HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 03_10/14/2021Agenda Item #3.
Regular Council
STAFF MEMO
Meeting: Regular Council - Oct 14 2021
Staff Contact: Department:
Presentation and Action on Submittal of Letter of Endorsement Request for Loxa-Lucie Preservation
Initiative
SUMMARY: -A I
During the July 2021 Council Meeting, the Village Council sent the letter of endorsement request to the
Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) to review and make a recommendation. The EAC has made
their recommendation as noted in the attached letter from the EAC Chair.
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ATTACHMENTS: .'
EAC Rec on LoxLucie Letter of Endorse
Page 10 of 293
Agenda Item #3.
Village of Tequesta
Environmental Advisory
Committee
345 Tequesta Drive
Tequesta, FL 33469
September 10, 2021
Village Council
Village of Tequesta
345 Tequesta Drive
Tequesta, Fl 33469
Re: Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative Request for Letter of Endorsement
Dear Honorable Village Council Members:
At your regular monthly meeting in July 2021, the Village Council requested that the request
received from Ms. Geraldine Dube for a letter of endorsement on the work of the Loxa-Lucie
Headwaters Initiative be delegated to the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) for us to
provide you with a recommendation on the request. We first considered the same at the EAC
meeting in August, but the EAC. thought it best to hear directly from Ms. Dube before making a
recommendation on the request for a letter of endorsement and subsequently requested she attend
the EAC meeting in September, which she agreed to do.
What we learned in the interim or from Ms. Dube was:
1) The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative has raised over $3M and as a result will close on
its first purchase of land for the Initiative in October of this year to accomplish Phase I
resulting in 138 acres for conservation.
2) The lands constituting the Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative is in essence on the "wish
list" of the South Florida Water Management District, but currently their focus is on more
pressing Everglades Restoration matters and issues related to Lake Okeechobee, such as
toxic algae.
3) The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative group is seeking direct legislative funding via the
Florida Forever Program by working with the Martin County Legislative Delegation.
4) An estimated 50% of the fresh waters within the headwaters area in question will flow to
the Loxahatchee River via Ditching Creek.
The EAC deliberations at its monthly meeting on September 8, pertaining to the request for a letter
of endorsement for the Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative resulted in a unanimous vote to
recommend to the Village Council that a formal Letter of Endorsement be provided to the gropp
as soon as possible. You may recall that Ms. Dube provided a suggested Letter of Endorsement,
Page 11 of 293
Agenda Item #3.
which appears on the next page as a reference only, but feel free to construct your own letter of
endorsement should you concur with the EAC recommendation.
In addition to the recommendation for the Village Council to issue a letter of endorsement, the
EAC also recommends that in the event the Village Council may find it to be useful in making a
decision in this regard, that the Village Council avail itself of an offer by Greg Braun to provide
you with a presentation on the Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative. This may prove to be
enlightening for you as Mr. Braun is a registered Ecologist and a Certified Environmental
Professional. Mr. Braun is the owner of Sustainable Ecosystems International. You can see Mr.
Braun speaking on the Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative and flora and fauna found therein in the
YouTube video link below:
hqps://Youtu.be/mWWOK20a--4
Should you have any questions or concerns in regard to the recommendations of the EAC in this
regard, please feel free to call on me or any member of the EAC.
Sincerely,
Thomas G. Bradford
Chair, EAC
Cc: EAC Members
Geraldine Dube
Greg Braun
Jeremey Allen, Village Manager
Lori McWilliams, Village Clerk/PIO
MaryAnn Grieser, Deputy Village Clerk
Matthew Hammond, Director of Utilities
Page 12 of 293
Agenda Item #3.
Suggested Letter of Endorsement by Ms. Geraldine Dube
"We are pleased to provide this letter of support for the Loxa-Lucie Headwaters conservation
initiative. The acquisition and transfer of privately -owned properties into conservation ownership
and management will conserve native plant communities and protect the ecological corridor
between the Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. These
conservation lands are currently bisected by Bridge Road and are vulnerable to further impacts as
a result of development pressure from surrounding areas. The mosaic of low pine flatwoods,
depression marshes, wet prairies, mixed upland forests, cypress domes and ruderal communities
within the project provide habitat for a high diversity of plant and animal life, including a. number
of plant species that are designated by the State of Florida as Endanizered, Threatened or
Commercially Exploited. Additionally, these areas serve as hydrologic feeder areas for the South
Fork of the St. Lucie River and through Kitching Creek to the Loxahatchee River, Florida's first
designated Wild and Scenic River. Bringing privately -owned lands into conservation management
will allow hydrologic restoration to take place and encourage the removal of invasive pest plants,
two activities that will benefit native plant and animal communities."
Page 13 of 293