|
|
|
|
by Don Casey
WHO WILL BE IMPACTED OR POTENTIALLY IMPACTED BY THE (Wildlands) PROJECT ?
"Everyone," responded Linda Conway Duever. Ms. Duever was making her presentation to the 1998 Natural Resource Forum 98 . She has twenty five years in the ecological field, and is a science staff professional for the Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society.
The Forum was sponsored by the University of Florida Office of the Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and other government entities. The Steering Committee included the Director of Public Lands Program for the Nature Conservancy; other members were either University representatives or government officials at the State and Federal level. A partial list of Federal officials include:
Ecosystem Management Staff Officer, National Forests of Florida, USDA Forest Service;
Acting Chief - Regulatory Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chief Restoration Ecology Branch U.S. Geological Survey.
Background:
Science magazine evaluated the Wildlands Project in its June 1993 issue describing how the Project would create islands of human habitations surrounded by animal reserves. Ultimately the islands or urban hubs, as they are called in the State of Florida's officially sanctioned plan,* will likely grant the human population only 40% of the land, with a 10% buffer to sure that human actions do not influence the animal populations. Animals will, under the new system being created, control 50% of the land across the Americas.
Ms. Duever, in the 98 Forum said the planning process began in 1995 and mapped the areas where human and animal populations will be allowed to live in the southeastern United States. This phase of the project ended with the completion of the maps in 2003. The maps may be viewed at the University of Florida s website: http://www.geoplan.ufl.edu/epa/results.html. The project, known as the Southeastern Ecological Framework, includes the proposed location for reintroduction of the black bear.
The Future:
Ms. Duever stated that once the maps were complete: Others will then need to refine the maps and devise planning and implementation strategies to bring a green infrastructure system into reality. Other organizations involved in project planning include&.US Forest Service (USFS) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) both government agencies have published forecast which indicate a desire to provide incentives to bring a green infrastructure system into reality. Evaluating different management plans that on one end of the scale reduce the economy by one third and on the other reduce the economy by 80%2 - the USFS selected the latter. The reduction of Alabama s rural economy will take ten years to accomplish, a rate of economic destabilization that will likely not be noticed.
The USFWS (to comply with regulations) held a comment period to hear the public's remarks on the Governments declaration designating over 1,000 miles of creeks in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as critical habitat for 11 species of mussels. This comment period (which received little public notice) closed on Oct 14, 2003. Alabama will receive the brunt of the economic effects of this program due to designation of over 800 miles of creek as critical habitat in the State.
Comments were to be sent to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn: Paul Hartfield, 6578 Dogwood View
Parkway, Suite A, Jackson, MS 39213; Fax: 601-965-4043, or by electronic mail
to paul_hartfield@fws.gov
(EDITOR'S NOTE: this article appeared in "THE BEACON" in plenty of time for readers to comment.)
Two aspects (there are more) of the Fish and Wildlife designation will aid in the reduction of the economy by 80% as forecast by the US Forest Service.
Land value in rural Alabama will fall as those seeking to purchase property learn of the government's land designation and will look for land elsewhere that does not have such designation.
Property owners ability to use their land as they deem necessary will likely see restrictions from the protection management program . The effects of the spotted owl in the northwest did not go unnoticed.
Just mentioning such programs will have a downward effect on the economy.
Others involved in the implementation will likely come into view as we move into into the coming ten-year planning period .
Welcome to the reordering of society.
* A GIS-Based Lansdcape Approach to Identify a Statewide Ecological Greenways System for Florida
http://snre.ufl.edu/publications/NRF_98/