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MRC Receives $4.5 Million for Land Acquisition
City of Palm Bay Armors Shoreline to "Protect" Lagoon House
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On October 3rd 2003 The Florida Communities Trust (FCT) distributed $106.5 million dollars in grants to local land-buying projects for Fiscal Year 2002-2003. MRC received $4.5 million dollars to acquire lands in Indian River and St. Lucie Counties.
Sebastian River Greenway MRC received $3.1 million to acquire The St. Sebastian River Greenway which furthers the purpose of the adjacent St. Sebastian River Buffer Preserve purchased by the St. John's Water Management District, the Florida DEP and Indian River County to protect critical habitat and provide vegetated natural buffers to the St. Sebastian River. Acquisition of the St. Sebastian River Greenway parcels will add an additional 400 acres and 2 miles of greenway and
wildlife corridor to the 16,000 acre preserve completing the protection of the last available parcels to buffer development from impacting
the St. Sebastian River and avoid future flood hazards related to the development of the 20 year and 100 year flood plain.
The project includes a hands on nature center with environmental education events, a canoe dock and hiking trails linking 40 miles of hiking trails on the Sebastian Buffer Preserve with trails along the south fork of the St. Sebastian River. The canoe dock will open the length of the St. Sebastian River to canoes and kayaks.
Approximately 40 acres of wetlands will be restored and a native plant garden will be landscaped with native wild flowers, shrubs and trees to demonstrate the beauty and low maintenance of native species.
Acquisition of the greenway helps protect habitat of many threatened and endangered species including the threatened Southern bald-eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the threatened Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the endangered Cardinal airplant (Tillandsia fasciculata), the endangered Giant airplant (Tillandsia utriculata), and seven fish species which according to recent studies by Dr. Grant Gilmore are only found in the St. Sebastian River.
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