Watching the ebbs and flows of politics is always interesting. The next challenge will be gaining the firm support for the new Charter language by the City Commission which then will move it to public referendum in November. Thankfully this first stage of the battle was successful and citizens voices were heard.
The Fernandina Charter Review Committee voted on 5/05/20 (almost unanimously) to prohibit the outright any sale or lease of city owned Conservation Land in perpetuity. This result would not have been possible without the mobilizing of citizen input.
It's a sign of hope that some of the most vigorous supporters of the leasing of Conservation Land became the most vocal supporters of the viewpoints of local conservation organizations and conservation minded citizens. Citizen input definitely made a huge difference in the outcome of this decision.
Here is the Nassau County Sierra Club's response to the Charter Review Committee:
Dear members of the Charter Review Committee,
The Executive Board of the Nassau County Sierra Club understands that the Charter Review Committee has agreed that any sale or lease longer than 40 years of City-owned recreational or conservation land must receive unanimous consent of the City Commission and 70% approval by the voting public.
We request that any language regarding the leasing of city-owned Conservation Land not be added to the City Charter.
As a Board, we do not agree with the statements made at the February 25th meeting by the planning director, Kelly Gibson, that without the caveat of "leasing"- Conservation Land might fall into an “abandoned state”.
Since when is keeping land in its "natural state' considered a bad thing?
Human sprawl has shrunk our wildlife corridors and natural lands. As a result, local wildlife struggles to find places to rear their young, feed, find shelter, and have a safe corridor in order to satisfy their migration needs.
The expansion of population on the island is bringing people and development into conflict with local wildlife and their historic habitats. Not too many years ago we had a bobcat population in the City. We also occasionally have black bears that swim across the river or visit the island from the south.
The habitat that animals rely on continues to be fragmented by housing, roads, fences, and other man-made barriers. As a result, our animals are struggling more and more to reach food, water, shelter, and breeding sites. We ask that you help protect our city ecosystem of which wild animals are a part.
Nassau County Sierra Club advocates that leaving nature wild promotes ecosystem health on our island.
We believe strongly that the leasing of Conservation Land could open the way for irreparable damage to this ecosystem, even for a short-term lease. We believe that leased property could be impacted adversely by possible parking places, kiosks, facilities, or other improvements.
The 40-year lease is extreme; that's about half of a human lifespan.
Preserving habitat and wildlife corridors builds resilience to climate change by allowing species to move through a network of ecologically rich areas that are uninterrupted by human development.
It is our firm belief that Conservation Land should be uninterrupted by human development- no roads, no parking places, no development.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Nassau County Sierra Group Executive Board
Julie Ferreira, John Baker, Joyce Newlin, Grier Newlin, Chuck Oliva, Mary Libby, Tina O'Brien, Mary Kramek, Al Laub, Anthony Daniels, Ira Copperman, Zen Waters, Beth Kern