more affordable for a family to enjoy a day at a local park than to take a weekend trip. The same goes for visiting tourists as well.
If you’d like to express your opinions to our governmental officials about closings of Florida State Parks, please do. Here’s how to contact them by email:
Next Saturday is the kickoff of the 14th Annual “Big O” Hike around Lake Okeechobee. It’s 9 days of social networking, if you will, the old-fashioned way. Walk in a big circle with fellow hikers, prepare to see some of the most awesome sunrises ever, and keep track of the bird species along the way, as they are plentiful!
According to a missive from the FTA office, the roadwalk between Gold Head Branch State Park and Camp Blanding has been eliminated, thanks to land acquisition by the park and an effort by local volunteer Janie Hamilton to bridge the gap. That was a nasty little roadwalk with high speed traffic, so many thanks to Janie for providing a new safe passage for hikers! Hikers entering Camp Blanding still need to call ahead to make sure there are no military exercises going on, and to register at the kiosk when entering the military reservation.
As of October 25, the long-awaited Nokuse section of the Florida Trail is now open, reflecting two years of hard work by members of the Choctawhatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association, an effort led by Bob Deckert and Tom Daniels. This 20-mile segment between SR 81 north of Bruce and US 331 north of Freeport gets the Florida Trail into the woods and off a lengthy roadwalk that was a bane of hikers due to its lack of places to stay or camp. Having explored some of the route when it was first negotiated in 2006, I can say there are some great surprises in store for hikers, including some of the highest elevations on the Florida Trail. Read the rest of this entry »
This Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day, and Florida State Parks is honoring our veterans and active military by providing free access to Florida State Parks on Nov 11. Why not thank a friend or family member for their service by taking a hike with them? I had that pleasure a couple of years ago, when my brother-in-law Jeff Smith was recuperating from a serious illness at the VA Hospital in Tampa after returning from to the US from a long tour of duty in the Air Force. Rob and I took Jeff out to Lettuce Lake Park and Hillsborough River State Park for short hikes so he could get some fresh air and get used to walking around outdoors again. Please be sure to honor those who serve(d) next week by spending some time with them … and take a hike in a Florida State Park.
Next Saturday is the kickoff of the 14th Annual “Big O” Hike around Lake Okeechobee. It’s 9 days of social networking, if you will, the old-fashioned way. Walk in a big circle with fellow hikers, prepare to see some of the most awesome sunrises ever, and keep track of the bird species along the way, as they are plentiful!
As of October 25, the long-awaited Nokuse section of the Florida Trail is now open, reflecting two years of hard work by members of the Choctawhatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association, an effort led by Bob Deckert and Tom Daniels. This 20-mile segment between SR 81 north of Bruce and US 331 north of Freeport gets the Florida Trail into the woods and off a lengthy roadwalk that was a bane of hikers due to its lack of places to stay or camp. Having explored some of the route when it was first negotiated in 2006, I can say there are some great surprises in store for hikers, including some of the highest elevations on the Florida Trail.