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Americans don’t like the idea of being last. In fact, we don’t even like the thought of being second. This was evident in the Space Race in the 1950s and it is still evident every four years as the Olympics confirms our hunger for first place and the coveted gold medals.
America is also the “Land of Plenty” so, when we hear in the news about pandemic induced scarcity and supply chain shortages, a shiver goes up our spines. News outlets portray the ravages of a broken system, and we are told to “shop early” to make sure we get holiday toys before they are all gone. All gone is very, very bad.
So, we don’t like last, and we don’t like all gone. Yet, here in Miami-Dade, there is something very precious — a resource so unique that few have ever seen it in person. It’s nearly all gone and, if you blink, you might not get to see the last one before it completely disappears. What is this rare gem? It’s a habitat called The Pine Rockland.
I just heard the collective mental brakes of people reading this who will say, “Oh, this is another article from a Tree Hugger.” Well, what if I said this was the last Florida Panther, the last manatee or, heaven forbid, the last roll of toilet paper (remember how terrifying that thought was during the pandemic). Now do I have your attention?
According to an article found at Miamidade.gov, Pine Rocklands used to cover 185,000 acres in Miami-Dade County from North Miami Beach all the way South to Long Pine Key in the Everglades. Remaining habitat has been fractured into such tiny pieces that it would be a wonder if the 225 species found in these areas could even thrive at all anymore.
Furthermore, the Pine Rockland Habitat is designated as a “globally imperiled habitat.”
Statistics would show that less than 2 percent of the original habitat exists today while I’d venture to guess that given the recent development boom, that number is highly inflated.
Let me break it down for you like I do my elementary school students. I like to draw 100 circles on the board that represents the original 185,000 of Pine Rockland. Then one by one I erase circles until there are only 2 left. Even an 8-year-old understands this is bad. Almost gone is very, very bad.
On the bright side. there are a handful of people and groups working hard to ensure that our grandchildren get to see a Pine Rockland Habitat. Groups like the Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition, Livable Cutler and Miami-Dade’s Environmentally Endangered Land Program (EEL) are all working to preserve, protect and restore local habitat.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden established the Connect-to-Protect Program, a Citizen Science Program, which offers free Pine Rockland plants to homeowners. But is it enough?
A few years ago, a development project made headlines when a Pine Rockland was slated to be destroyed to build a Wal-Mart. Spoiler alert — developers won. Sometimes owners of these parcels will allow the harvesting of these imperiled plants for relocation. I can only imagine thousands of little creatures with their knapsacks on their backs and thumbs sticking up hoping to catch a ride out before the clearing of their ancient land by the bulldozers.
If you have hung in there so far, well kudos to you. So here, I’m going to say it. What we are doing collectively is not enough. What the Miami-Dade Commissioners are doing is not enough. We need more protection. Not one more Dade County Pine should be felled by a bulldozer. Not one more acre should be lost to apathy. Get involved. Don’t let the last pine tree standing fall victim.
Last is bad. Almost gone very, very bad. And, to answer the age-old question, if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Yes, and the sound is crying.
Adrian Delesdernier is a fourth grade education specialist at Edward L. Whigham Elementary School in Cutler Bay.
