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*All links to maps are at the top of this page*
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The Nancy Payton Preserve
Conservation Collier
For present and future generations
By Annisa Karim
Environmental Specialist
Conservation Collier Program
Collier County Facilities Management Department
Collier County represents many things to many people; for some it is a new beginning, for others it has been home for years and for over 120,000 people a year, it is a winter getaway. People have been attracted to Collier County for its beautiful beaches, fabulous wildlife, unique wetlands, recreational activities and development opportunities for many years. The appeal of Collier County was so great that the population grew 1900% from 1960 to 2006.
The rapid development of Collier County represented challenges for balancing and maintaining a high quality of life for its citizens. Recognizing that healthy ecosystems are key to maintaining human populations and their quality of life, a series of community planning initiatives began in the late 1980s and culminated in 2001 with the Community Character and Design visioning process. These initiatives brought to the forefront of community dialogues the need for a land acquisition program. The resulting initiative, “Vote Conservation 2002”, placed a referendum question on the November 2002 ballot, asking voters whether they would be willing to tax themselves one-quarter mill for 10 years to buy environmentally important lands and greenspace. This referendum, approved by voters in November 2002 by 60% and subsequently confirmed in the November 2006 ballot referendum by 82%, enabled the program to acquire environmentally sensitive lands for conservation within Collier County, Florida.
A plant community refers to the variety of plant species that form the natural vegetation of any place. In addition to human influences, the combination of factors such as geology, topography, hydrology, underlying soils and climate determine the types of plants found in an area. These plants, in turn determine the animal species that may be found in an area. Ecosystem services such as: the protection of water resources, flood control, maintenance of nutrient cycles, preservation of biological diversity, carbon sequestration, and the availability of recreational lands are provided by these natural communities; the preservation of native ecosystems is imperative for the well-being of the citizens of Collier County and may be achieved through the conservation of natural areas.
To date, Conservation Collier has acquired 109 parcels of land totaling 1,178.34 acres throughout the county. The purchase of these lands has helped to protect not only important plant communities such as tropical hardwood hammocks, coastal scrub, pine flatwoods, cypress sloughs, freshwater marshes, wet prairies, saltwater marshes and mangrove systems, but also the wildlife that depend on them. These lands were purchased for Collier County’s current residents and visitors to enjoy, but also to provide environmental benefits and quality of life for future generations. The Conservation Collier Ordinance limits the use of preserves to the “primary objectives of managing and preserving natural resource values and providing appropriate natural resource-based recreational & educational opportunities.” The public use of preserves is not yet possible until safe public access trails can be created.
Currently, two preserves are open to the public. The Cocohatchee Creek Preserve is a 3.64-acre nature preserve along the Cocohatchee Creek, located just off Immokalee Road along Veterans Park Drive, across from the entrance to Veterans Park. This parcel was chosen for preservation because it contains several types of native habitats and a number of protected plant and wildlife species. Parking for the Cocohatchee Creek Preserve is at Veterans Park, a short walk from the Preserve. Visitor hours are from 8:00 am to dusk. Otter Mound Preserve is a 2.67-acre urban preserve located in southwestern Collier County in a residential area of Marco Island. The entire preserve site is a Calusa shell mound that contains artifacts of archaeological and historical significance. The public entrance to the preserve is located at 1831 Addison Court. Visitor hours are from 8:00 am to dusk.
Conservation Collier has acquired environmentally sensitive wetlands and uplands throughout the County; three of these areas are located east of 951. The contiguous Oetting and Freitas properties were acquired because they contain high quality wetlands that are part of a unique cypress system. Cypress ecosystems in this part of southwest Florida serve as important habitat for listed species such as the Everglades snail kite, limpkin, wood stork, Florida panther, and Florida black bear. One of the great things about the Oetting and Freitas properties is that they are located across the street from the Estates Elementary School. Once management activities such as the removal of exotic plants have occurred on these properties, staff envisions installing trails and possibly a boardwalk for the public and especially schoolchildren to learn about and enjoy this beautiful cypress wetland system.
Winchester Head is a multi-parcel project comprised of 115 parcels totaling 158.67 acres. The Collier Soil and Water Conservation District owns two of these parcels. To date, 33 scattered Winchester Head properties totaling 44.17 acres have been purchased by Conservation Collier. Like the Oetting and Freitas properties, Winchester Head is a wetland system. It allows water to collect from the adjacent lands that are higher in elevation. This not only provides a sanctuary for the wetland’s plants and animals, but the water collected contributes to flood protection for surrounding residential homes.
The Nancy Payton Preserve is a 65-acre pine flatwood parcel that provides habitat for many species of plants and animals including five listed species of orchids and air plants, and three listed animal species, namely the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and Florida Panther. The preserve was named for Nancy Payton, who currently works for the Florida Wildlife Federation and has been very active in the preservation of Collier County’s Belle Meade Area. Once management activities such as the removal of exotic plants and a controlled burn have occurred on this property and access issues have been explored, staff envisions installing walking trails for the public to learn about and enjoy this pineland ecosystem.
For more information on any of Conservation Collier’s preserves, visit
Or email the staff at:
2010 Golden Gate Estates Area Civic Association Inc.
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To Our Readers:
During the late 1960's, in pace with growing public and political awareness
of the need for more careful management of natural resources, a general
awareness developed that the quality of life for all living things in South
Florida; soil, water, air, plants, animals and nearly every other organism;
is dominantly related to the area's water resources.
Urbanization of agricultural land continues and there is an intensification
of competition for available water resources and increased need for logical
and effective water resource management programs. While shorter watering
periods and improved appliances can reduce water consumption, only intense
monitoring, stiff fines and mandatory water retention/detention mitigation
and aquifer storage and recovery development hold the promise of retaining
water for long periods of time for ground absorption will make a real
difference.
Few residents have ever considered area geology and just how fragile the
place we call home has become. Mr. Andrew J. Bettman, who died from
complications on March 5 in St. Louis, Mo. of lung cancer, made a number of
attempts to expand my understanding of our landform in frequent discussions
and this issue is dedicated to his memory. He was co-owner of Marvic
Minerals in St. Louis, Mo., owned Tri-State Minerals and was a member of the
Society of Mining Engineers.
Dennis P. Vasey, Supervisor, Seat 3
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