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I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone interested in West Matheson Hammock Park to a community meeting on April 5 at 6 p.m. at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. We want to hear from you!
For those who have been following proposed plans for the park, this is an opportunity to hear from Miami-Dade County’s environmental experts their suggestions for how we can balance the management of Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) inside or adjacent to Miami-Dade County parks.
As you may know, various residents raised objections to aspects of a proposed plan for West Matheson that included repairs to the parking lot, the addition of a boardwalk through the hammock and a fenced-in dog park. One of the most compelling issues raised by residents was regarding potential environmental impacts of the plan originally proposed almost two years ago, under a different administration.
As a result of reviewing those concerns and educating myself about the history and natural resources of the park, I officially requested that our Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) weigh in before any plans proceeded. After months of review, the division released a report suggesting a coordinated approach to how the County balances two critically important values we all share – access and enjoyment of our parks by the public and the protection of our environmental resources and habitat we have designated as endangered.
EEL properties in or next to parks represent about ten percent of the 27,000 acres the County has designated for acquisition, preservation, restoration, and maintenance under this important program. Voters approved the program back in 1990 thanks to the advocacy of one of the County’s environmental legends and our current Clerk of Courts, Harvey Ruvin.
The report makes more than a dozen broad recommendations for how the county should consider potential improvements and uses for these delicate lands in and around our parks. These include:
- Avoiding and minimizing infrastructure improvements and amenities that may damage sensitive habitat or wildlife
- Limiting vehicle and heavy equipment use on the sensitive lands and better delineating where the lines are for day-to-day maintenance and parks crews
- Better control over certain recreational uses (camping, off-roading, games) that may directly damage habitat and/or displace wildlife, including using buffer zones, signage and enforcement
- Removing unauthorized trails, reducing sources of light pollution and pesticides
- Preventing the spread of exotic plant and animal species
- Reducing potential impacts of domesticated animals on sensitive wildlife and habitat
These broad recommendations may have potential management considerations in various parks that contain EEL property but would be implemented according to the specific conditions of those parks. Overall, the clear challenge is developing better education and communication among our departments and to the general public.
It’s about balancing two incredible assets. Our parks system is among the best in the country, greatly improving the quality of life and sense of community for every neighborhood in Miami-Dade County. The EEL program is a generational legacy we are passing down to our children and grandchildren.
What does this mean for West Matheson Hammock Park? Well, that’s why we want to meet with the community.
I’m proud to work hand in hand with DERM, with Parks, with Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and with the community to find a strategy we can live with. We can do this and get it right.
So, come on out and tell us what you think. We’re listening.
