Target: Regulatory Program Chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Meg Gaffney-Smith
Goal: Block proposed urban development of thousands of miles of Florida wetlands
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is home to many endangered species, vital watersheds, and dynamic ecosystems. Now, the investment company, Miami Corporation, seeks permission to build a huge urban development that will impact 24,000 miles of this celebrated preservation land. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must not accept this widely destructive proposal.
The wetlands that Miami Corporation plans to build on are of vital importance to the local ecosystem, particularly to the threatened black bear that uses this acreage as a connector between regions of its habitat. Other endangered species that will be affected include the bobcat and near-extinct Florida panther. In addition to the services this land provides to local wildlife, it also represents an important sector of the economy due to the tourism and controlled hunting and fishing it provides.
The urban development plans include 25,000 new homes and 4 million square feet of commercial space. In other words, instead of an irreplaceable wetland, one would see more endless urban sprawl. The only reassurance Miami Corporation offers to those concerned about the environmental impact is that they have “promised” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that they’ll cooperate to minimize damage. In these days of legal agreements, an informal promise from a for-profit company doesn’t mean much.
As urbanization slowly stamps out the last vestiges of unadulterated land in the U.S., those protected spaces set aside must be preserved. Miami Corporation can find someplace else to build. Sign the petition below, and ask Meg Gaffney-Smith, Regulatory Program Chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to deny Miami Corporation’s proposal to build over Florida wetlands.
Dear Ms. Gaffney-Smith,
Miami Corporation’s proposal to build over 24,000 miles of Florida Wetlands is an impending ecological disaster. This mass of wildlife preservation land is home to several threatened species, including the black bear that uses this particular acreage to cross between the regions of its habitat. The land is also useful for the local economy, for which it provides money from hunting, fishing, and tourism. Of all the land Miami Corporation could have chosen to develop, it has settled on perhaps the worst case scenario.
In place of these invaluable and irreplaceable wetlands, the new development would contribute nothing to Florida except more unsightly urban sprawl. Why would we allow this for land that has been specifically set aside for wildlife preservation? Please save what remains of Florida’s wilderness by denying Miami Corporation the ability to build on these precious wetlands.
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: winterdove via stock.xchng.