Backyard democracy goes global for Wildwood Preservation Society

From Tortoise reports

Neighborhood activists in Leon County have turned a proposed development into a conservation project, in part through the use of the Internet. The Wildwood Preservation Society (WPS), a project of the local non-profit Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good (ACCG), is working to place about 160 acres of the ecologically sensitive Fred George Basin into conservation. The move would protect foraging habitat for a nearby rookery of endangered wood storks, and prevent runoff pollution from feeding into Wakulla Springs and the Floridan Aquifer through an active sinkhole adjacent to the property.

After neighbors received rezoning notices in their mailboxes, Misty Penton, founder of ACCG, organized a community group and petitioned the measure. If granted, it would permit high-density development in an area northwest of Tallahassee that has already experienced rampant growth.

The group scheduled a meeting and, on the advice of one supporter, created a MySpace profile to establish an immediate web presence on behalf of their cause. Less than six months later Wildwood Preservation Society boasts over 6,000 friends from Leon County and all over the world.

A local nature photographer, Tony Mock, found the site and agreed to take pictures of the Fred George Basin and its wildlife for the group’s use. Thure Caire, a member of the Ochlockonee River Soil and Water Conservation District Board, “befriended” WPS before drafting a resolution that supports the use of the listed parcels for conservation. The board unanimously passed the resolution.

“Having thousands of supporters locally and from around the world gives us a powerful platform to advocate for preserving this land,” Penton said.

Meetings between WPS, property owners and developers have led to a cooperative effort to place the lands into conservation, and rezoning hearings have been jointly placed in abeyance while funding is secured.

“We’re working with county officials and the Trust for Public Land,” Penton said. “Our area has seen a surge in recent development, and saving the remaining greenspace will be a win-win for everyone. Because of the WPS web site, thousands of people now understand the importance of protecting Fred George Basin’s water quality, endangered species habitat and our quality of life…it’s all connected.”

“The unique ecological niche that these parcels encompass includes multiple layers of rare plant and animal species, aquifer recharge, stormwater attenuation and flood protection,” said Eric Draper, conservation chair for the Apalachee Audubon Society in a July letter to the Leon County Commission. “The wood stork is listed by Florida and the federal government as endangered. A colony of several dozen nesting pairs can be found foraging on this property. They depend upon the health of the Fred George Basin for survival.”

For more information visit www.myspace.com/wildwoodpreservation.