Olifanten

Ground was broken this month in Fellsmere for the future home of the $12.5 million National Elephant Center, 225 acres that could one day serve as a refuge for up to 36 elephants needing a home.

 

"Today an orange grove, tomorrow a pachyderm paradise," said center Chairman Rick Borangi, director of the Dallas Zoo, one of 73 accredited zoos belonging to the national center.

 

The National Elephant Center previously was proposed for St. Lucie County, but center officials opted for Fellsmere after running into proposed county restrictions that went beyond the necessary zoning approvals. Fellsmere has increasingly looked to its natural environment as a major asset for future economic development while conserving resources, such as through ecotourism.

 

Other governments in the region have taken steps toward ecotourism but few have embraced ecotourism to the extent officials in Fellsmere have.

 

Another example was the approval late last year of a land-use change for the 86-acre Fellsmere Trailhead Preserve from commercial to conservation. The city hopes to use a $400,000 state grant to put in a visitors station as well as hiking and horseback-riding trails.

 

And, more recently, the city has applied for a $430,000 grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to build a facility that would include boat trailer and car parking, a dock and two boat ramps, along with restrooms and picnic areas along a 10,000-acre lake being developed by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

 

Mayor Susan Adams said, "It carries on our vision of creating ecotourism hot spots in our area. It fits perfectly into the big picture; it's another puzzle piece. I think it is positive and I hope we get the grant."

 

The National Elephant Center will certainly be putting Fellsmere on the map. So will the new lake, which will be next to the center, and which is currently being called Headwaters Lake.

 

By combining the use of natural resources and conservation efforts with tourist-related activities that depend upon the natural attractions, Fellsmere is setting an example of environmental stewardship and its potential in the area of economic growth opportunities.

 

Fellsmere officials seem to have a vision for the direction they want their city to take. That can't be said for all local governments in the region.

26-Apr-03 9:00 AM