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Accomplishments of the Palm Beach County Natural Areas Program
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- A total of 35,063 acres of conservation lands were protected through the program as of December 31, 2006. Of these, 2,121 acres of environmentally sensitive lands were sold to the State for incorporation into the Hungryland Wildlife and Environmental Area and 131 acres of lands in the Agricultural Reserve were sold to agricultural interests with conditions requiring the lands to be used for agriculture.
- The $150 million in conservation land bonds initially dedicated for environmentally sensitive lands yielded property appraised at $317,872,177, for which the County spent only $177,836,600 due to owner discounts, mitigation revenue designated for land acquisition, partnerships with regional and local government agencies, and matching funds received through grants from state land acquisition programs - a savings to the County of $140,035,577.
- Discounts from owners totaled $54,878,410.
- Mitigation revenues received from federal and state regulatory programs totaled $9,904,077.
- Matching funds received through partnerships with regional and local government agencies totaled $9,626,047.
- State matching funds totaling $65,627,043 were obtained through successful applications to the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) Preservation 2000 Program ($24,405,577) and the Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever Programs ($41,221,466) of the Florida Communities Trust (FCT).
- Palm Beach County has partnered with 9 municipalities in submitting successful applications to FCT and is one of the top 6 counties in the number of successful grant applications to FCT.
- Of the 2,356 acres still owned by the County in the Agricultural Reserve, 1,782 acres are leased back to the original owners for agricultural uses. The annual revenues from these leases total approximately $1.6 million. The remaining 574 acres are co-owned with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and will be used for water resource and recreational purposes.
- The County is granting conservation easements over each natural area or part of a natural area owned by the County to provide additional long-term protection for these lands - one easement to SFWMD and one to The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Conservation easements have already been granted to both entities over 4 natural areas and are in process for 4 additional natural areas. A conservation easement was granted to SFWMD over part of another natural area, and conservation easements over the entire site will be granted to both entities in the near future.
- Thirty-four natural areas are under County management, and the County has management oversight on another natural area (Leon M. Weekes Environmental Preserve).
- Interlocal agreements were approved with 9 municipalities, 1 federal agency, 1 state agency and 1 improvement district for assistance in the management of 19 natural areas.
- Management plans were approved by the Board for 15 natural areas and by other entities for 2 natural areas (Jupiter Inlet and Sweetbay).
- Visitor use facilities have been constructed at 13 natural areas, providing improved access and parking for 3,345 acres of conservation lands for passive recreational activities. Facilities for 8 additional natural areas are in design that will provide improved access and parking for an additional 10,139 acres.
- A site steward program was developed and site stewards for 15 natural areas were trained to assist with site inspection, monitoring, and volunteer management activities.
- A volunteer program was developed and 20,634 hours of volunteer service were contributed by individuals, companies, school groups, church groups, environmental groups, service groups, and site stewards since January 2000 in the preparation of sites for public use, restoration projects, and ongoing management activities - a savings to the County of $358,445.
- Grants and mitigation funds totaling $18,082,001 have been received or are pending for exotic plant control, hydrologic restoration, and habitat restoration and enhancement on these lands.
- Seven restoration projects were completed on 7 natural areas and 13 restoration projects are in progress on 8 natural areas.
- An interagency master plan was developed for the approximately 154,000-acre Northeast Everglades Natural Area (NENA) in northern Palm Beach County and southern Martin County.
- The 72-mile Ocean-to-Lake Trail (OLT), a hiking trail that connects the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Okeechobee, is nearly complete. Three bridges have been designed for crossings of the Loxahatchee River and the C-18 Canal, and negotiations are in progress for making the final connection to Lake Okeechobee. The Ocean-to-Lake Greenway, which includes the OLT, has been designated as part of the Florida Greenways and Trails System.
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Coastal Resources