Bay Soundings l A Slice of Old Florida Preserved in Midst of Suburbia

A Slice of Old Florida Preserved in Midst of Suburbia

by Victoria Parsons

Sandwiched in suburbia – just around the corner from one of the region’s fastest-growing developments and nestled next-door to a driving range — is a slice of old Florida. Spanish moss drapes ancient oaks, palmettos and native creepers overflow into narrow pathways marked with pine needles, and old-growth cypress trees tower over Bell Creek as it meanders toward the Alafia River.

Unlike neighboring properties, this 60 acres will never change. Part of a tract once called Red Bug Ranch, it was donated to the Tampa Bay Conservancy in honor of Myron and Helen Gibbons.

The Myron and Helen Gibbons Nature Preserve

“In a lot of ways, this was the ideal scenario,” says William Lorenzen, TBC’s executive director. “Myron Gibbons, who was (former U.S. Congressman) Sam Gibbons’ brother, was an attorney who did a lot of pro bono work for Audubon and Helen was pretty active in managing the land. When Myron passed away, the family was looking for a tribute.”

Since Audubon is no longer acquiring lands, the property was too small for the Southwest Florida Water Management District to accept and Hillsborough County’s Environmental Land Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) couldn’t meet the family’s deadline on closing the donation, TBC was the perfect choice.

“We were an organization in search of a project and nobody else could do it when they needed it to happen,” Lorenzen said.

One of 1600 land trusts across the country, TBC was established in 2001 as an organization devoted to protecting the region’s natural, agricultural and scenic heritage. Unlike some of its larger and more well-known peers, TBC is totally run by volunteers including its executive director.

“Our niche is to fill the conservation gap, not compete with other agencies,” Lorenzen says. “We want to be able to step in if something is falling through the cracks or work with someone who prefers a non-profit organization to a government agency.”

The donation was fortuitous, because the property could easily have been developed, Lorenzen notes. “The other part of the farm on the north side of the river has been developed, but the family kept this piece because it was a favorite place for family outings, church picnics and groups like Boy Scouts to meet. And while it was called a ranch, the land has never been clear-cut. It hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years.”

Photos courtesy Tampa Bay Conservancy
The Gibbons preserve is open to school and church groups. Boy Scouts were instrumental in hacking trails through the virgin forest.

Trail Back in Time
Open from dawn to dusk every day, the 1.5 mile trail leads from busy Boyette Road back in time.

“The remains of an old road – probably built in the 1890s for wagons – was here but the trail is brand-new, built by volunteers with shovels and pick-axes who hacked their way through,” he said. “It’s an incredible example of how natural lands looked 100 years ago.”

The property is so wild, he adds, that there are very few invasive plants that would require intensive management. Experts from the Florida Native Plant Society have documented 120 species across the property ranging from majestic magnolias and ancient oaks to native orchids, ferns and wildflowers. Most of the trail runs through flat, shady areas so it’s comfortable even for younger children.

A bench built as a memorial to Rich Paul, long-time director of the National Audubon Society’s Coastal Island Sanctuaries, overlooks Bell Creek as it flows steadily toward the river. Other memorials, including an owl house built for a friend of Lorenzen’s, make the property even more special, he says.

“We sent a letter out to neighbors to let them know it’s here and there’s almost always someone out on the trails.” Just as it was when the Gibbons owned it, the preserve is a perfect site for family get-togethers and church or scout events. Well-behaved dogs with owners trained to clean up behind them also are welcome, he said.

A Growing Need
So far, the Gibbons tract is TBC’s only property, but several potential deals representing several hundred acres are being negotiated. “It’s a luxury not having any expenses so that virtually all our money goes toward our mission, but the downside is that we can go years without a project because we aren’t out there actively pursuing them,” Lorenzen said.

Many of TBC’s board members are ideally situated to understand the need for a non-profit conservation agency – and to funnel appropriate properties to the organization, he adds. Lorenzen is project manager of the Trust for Public Land, an organization which has acquired two million acres across the country. TBC President René Wiesner Brown is program manager for Pasco County’s new Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP) and has worked for ELAPP in Hillsborough County. Rob Heath Jr., who serves as TBC’s vice president, recently retired from ELAPP and now runs the non-profit Wildlife Fellowship.

A terrestrial rein orchid blooms at the Gibbons preserve.

TBC Treasurer Sally Thompson retired from the City of Tampa and has served on boards of directors for SWFWMD, Florida Aquarium and Florida Greenways and Trails. Dick Eckenrod, secretary of TBC, is executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Other board members include Michael Kelly, environmental engineer, Stu Marvin, former staff of the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, attorney Heidi McCree, currently secretary of the SWFWMD governing board, and Nicole Kibert, an attorney with Carlton Fields who handled the Gibbon’s donation.

TBC also is affiliated with several other organizations, including the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy. “The Nature Conservancy isn’t doing any work in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties and they’re very limited in Pasco and Manatee because they want to work on large-scale properties,” Lorenzen said. “Properties in Tampa Bay are fairly fragmented and small, plus we have good local government options for buying larger tracts.”

The Trust for Public Land has acquired more than two million acres across the country, including 200,000 in Florida, but works behind the scenes in partnership with governments or other organizations to actually manage the lands.

While the Gibbons property was a gift, TBC also could work with landowners to create conservation easements that basically waive the right to develop the property beyond what is specified in the contract. For instance, a conservation easement with an owner running cattle on an environmentally important piece of property could agree to keep the land that way and not build homes on it, but still continue to live there and run cattle. “Some organizations have money to buy a conservation easement or the IRS can be pretty generous with tax incentives too,” he adds. Public access is not required.

The conservancy also is committed to providing landowners with information regarding land preservation options and helping owners achieve their conservation and financial goals, notes Eckenrod, a founder and former president. “We’re striving to be an effective alternative to government-based land conservation programs for large and small landowners who want to perpetually protect cherished family lands.”

If you go: The Myron and Helen Gibbons Nature Preserve

The preserve entrance gate is located on the north side of Boyette Road (Exit 250 off of Interstate75). Head east on Gibsonton Drive which becomes Boyette Road. The preserve has no street address, but it’s just east of Sedgebrook Drive, and 1/2 mile west of Bell Shoals Road. Coming from the west, pass the Ace Golf Driving Range and take the next left into the preserve’s parking lot. From the west, take the last right before the light at Sedgebrook.

Learn more about the Tampa Bay Conservancy at www.tampabayconservancy.org

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