Page 6 - Hobe Sound Reflections - June '23

Page 6, Hobe Sound

In Your CommunItY

Another Milestone Achieved The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative is a

In Ambitious Plan To Create collaboration among three nonprofit 501(c)(3)
environmental powerhouses, specifically the
Permanent Wildlife Corridor, Guardians of Martin County, the Treasured Lands
Foundation and The Conservation Fund. The
Protect Hobe Sound Character initiative has generated widespread and growing
support among citizens, community groups,
An innovative and ambitious plan to create a permanently businesses and government entities, including the
protected ecological corridor in south Martin County between Town of Jupiter Island and the Martin County Board
the Loxahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers is poised to grow with a of County Commissioners.
second land acquisition along Bridge Road in Hobe Sound. Additionally, the Loxahatchee River Management
The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative has identified a Coordinating Council, Friends of Jonathan Dickinson
20-acre parcel and a willing seller for what is being called State Park, the Rivers Coalition, the Martin County
Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Acquisition No. 2. This piece of land is Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, the
another key to the Loxa-Lucie vision for conserving a landscape Hobe Sound Golf Club, Jupiter Island Residents
spanning nearly 70,000 acres between and including Jonathan Association, and landowners along the Bridge Road
Dickinson State Park and the Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park. corridor have all expressed their support.
The Steering Committee urges all who care deeply
about the Loxa-Lucie Initiative and its noble objectives
to contribute generously to its ongoing efforts to
purchase adjacent and related properties in Martin
County. To make a tax-deductible contribution, visit
https://support.conservationfund.org/site/Donation2.
Education and outreach is also critical to this
initiative. To schedule a presentation to your
group, contact Greg Braun at (561) 758-3417
or execdirector@theguardiansofmartincounty. This map shows the lands that the Loxa-Lucie Initiative has identified for
com. For more information, visit www. acquisition. Acquisition No. 2 is in the ecological corridor between the
LoxaLucieHeadwaters.org. Loxahatchee River and the south fork of the St. Lucie River.
The headwaters of the Loxahatchee River are beautiful but need
attention if we are to preserve their environmental importance.

The first parcel, a two-mile long stretch along the north
side of Bridge Road was acquired in 2021. Acquisition No. 2,
which is on the south side of Bridge Road and is adjacent to
county-owned lands, will further the Loxa-Lucie Initiative’s
vision to bring undeveloped properties along the Bridge Road
corridor into permanent conservation stewardship. This tract
will protect another property on Bridge Road, help restore
previously existing wetlands, and help re-establish the natural
hydrological connection to the Loxahatchee River. It will also
help connect a corridor for the wildlife that depend on these
connected ecosystems of the Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park
and Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Historically, this land mass, called the Atlantic Ridge
Ecosystem, was recognized by the state as the critical component
in the preservation of the Loxahatchee Watershed and the
South Fork of the St. Lucie River and was included in the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program’s (CERP)
Indian River Lagoon South Project.
The need to preserve the remaining lands that are part of
these important watersheds is greater than ever. Saltwater
intrusion issues in the Loxahatchee, higher demand for potable
fresh water, increase in development pressure and rising real
estate values are all driving this urgency.
As the Steering Committee for the Loxa-Lucie Initiative
continues its campaign to generate funds from private donors
for additional land acquisition, it has also taken its message to
Tallahassee. “We’re raising awareness about the project to garner
funding through Florida Forever, a well-established statewide
program to buy land for conservation and recreation,” explained
Matt Sexton, senior vice president and Southeast Regional
Director for Conservation Acquisition for The Conservation
Fund and Loxa-Lucie Steering Committee member. “We have
an opportunity to preserve this precious ecosystem for future
generations, and we need to take it.”