EPTAB Minutes 08/26/1991 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Minutes of 26 August 1991 Meeting
Present: All
Absent: None
1. Meeting called to order at 4 : 08 P.M. by Chairman Simpson.
2 . Minutes of 12 August 1991 meeting were approved.
3 . Simpson called for the three subcommittee reports:
A. URBAN/ESTATES SUBCOMMITTEE
Mike Davis reported the following:
1. Several large areas in the urban area were still available as
corridors/greenspace.
2 . County Project Review staff should look at the "big picture"
when performing project reviews so as to take contiguous parcels
into account.
3 . THe following areas were identified as important:
a. Rookery Bay & Henderson Creek headwaters
(Urban/Wilderness crossover/connection)
b. Gordon River extension (City/County
crossover/connection)
c. Clam Bay system
d. Cocohatchee/Palm River Slough
e. Area west and north of the Naples landfill
f. Area north of Rattlesnake Hammock road, west of 951 and
south of Davis Blvd.
g. Immokalee airport
h. Lake Trafford area
i. Rock road and Immokalee Road area
Next step is to refine and look at these areas on a smaller
scale. Subcommittee will I.D. additional areas and determine
criteria for their region as well as methodologies for acquiring
the "green pockets" and corridors.
B. AGRICULTURAL SUBCOMMITTEE
Glenn Simpson reported that:
1. Some lands are available for purchase but the vast majority
of the desirable areas are strips in the middle of ongoing
operations and that most operations would be reluctant to part
with these.
2 . The ag area in the southwestern portion of the county (near
Belle Meade and Henderson Creek headwaters) is not good habitat.
Simpson felt that money should not be spent to acquire this area
but that regulations could be promulgated to maintain the rural
nature of the area and the hydrological connections. Gary
Beardsley did not agree with the statement that no valuable
habitat was present and also expressed the notion that those
lands were critical to the well being of the coastal area and
Rookery Bay. All agreed that perhaps the area was a candidate
for a restoration project.
3 . The overall theme espoused by Simpson's subcommittee was that
current ag lands should remain as ag lands.
C. WILDERNESS SUBCOMMITTEE
Larry Richardson presented the following:
1. Most of the wilderness lands are in the southern and eastern
portions of the county. The subcommittee formulated several
environmental policy objectives and a narrative statement of the
overall goal (s) of preserving wilderness habitat.
2 . The greatest threat to the wilderness area is alteration to
its hydrology.
3 . List of preservation tasks:
a. Purchase of the south blocks of Golden Gate Estates
b. Purchase of Belle Meade area
c. Divert some of the Gordon River water from the Golden
Gate Canal system to the Faka-Union system
d. Put in a spreader swale system south of US 41
e. Upgrade the weir system in the Barron River canal
f. Plug certain canals in the Faka-Union system
g. Encourage a water management district master plan
h. Improve wet season flows from Catherine 's Island, Stumpy
Strand and Lucky Lake Strand
i. Clustering development along SR 29; N. of I-75 will most
likely impact the panthers; S. of I-75 not expected to be
a problem.
Next meeting established for 9 September 1991
Meeting adjourned at 6: 14 P.M.