Guiding the path forward

Dear supporters:

The Conservancy takes seriously its role as a common sense, conservation group that seeks solutions to pressing environmental and community matters impacting our water, land, wildlife and our future. Our work related to Collier’s eastern lands certainly falls into this category of science-based advocacy and policy efforts.

A recent editorial by the President of Barron Collier Enterprises, one of the major landowners in the eastern lands, criticized the Conservancy with a series of inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims. Our reply was published on Sunday in Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press and we hope you take a moment as a supporter to read the facts.

The Conservancy has never been against development as a core principal; rather we have been, and continue to be, strong advocates for smart growth which seeks a balance in protecting the most important ecological assets such as water resources, wildlife habitat and native lands with the need for the region to grow and develop, while avoiding urban sprawl. However, what is being planned today in eastern Collier County is a far cry from sustainable and smart development. Rather, it is more gated-style sprawling developments which, among other things, will require substantial taxpayer subsidized infrastructure at a time when we have just increased our sales tax to pay for a backlog of needed infrastructure for the County.

Thank you for your continued support as we seek to pursue, without apologies, our mission to protect Southwest Florida’s natural environment, now and forever.