FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Karen Forsyth or Lynda Riley, Lee County Lands Division
                (941) 479-8505

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 19, 2001) – The Board of Lee County Commissioners today unanimously approved the purchase of a 222-acre tract in Cape Coral through the Conservation 2020 program that with adjoining properties makes a 559-acre park and preservation area.

The 222-acre parcel, costing $2.77 million, is located along the southeast corner of Jacaranda Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard Extension. It is bordered to the north by 218 acres of parkland owned by the City of Cape Coral and to the east by 119 acres in North Fort Myers already owned through the Conservation 2020 program.

This large acreage is relatively undisturbed. Vegetative cover consists predominantly of slash pine flatwoods (112 acres) and palmetto prairie (63 acres). The property supports deer, bobcats, little blue herons, red-shouldered hawks, and associated species. Listed species, including gopher tortoises and bald eagles, have been sighted. Portions of the headwaters and flow-way of Yellow Fever Creek are contained within the northeastern portion of the property.

The City of Cape Coral has authorized the allocation of $100,000 in funds to assist the county in the planning and development of the property for future passive recreational uses. The city also has offered to incorporate the property into a master park plan to ensure that recreational uses are coordinated and compatible on the adjoining city and county parks.

Once the closing on the property is complete, 5,990 acres will have been bought through the Conservation 2020 program and set aside for long-term conservation.

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.

The Board of Lee County Commissioners appointed a 15-member citizen advisory committee – the Lee County Conservation Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee (CLASAC) – to recommend appropriate properties to be pursued for purchase.

A listing and map of the lands acquired to date and under review and negotiation can be viewed at the county’s web site at www.lee-county.com/countylands/Cons2020/cons2020.htm.