Please Support The North Port Natural Corridor Initiative

THE NORTH PORT NATURAL CORRIDOR INITIATIVE
Lawry Reid, President
Friends of Little Salt Spring, Inc.

Thank you for your attention to this URGENT matter. Time is of the essence and your voice is critical to this important cause. We urge you to join a growing list of your fellow citizens and community leaders who understand the importance this initiative represents as a forward-thinking step in ensuring an impactful and lasting legacy for North Port’s future.Your consideration and support of this initiative is greatly appreciated.

THE INITIATIVE
The goal of the initiative is to preserve the approx .5 mile natural corridor that connects the Myakkahatchee Creek with the Little Salt Spring Archaeological and Ecological Preserve. This last remaining natural corridor is threatened by development that would further fragment the Little Salt Spring Archaeological and Ecological Preserve from Myakkahatchee Creek; effectively isolating this sensitive property and disconnecting it from abutting native habitats that also serve as critical pathways for naturally occurring wildlife species inhabiting the region extending from the creek to the spring.

This Initiative would extend the conservation corridor from Myakkahtchee Creek, just south of Butler Park, north, through approx +/- 6 acres of private vacant land and approximately +/- 60 acres of vacant wooded land owned by the School Board abutting the 112-acre Little Salt Spring Archaeological and Ecological Preserve. The plan would require the acquisition of private land (35 lots owned by two owners) and a conservation easement of all or a portion of the vacant School Board, Heron Creek Middle School woods property. The road design and pending construction of the Spring Haven Drive extension would also need to take this vital natural corridor into consideration.

Once Preserved, this Natural Corridor Would:
- Be compatible with and complement the City of North Port Myakkahatchee Creek Greenway Master Plan;
- Preserve the last remaining wildlife corridor connecting the Myakkahatchee Creek environmental preserve to the Little Salt Spring environmental preserve, crossing the proposed Spring Haven Drive road extension;
- Expand passive nature trails from Butler Park into six or more additional acres;
- Provide ecological educational opportunities in the form of a living laboratory for the students of Glenallen Elementary School, North Port High School, and Heron Creek Middle School;
- Prevent further fragmentation of a critical ecosystem (Little Salt Spring) and provide a buffer for a relic ecosystem surrounding the Spring, which has survived through natural succession from the late Pleistocene through the Holocene era (ending 11,000 years ago). This is one of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the Southeastern United States.