January 26, 2021 Board of County Commissioners will vote to PROTECT Natural Lands.  Please sign the petition to urge them to take this action. Background Info – CLICK HERE  

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Click here to read an excellent summary of the River Cross land swap issue by Dave Bear, Esq., President of Save Rural Seminole. Thank you, Dave!   For more conservation information, visit Save Rural Seminole

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Microsoft’s great presentation – Focus on the Forests By combining satellite imagery with machine learning we’re improving data precision and quality. High-resolution satellite images combined with preexisting field data, create detailed forest maps at a 15-meter resolution—enabling  estimation of details such as tree species, height, and density. Armed with this detailed information, conservationists, foresters, governments,…

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End the River Cross charade, Seminole, and fight this out in court | Editorial By Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board Orlando Sentinel | Apr 23, 2020 | 5:18 AM   One of the key selling points for a proposed land swap between Seminole County and a private developer is that the deal would give the county…

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CALL TO ACTION! On Tuesday, April 28, Seminole County Commissioners will VOTE (behind CLOSED DOORS) on whether to continue WITH the destruction of the Econ River Wilderness Area (the SWAP) or whether to pull out of it entirely. They need to continue to HEAR FROM US, as much as possible, THIS WEEK. WHAT CAN YOU…

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Public comments limited in virtual Seminole Board meetings, triggers concerns for Econ River Wilderness Area closure Tiana Sconiers Apr 19, 2020 Updated 1 hr ago The Seminole County Board of Commissioners held a meeting online amid the COVID-19 outbreak on Tuesday. Public comment limitations were put in place for board meetings, keeping the public from voicing their…

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See how destroyed the right side (River Cross project to the East of the Econ River) has become over time (667 acres) owned by private individuals. The left side (to the West of the Econ River), is the Econ River Wilderness Area, a 240 acre Natural Lands Conservation Area, purchased for conservation, owned by the…

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Sometimes, it’s easier to explain things to kids with a song.  Saving trees means saving the environment. Here is a great song called “Save Some Trees” (click to hear) Music and lyrics by Dave Orleans ©1982 Dave Orleans

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No one said it better than Michael Jackson – see the video here Let’s not destroy the Econ River Wilderness Area

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Some want to know – Isn’t it a great deal to swap 667 acres for only 240 acres?  Well, how about if we put it this way. The 240 acre Econ River Wilderness Area is in prime conservation condition, part of the Natural Lands Program and a biodiversity hotspot in the Wildlife Corridor.  It was…

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Over 49,000 people visited the Econ River Wilderness Area in the past year. The UCF ARENA holds ‘only’ 43,000 people. Here’s what that looks like: AND Seminole County Commissioners want to GIVE AWAY OUR taxpayer paid-for conservation area that is enjoyed by 49,000 people a year?  (and it is ADA Compliant too) Visualize Crowd Sizes…

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This is the ORIGINAL AGENDA as shown on April 18, 2020, at 11:25 am, located on the Seminole County OFFICIAL WEBSITE here: https://seminolecounty.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=1161&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda As we have seen before, SEMINOLE COUNTY makes constant adjustments to their published AGENDA, so ALWAYS look ONLINE at their website, up to and INCLUDING the minutes immediately PRIOR TO THE MEETING,…

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By Patrick Bohlen Guest Columnist | Apr 14, 2020 | 6:00 AM As a professional ecologist and conservationist, I would have been hard put back then not to admit that exchanging the Hi-Oaks ranch for the smaller 240-acre Econ Wilderness would have been a win for conservation. But that was before the developers starting hacking…

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Seminole officials agree to meet behind closed doors By Martin E. Comas Seminole commissioners agreed Tuesday to meet behind closed doors later this month to discuss whether to reject a proposal by developer Chris Dorworth to swap a popular county-owned wilderness area for the larger River Cross property as a way of settling his federal…

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It’s time to let  Seminole County’s Planning & Zoning, Development Review and County Attorney know to SEPARATE the Econ River Wilderness Conservation Area from the River Cross/Rural Boundary lawsuit issue. Commissioners and others saying that they want to ‘protect the rural boundary’ SHOULD NOT mean destruction of the Natural Lands Conservation Area. Your help is…

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Florida school boards try to balance coronavirus emergency with sunshine Some meet in person, while others have gone virtual. By Jeffrey S. Solochek Published Apr. 8 No one spoke Tuesday at a Pasco County School Board public hearing about plans to send hundreds of elementary students to different schools next year. It wasn’t for a lack of…

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Documents from the Development Review Committee on March 27, 2020 below, reviewing “the exchange” project which will DESTROY the Econ River Wilderness area. This property should have never been involved in any closed door negotiation. A Big THANK YOU to all who signed this petition, and your overwhelming support.  We have closed it down for…

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WHY protect Wilderness Areas?  Read here  

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Public meetings without the public? Here’s how Orange, Seminole and Lake governments are still holding meetings By MARTIN E. COMAS and STEPHEN HUDAK ORLANDO SENTINEL | MAR 24, 2020 | 1:07 PM Public participation is an essential ingredient to local government. The law requires it. Certain city and county business can’t move forward without noticed public hearings. And typically, there’s time…

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