HomeMy WebLinkAboutBringing Back Jesup's Wetlands-1992 • •Bringing wetlands
This mesh fence at By Mary Shanklin
Lake Jesup separates OF THE SENTINEL STAFF
state-owned property
from the lake. The • _ I I . I I I I ! TIT!), ,11
state's $1.2 million ,.
WINTER SPRINGS — Flocks of herons, sea gulls
9:,
At-4 and pelicans spray out of the grass-covered islands
wetlands project is , and inlets on the north shore of Lake Jesup.
designed to restore the Behind eight-foot reeds, mud flats pocked with
lake's north shore to . alligator tracks blanket the shoreline.
its pre-ranching state. In the midst of the peaceful scene, a shock of yellow
Officials hope that by plastic pokes from the water to separate the wilds from
next year, _ piles of construction dirt.
motorists will be able ` The strip of yellow marks a state project to restore
to view the restored y . - - 4 • - part of Lake Jesup's north shore to its pre-ranching
wetlands as they cross • '',:., rjr days.
the lake on the - ', , , _ If all goes well, motorists will be able to glimpse
i,t ,• •.,' , - the 1,700-acre restored wetlands next year as they
Seminole Eastern r :� : ; cross the lake on the Seminole County portion of the
portion of the Eastern „. Eastern Beltway.
Beltway. . , T. Y
y• ` The 12-mile section of four-lane road, stretching
FRANK RNERNSENTINEL .L t dr I ' _ ' It from Aloma Avenue to Sanford, will take its toll on
Field workers, working to restore Lake Jesup, filter through fog along the lake recently.
9z73
the environment. The road will
harm or destroy 140 acres of wet-
lands and release oil pollutants
from the bridge into the lake.
The $1.2 million wetlands rest J es U may get its wetlands back
er p
ration project is an attempt to off-
set those damages. JESUP from K-1 to restrict access She added that signed by the Seminole County
Wetlands creation has not had a the total destruction of the levee Expressway Authority, which
lot of success stories,but"this is a is not needed because water can handed those plans to the state
restoration. That's what really tion, Daniel suggested the state flow over the project through Department of Transportation
makes it a great project." said restore more north-shore property. breaks in the levee. when the beltway became a turn-
Sandy Scheda, owner of Scheda During a recent airboat visit to Marty Seel eve transportation pike job in 1991.
Ecological Associates of Tampa. the wetlands restoration site,Dan- coordinator S for the Department of
Scheda's company is knocking 9e1 said he would have preferred pa Originally, the county authority
down parts of the levee erected that the state completely bulldoze Environmental Regulation, said hoped to buy and restore not only
decades ago to create pastureland. the levee instead of knocking the fences were erected and parts the 1,700 acres known as the
Environmental consultants say holes in it That, he said, would of the levee left untouched in an Futch property but also 1,300
effort to keep airboats off the site. acres next door. Known as Jesup's
the polluted lake water will be have been more like the shore He said the boats would disturb Landing, the property is no'" in
cleansed as it filters over the wet- line's natural te. young trees the hands of the Federal D it
lands and wildlife will have an im- Daniel also uestioned the need Daniel, an avid airboater, said Insurance Corp. The expressway
proved habitat. for a mesh fence to separate the the boats have little impact on cuts through Jesup's Landing.
The state is also in the process property from the lakes He said vegetation.
of planting 60,900 trees on 400 the fence will likely catch debris Like the Futch property,Jesup's
acres of the property. The trees from lake waters that rise and fall He said the restoration project Landing is mostly in the 100 year
P Pe y•
are 4-6 feet high and include cy- about five feet over the course of a does not make up for damage to
lake from the bridge. The flat
to allow am and banked by levees
press, black gum, holly, pop ash year. If the fence becomes choked bid he said, cattle grazing. The FDIC
rge, , will dump road to allo
and button bush. Much of the with plants, the water will be un- is asking $1.35 million for the
planting should be finished by able to flow through,he said. oils and pollutants into the lake.A land, although that price could go
Aril 1,Scheda said. As Daniel scraped mud from his humped bridge, with retention down once a new appraisal is corn-
But April Pe ponds on either side, would chap
But not everyone is sold on the boots,he noted that the soil at the nel those pollutants into the ateted, said Sam Evans,an associ-
restoration plans. restoration site will not support ponds,he said. ate with the real estate company
Oviedo resident Bill Daniel, much plant life. Old maps label it DER Secretary Carol Browner Maury L. Carter&Associates.
who has fished and boated on the "Naked Place" because it has recently stated that it was un- Evans said he has had several
Lake Jesup for 38 years, prepared been barren of trees or shrubbery neccessary to cleanse the bridge offers, mostly from cattle ranch-
and sent the state a booklet detail- for so long,he said. runoff She added that the wet- ers, and spoken with land buying
ing his environmental concerns But Scheda said the trees were lands restoration would offset any government agencies. One agency
about the expressway. chosen to withstand the wetlands runoff damages. lost interest because the express
Daniel said the bridge construe- conditions. Already, she said, But Daniel said that even if the way would harm any conservatimn
tion should stop immediately, buds have started opening on restoration job works perfectly, it plans,he said.
planners should re-evaluate, then some of the trees planted in De- will not offset all the environmen- "I think without the express-
build in a more sensitive manner. cember. tal damage. way, it probably would have been
He also wants the state to install The fence, she said,was needed The restoration project was de- acquired,"Evans said.
lighting that would direct the
lights downward and minimize
disturbance to wildlife. In addi-
Please see JESUP, K-4 g s, D 3