We Saved the Park. Now Save the Waterways

Whew! That was a close one!

Usually at this time of year Keep Martin Beautiful brings you up to date on the International Coastal Cleanup, set for September 21, and invites you to volunteer for this hands-on, “think-globally, act-locally" event. For one Saturday, we join with people all over the world to remove litter and marine debris from our coastlines and shorelines.

But we just had to take a moment to think about the whiplash our community just went through. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the plans to build golf courses inside our beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park would have destroyed this unique environmental jewel of Martin County.

While there are plenty of people who don’t regularly visit Jonathan Dickinson, thousands of others do, and they love and appreciate it! From a historical perspective, the park was once the home of Camp Murphy, where members of the US Army learned radar operations in the early years of World War II.

Best known among nature lovers is the Park’s environmental value. It’s home to endangered flora and fauna. And as the Coastal Cleanup date approaches, it is important to remind readers that the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River is one of Jonathan Dickinson State Park’s main features. This 7.6-mile river starts its journey in the Loxahatchee Slough 20 miles south of the park. It meanders through freshwater creeks into a brackish estuary, eventually making its way to the Jupiter Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. The park lies within the 210-square mile Loxahatchee River Basin, which includes three main forks. The North and Northwest Forks flow through the park and the Southwest Fork flows south of the park boundary.

While the proposed golf courses weren’t planned along the river, what you do to one part of a natural area affects the other.  If the plans had moved forward, the destruction of the rare environmental features within Jonathan Dickinson would have been lost forever.  And while we in Martin County are most passionate about what’s in our own backyard, let’s not forget that other parks in other parts of Florida were also at risk of being developed in a way that betrayed the spirit and intent of our parks system.

So big kudos to everyone in our community who came together, made your voices heard and stopped this terrible idea in its tracks. But we must remain vigilant and keep a close eye on what other proposals may be in the pipeline.

Volunteer. While your voice matters very much, so do your hands! Please consider joining us for the International Coastal Cleanup on September 21. It’s a way to teach your kids and grandkids about the importance of environmental stewardship. It’s a way to do something tangible for the environment we all love.

Recruit your family, friends, civic or church group, hiking, cycling, paddleboarding, kayaking and boating buddies. Keep Martin Beautiful will provide cleanup supplies and T-shirts (while supplies last) and keep track of the type and amount of trash that volunteers collect.

 Preregistration is required so we can ensure that volunteers are assigned to areas most in need.  For more info on how to be a part of this great community event, go to keepmartinbeautiful.org/international-coastal-cleanup