Visitors' Letter to Keynoter
Fort Zach's pines provide benefits
We wish to comment on the Australian pines at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park's beach in Key West.
Living in Broward County or visiting, we had the experience of seeing many Australian pine trees removed from John Lloyd State Park, and precious shade and recreation space appear to be lost. Unsightly views of container elevators and cranes in the shipping lanes are now exposed.
We had always enjoyed our morning and evening walks, and we now find the natural beauty of our state beach compromised by the drastic cutting back of the Australian pines. A particular area where the Australian pines were removed was a wonderful family picnic spot, a cool respite from the hot sun, a place to write, to dream or to meditate. The floor under the trees was always covered with soft pine needles, a relief to the burning sands, and beautiful to behold.
In the case of Key West, our fear is that once these tall graceful trees are gone, there will be further beach erosion, and trees planted in their stead will not be as hardy, provide shelter from the winds or give as much shade. Please ask the Florida Park Service to reconsider its park plan.
It would be a travesty to lose these tall Australian pines just because they are not native to Florida. Fort Taylor State Park would then suffer the same fate as John Lloyd State Park, which is no longer the beach it once was. Residents and frequent visitors still grieve the loss.
Allcyn Colotelo, Delray Beach
Aile Shebar, James and Bat Sheva Cornelison, Raven Cohan, Gayle Stolove, Hollywood
Published Keynoter 4/11/06
We wish to comment on the Australian pines at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park's beach in Key West.
Living in Broward County or visiting, we had the experience of seeing many Australian pine trees removed from John Lloyd State Park, and precious shade and recreation space appear to be lost. Unsightly views of container elevators and cranes in the shipping lanes are now exposed.
We had always enjoyed our morning and evening walks, and we now find the natural beauty of our state beach compromised by the drastic cutting back of the Australian pines. A particular area where the Australian pines were removed was a wonderful family picnic spot, a cool respite from the hot sun, a place to write, to dream or to meditate. The floor under the trees was always covered with soft pine needles, a relief to the burning sands, and beautiful to behold.
In the case of Key West, our fear is that once these tall graceful trees are gone, there will be further beach erosion, and trees planted in their stead will not be as hardy, provide shelter from the winds or give as much shade. Please ask the Florida Park Service to reconsider its park plan.
It would be a travesty to lose these tall Australian pines just because they are not native to Florida. Fort Taylor State Park would then suffer the same fate as John Lloyd State Park, which is no longer the beach it once was. Residents and frequent visitors still grieve the loss.
Allcyn Colotelo, Delray Beach
Aile Shebar, James and Bat Sheva Cornelison, Raven Cohan, Gayle Stolove, Hollywood
Published Keynoter 4/11/06
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