We Lost

After LOTS of meetings and back and

forth between the County and my little Town...

This morning at the County Commissioner's meeting

they basically said

"Yah, we hear you. But we don't care."

So...

They are taking down 146,000 trees.

Yes, you read that right.

146,000 trees.

In the "Preserve" behind our house.

(They've already done it to another 

"Preserve" in another end of our town...)

All because of a "Florida Scrub Jay" which 

is projected to be extinct in the next 10 years

DESPITE their efforts.

So they are going to cut down 100 year-old trees.

Trees that won't grow back in our life times.

Because of a bird.

Who prefers low vegetation.

Which would be ok if they were actually

just going to go in surgically and take out

the trees. (They are promising to leave

ONE TREE PER ACRE.)

(Thanks.)

But they are going in with a machine called

a root chopper - when they are done it looks

like the surface of the moon.

And THEN they BURN whatever is left.

The Town TRIED.

The County let their permit expire.

So we were requiring a new permit with

all the associated fees.

We had TONS of people show up at the meetings.

We put stories and pictures in the newspaper

and all over social media.

We had experts give reports and testimony.

And they said,

"We appreciate your efforts, but we are the County

and we don't actually need permits, and we COULD

go through meetings and compromises but we are

going to just pass an "emergency" motion and

by-pass all that and do whatever we want anyway."

And an hour later they closed the Sanctuary.

Which is basically a joke because right next to it is a

knee-high gate/fence that folks will just step over.

The woods at the end of the our street is sandwiched between

these two county run preserves. (read PUBLIC LAND)

And our woods are owned by the Town.

So they can't touch them.

Everybody will just go to our woods and access

the sanctuary from there... it won't stop people

using the trails, but the TREES!

They will be gone in weeks.

And they won't be back.

Hearts are breaking all over the county.

And County Commissioners will be needing to

brush up their resumes.

Because elections are coming.