Vote Yes for Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 land program
Vote on November 8!
Attention all Lee County voters!
In order to allow the voters to affirm their support for the Conservation 20/20 program, Lee County’s successful conservation land acquisition and stewardship program, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has placed the program on the ballot for a nonbinding referendum. Voting “Yes” for 20/20 on November 8th, 2016 is the citizens’ opportunity to help safeguard Lee County’s long-term economic and environmental sustainability and quality of life through continuing to protect the County’s exceptional natural resources.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been a strong proponent of Conservation 20/20 for many years. Conservancy staff has been actively involved in advocating for the program’s continuation with a coalition of stakeholders working to reach Lee County voters to educate about the program, and garner endorsements from municipalities and businesses. Notably, all six municipalities in Lee County unanimously passed resolutions supporting a “Yes” vote on the 20/20 referendum. As we enter the last month before Nov. 8, the Yes On Conservation 20/20 coalition is ramping up efforts to increase the visibility of the ballot referendum. Please visit the coalition’s website www.yesonconservation2020.org and follow us on facebook, www.facebook.com/YesOnConservation2020 to learn more about the program and ways you can get involved to “Keep Conserving Lee”.
20/20 has acquired, restored and managed nearly 25,000 acres of environmentally-sensitive lands throughout Lee County. The 20/20 program was conceived by a broad-based citizens’ group of business owners, realtors, planners, and residents to ensure that critical habitats, wetlands, and corridors, were protected to preserve economic property values, quality of life and natural resources. In 1996 a nonbinding referendum was passed by the majority of Lee County voters to fund a conservation lands program through ad valorum property taxes. Because the majority of the county voted in favor, the program was continued on an annual basis per the direction of the BOCC.
20/20 has been instrumental in protecting a diverse array of habitats, from uplands and scrub, to buffer land on the Caloosahatchee River, wetlands and areas on barrier islands. In recent years, 20/20 has become increasingly critical as a mechanism to protect local resources and provide nature-based recreation opportunities for residents and visitors to Lee County.
Not only do these lands protect the exceptional and beautiful ecosystems which make southwest Florida unique, 20/20 lands are necessary to preserve a sustainable source of drinking water, by protecting groundwater recharge areas from development. Conservation lands are also vital for surface water quality — to protect our rivers, streams, wetlands and estuaries from harmful pollution. By preserving and restoring wetlands and buffers to waterways, 20/20 can provide natural filtration of pollutants and flood protection for surrounding areas.
There are many outstanding conservation opportunities and needs in Lee County, such as acquisition of the 4,000 acre Edison Farms. The Edison Farms property is located at the headwaters for three tributaries to Estero Bay, the state’s first aquatic preserve and encompasses key wetlands and habitat for the Florida Panther and other listed species, and has been identified as a conservation priority by multiple agencies and reports. Conservation 20/20 is the logical choice for local protection of Edison Farms, and other strategic water resource and habitat acquisitions.
As is the case throughout Florida, Lee County has a tourism-based economy and year after year a “clean, unspoiled environment” is listed among the top five reasons tourists choose to visit Lee County through polling conducted by the Lee Visitor and Convention Bureau. In 2015, tourism had a 3 billion dollar impact on Lee County’s economy. Moreover, an economist from the University of Miami concluded that every 2.6 acres of conservation land in Lee County was linked to a full-time job through tourist spending.
Despite the great conservation successes achieved by Conservation 20/20 over the past 20 years, Lee County is still ranked very low comparative to other Florida counties in total acres of conservation land, at 39 out of 67, and even lower in acres conserved per person, at 61 of 67. Lee County is home to some of the fastest growing metro areas in the entire country and continuing to protect conservation land will be a significant factor in whether the County grows sustainably or not.
Help us send a strong message to “Keep Conserving Lee” by voting “Yes” on Conservation 20/20 on Nov. 8 and spreading the word about this important referendum.
Remember to look for the Conservation 20/20 referendum at the end of your ballot!
