Ecoadventures Go Native!
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Mar / Apr 2008 www.miamidade.gov/parks Enriching Your Life Through Natural, Cultural and Recreational Experiences A MIAMI-DADE PARKS PUBLICATION PARKS A MIAMI-DADE life GreenThe Issue Go Native! EcoAdventures Landscaping with Native Plants Your Link to the Great Outdoors Park Parks and Recreation We create outstanding recreational, natural and cultural experiences to enrich you and to enhance our community for this and future generations. Carlos Alvarez, Mayor Board of County Commissioners: Bruno A. Barreiro, Chairman; Barbara J. Jordan, Vice Chairwoman Barbara J. Jordan, District 1; Dorrin D. Rolle, District 2; Audrey M. Edmonson, District 3; Sally A. Heyman, District 4; Bruno A. Barreiro, District 5; Rebeca Sosa, District 6; Carlos A. Gimenez, District 7; Katy Sorenson, District 8; Dennis C. Moss, District 9; Sen. Javier D. Souto, District 10; Joe A. Martinez, District 11; José “Pepe” Diaz, District 12; Natacha Seijas, District 13 Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of Courts; George M. Burgess, County Manager; Robert A. Cuevas Jr., County Attorney Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department has received accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) of the National Recreation and Park Association. Call (305) 755-7848 or (305) 755-7980 (TDD) to request materials in accessible format, a sign language interpreter (seven days advance notice required) and for information on access for persons with disabilities. We are proud to print on Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified paper and with vegetable-based inks. SFI certification ensures that the paper used contains fiber from well-managed and responsibly harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. Printed by acgraphics.com, SFI certified Chain-of-Custody #NSC-SFICOC-032. Baby Loggerhead, Sea Turtle Hatchery, Haulover Beach Park VENI, VIDI, VERDE... Parklife A MIAMI-DADE PARKS PUBLICATION PARKS BY Mar / Apr 2008 THE NUMBERS It is not hard to imagine an carpool. In fact, Parklife is printed on Contents Publisher: organization which began as a tree paper from sustainable forests using Miami-Dade County Park 1 and Recreation Department Acres managed by planting program 80 years ago would vegetable inks further reducing the Mission 13,320Miami-Dade Parks still be committed to efforts that are carbon footprint on the community. Editor: 4 Managing Natural Areas Doris Howe green. In this issue of Parklife, you Content Manager: Percentage of acreage of will read about the programs and But, all this just scratches the 8 A Redland Gem: Castellow Hammock Park Katherine MacDiarmid Miami-Dade Parks that is initiatives of Miami-Dade Parks surface of what we have planned for Graphic Designer: environmentally sensitive 9 Sea Turtle Nesting and Relocation Ruben Perez dedicated to preserving natural the future. Through the Open Space 50or threatened natural 10 Photographer: areas requiring protections areas and providing green spaces Master Plan, new initiatives regarding I am Miami-Dade Parks Peter Dooling and conservation for you and your family to enjoy. building design and construction 12 The New Park and Open Space System Master Plan Public Information Officer: materials will reduce energy and Edith Torres Number of parks managed by However, this commitment reaches water consumption, and serve as 16 Phenomenal Women 259the Miami-Dade County Park beyond just providing beautiful green models for sustainable development Contributors: and Recreation Department 18 The Women’s Park Gladys Adan, Cindy Castelblanco, Jim King, and blue spaces. It is part of the County-wide. The new Open Space Diana Cornely, Brian Cullen, Mia Foster, standard operating procedures of Master Plan envisions connecting 20 Parks in Focus Jane Griffin Dozier, Lisa Fernandez, Number of nature centers Paula Fernandez, Sally Timberlake, 6 the Miami-Dade Parks Department. communities through a public realm Roger Hammer, Angus Laney, Ernie Lynk, located in Miami-Dade Parks 24 Go Native! Landscaping with Native Plants The Marina Division actively recycles of parks, public spaces, natural and Joe Maguire, Esther Reyes, Cathy Ferreira 26 Parks that received 3,700 used oil, oil filters and monofilament cultural areas, greenways, waterways EcoAdventures: Your Link to the Great Outdoors Miami-Dade County Park trees planted as part of fishing line. Administrative offices and streets. These connections will and Recreation Department 42$1.5 million funding from 28 Get Hooked on Kayak Fishing recycle paper and use only paper form a green framework that will Jack Kardys, Director Capital Outlay Reserve Funds with recycled content. Our Kendall enhance the overall quality of life 30 Parks at a Glance W. Howard Gregg, Assistant Director for Planning and Development Warehouse and Shops recycles tires, for residents and visitors, preserve Number of nature preserves 31 Clean Marina Designations Frank Faragalli, Interim Assistant Director managed by Miami-Dade batteries, oil filters, used oil, and and protect parks and open space for Operations 80Parks Natural Areas toner and ink cartridges. Throughout and make Miami-Dade the kind of 32 Haulover Dune Restoration Allison Diego, Assistant Director Management Division the Department, we recycle community where residents want to for Administration 35 Progress Report George Parrado, Assistant Director cardboard, florescent bulbs, turn live, employers want to do business for Recreation Number of volunteer tree trimmings into mulch, and and tourists want to visit. 36 Calendar of Events workdays offered in Parklife 5 March and April to help 48 In Closing T (305) 755-7800 / F (305) 755-7857 restore natural areas in www.miamidade.gov/parks Miami-Dade County Reproduction in whole or in part of Parklife without prior written Marinas operated by permission is strictly prohibited. Miami- Dade Parks that front cover: For questions or comments concerning have received certification Lilypad, Fruit & Spice Park this publication, write to Parklife, 2 of Clean Marina by the Miami-Dade Parks, 275 NW 2nd Street, back cover: Florida Department of 3rd Floor, Miami, FL 33128, images of Miami-Dade Parks phone (305) 755-7800, or email at Environmental Protection photo montage [email protected]. Amid the roadways, traffic jams, parking lots, shopping centers, hit in 1992, it ripped the tops off mature hammock trees, and endless development that is part of our everyday life here in leaving opportunistic exotic vegetation (particularly vines) to South Florida, there lies a part of the landscape that too few spread further into the natural areas. The storm also decimated know: our natural areas. These are the pine rocklands, tropical the canopy species of the Pine Rocklands, the Dade County hardwood hammocks, and coastal and freshwater wetlands slash pine. Yet, what once seemed like a daunting and that contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of this part of the overwhelming task, the restoration of these natural areas by country. Around the turn of the century, when South Florida was NAM has achieved great success. NAM’s restoration efforts experiencing its first of many land booms, pine rocklands spread have received state and national recognition from organizations out in vast expanses over the such as the Florida Chapter of The Miami Rock Ridge, interspersed “The Natural Areas Nature Conservancy and the Florida with island-like hardwood Native Plant Society. hammocks, and sloping (ever so Management Division (NAM) slightly) into seemingly endless of the Miami-Dade County Approximately 5,200 acres of native glades. Sadly and startling, less forest and wetland occur in Miami- than 2% of this County’s original Park & Recreation Dade’s 13,000-acre park system. forests remain, making their Department not only knows This includes 1,007 acres of globally- preservation that much more endangered Pine Rockland and 422 crucial. These natural areas these areas up close and acres of upland hardwood forest, contain numerous rare plant in person, but is responsible including State-endangered rockland species, and are critical to native for restoration and hammock forest. If you’re familiar with wildlife, including migratory birds. management of the County’s the County’s parks, you’ll know that this includes parks such as the The Natural Areas Management 80 nature preserves.” Deering Estate at Cutler, Matheson Division (NAM) of the Miami-Dade Hammock, Larry and Penny County Park & Recreation Department not only knows these Thompson Park, Bill Sadowski Park, and Greynolds Park. by Jane Griffin Dozier areas up close and in person, but is responsible for restoration and management of the County’s 80 nature preserves. Created In addition to managing the natural areas within the County’s in 1990, NAM was expanded greatly after Hurricane Andrew park system, NAM is also responsible for the restoration and devastated southern Miami-Dade County in 1992, severely management of approximately 16,000 acres acquired by the impacting more than 80% of the County’s forest preserves. Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management’s Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Prior to Hurricane Andrew, Miami-Dade County’s forests were Program. The EEL Program purchases land from willing sellers, already in serious decline due to the invasion of over 150 and in some cases, has added to existing Parks natural areas. species of exotic (non-native) plants. Exotic plants invade Such is the case with Castellow Hammock, a well-known site natural areas and seriously interfere with the natural processes for bird watchers. Here, the EEL Program has been able to of forest growth by crowding out native plants, and disrupting double the size of the natural area that is now in public ownership. Example of vine coverage on hardwood hammock trees storm recovery and natural fire cycles. When Hurricane Andrew Presently, the EEL Program is the funding source for the majority Photos courtesy of Natural Areas Management Parklife Mar/Apr 2008 5 VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS of land management and restoration activities within the natural which helps eliminate high fuel load buildup and therefore DATE LOCATION ADDRESS DATE LOCATION ADDRESS 3/08/08 Kendall Indian Hammocks 11345 SW 79 St.