A blend of people are getting together to prevent a forward march of cement trucks to south county, dotted with natural jewels.
By JANET ZINK
Published February 27, 2004
RUSKIN - Mariella Smith spent most of her life living in cities. But six years ago, south Hillsborough's open spaces and wealth of natural resources called to her.
She and her husband, Tres, self-described "ecotourists" who have hiked, biked and navigated waterways throughout the world, bought a house on the Little Manatee River. From their home base, they can easily enjoy the river or ride bikes past the nearby orange groves and cow pastures.
"We put kayaks in the back yard and paddle into the mangroves and are in heaven," Smith said. "That's why we're here."
But she worries that her little slice of heaven could disappear under the weight of new development slated for Ruskin. She and other environmentalists are ramping up efforts to protect the rivers, forests and wildlife from the avalanche of new homes, roads and commercial centers. Most recently, the county's 1,800-member Tampa Bay Sierra Club established a south Hillsborough subgroup, its first in the county, to deal with environmental issues raised by the region's rapid growth.
The Sierra Club, Smith said, provides the support and experience of a 110-year-old organization and a way to bring together various groups.
Environmental activism "is sprouting up here and sprouting up there," she said. "But we could use more of a rallying organization."
Historically, the Tampa Bay group has met in the northern part of the county and focused most of its energy there and in Tampa. South Hillsborough's growth explosion alongside so many sensitive environments made it clear that the club needed a stronger presence in the area.
"What you really need in the long run to be effective is local people with local voices who live and work in places where changes need to be made," said Joe Murphy, co-conservation chairman of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club.
Some of the county's largest and most significant natural resources are in south Hillsborough.
The Alafia River, Cockroach Bay, Little Manatee River, Wolf Branch and Medard Park are just a few, along with acres of land purchased under the county's Environmental Lands Acquisition Protection Program.
The group had its first meeting Jan. 30 and drew about 20 people, including members of Save Our Bay, Air and Canals, and Camp Bayou, a nature preserve and education center in Ruskin.
"There's quite a few environmental groups down here," said SOBAC president Dominick Gebbia. "By joining forces we'll have a bigger impact."
Ruskin resident Rob Heath, a longtime Sierra Club member and founder of the nonprofit Wildlife Fellowship, said that when he heard about the group in south Hillsborough, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
"We're not going to get everything accomplished that we want to because we're just a bunch of volunteers," Heath said.
Ideally, no new roads would cut through wildlife habitats, he said.
He agreed that by getting organized, those interested in safeguarding the environment can make a difference. He pointed out that county planners nixed several roads originally included in the South Shore Areawide Plan after environmentalists objected.
Still, the proposed Brandon Bypass - to connect Interstate 75 near Apollo Beach to Interstate 4 east of Brandon - would sever an important wildlife habitat, and several roads are proposed near the Little Manatee and Alafia Rivers, which are particularly sensitive ecosystems.
Already, the rivers have spilled over the banks more frequently in recent years than they have in the past, and Heath attributes that to development.
He predicts even worse flooding once thousands more homes and driveways arrive.
Heath noted that there are ways to develop that won't have too much of a negative impact. Homes can be clustered on parcels as far as possible from their boundaries with protected lands.
Smith, who led the creation of the south county Sierra Club group, said she's encouraged by the wide range of people who have shown an interest in protecting south county's natural resources.
"We're unusual if not unique in having chambers of commerce that see the value in protecting these riches," she said. "It's not just a few tree huggers. It's the businessman, it's the fishermen and boaters."
The South Shore Areawide Plan, created by a team of residents and business people, talks about promoting the area as an ecotourism destination. Last year, the Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce received a $3,000 grant from the county to produce an ecotourism brochure.
"When you're talking about ecotourism, most people think of the Everglades or Lake Okeechobee. They never think of ones that are around her like Bird Island, like Camp Bayou," said Joanne Gadek, executive director of the Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Gadek said she thinks development and the surrounding rural landscape can exist side by side. The natural resources, she said, can actually lure people to the area.
"It's more more appetizing for people to come to an area such as this. They don't have to commute a long way to kayak or canoe," she said. "They're close to it without having an impact on it."
But Dolly Cummings, project leader at Camp Bayou, isn't so sure. She worries that having so much development near land that gopher tortoises, sandhill cranes and other wildlife call home will threaten the animals.
"A lot of those species need areas to roam in," she said. "Maybe they're in the public land because all of this private land has been used only by cows. They have extra space."
Cummings welcomes the arrival of the Sierra Club.
"There is a need for people to get together to realize what's going on and to make a statement about what we really want to see happening down here," Cummings said.
Already, nearly one-third of the county's Sierra Club membership comes from south Hillsborough, Murphy said. He hopes the new group will attract some of the nearly 150 Sierra Club members who live in Sun City Center.
"The developments haven't been built yet," he said. "There's still an opportunity to get ahead of the curve a little bit and still grow but utilize smart growth to establish parks and green space before you're fighting for the last little pieces of land left."
If you go
The Sierra Club meets the first Thursday of each month. The next meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday at Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, 4202 24th St. SE, Ruskin. For more information, visit www.RuskinOnline.com call Mariella Smith at 645-4218.
