The Australian Pines at Fort Zach

Pot Luck Under The Pines Easter Sunday

Thanks to all of you Citizens who have supported Save Our Pines and helped bring us to this point. Representative Ron Saunders deserves special recognition.

Please come join us for an informal celebratory POT LUCK UNDER THE PINES from 2 - 5 on Easter Sunday. Bring the whole family along with your own chairs and something to share.

Relax under the canopy of shade provided by our pines and be one of the first to choose your tree at the inauguration of our Adopt- A-Pine program.

Below is the Memorandum of Understanding for all to read.

Thanks,
Helen Harrison

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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
This memorandum is made between the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and State Representative Ron Saunders. The parties agree as follows:
1. DEP is the state agency responsible for the operation, and maintenance of state parks, including Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park located in Key West, Florida.

2. State Representative Ron Saunders represents District 120 in the Florida House of Representatives, Fort Taylor Park is located entirely and solely within the boundaries of House District 120.

3. Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park contains Australian pines (Casuarina equisetifolia) that have been in the park for many years and provide shade for visitors. Although DEP has a policy of eradicating Australian pines in state parks, DEP agrees to the following policy, which shall be unique and applicable only to the Australian pines located in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.

4. DEP will remove existing Australian pines in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park only if the pines have died, are toppled by windstorms, or constitute a public safety hazard. No Australian pines will be removed for building, landscaping, or hardscaping purposes. The existing pines shall remain unencumbered on the property until their natural death. DEP, at their discretion, may remove new Australian pine seedlings.

5. DEP shall use due care to avoid damaging any of the existing Australian pines. Within one (1) month of the date of this memorandum DEP shall carefully remove any overlaid calcium compounds or other introduced materials from the tree flare without damaging the existing roots or flare. Existing standards and practices shall be adhered to regarding the health and maintenance of the existing pines.

6. DEP now has a GPS survey indicating the location of each existing Australian pine in the park. Within three (3) months of the date of this memorandum, DEP shall conduct an update of the survey, with participation extended to members of the interested public, to determine the number, location and apparent health of all Australian pines in existence. Notations shall be made to the current survey in the event that any trees have been or should be removed. Copies of the current annotated survey shall be made available to the City of Key West and the office of the undersigned on an annual basis.

7. A copy of this memorandum will be included and incorporated in the Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park Unit Management Plan.

On this date, the language above is adopted as the Division of State Parks' policy regarding Australian pines in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and any changes to this policy shall only be made upon the agreement of DEP and Monroe County Representative Saunders or his successor in office.
Dated this 19th day of March, 2008.
_______________________________________

Bob Ballard
Deputy Secretary for Land & Recreation
Department of Environmental Protection

Ron Saunders
State Representative
Florida House District 120

cc: Governor Charlie Crist
Secretary Michael Sole, DEP

Save Our Pines wins 11-year battle

BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff

KEY WEST — The pine trees at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park will stay.

After tireless efforts by a local grass-roots organization, state officials signed an agreement Wednesday that immediately halts the removal of the 900 or so Australian pine trees at the state park.

State Rep. Ron Saunders, who had filed a bill in the Legislature to save the trees, met on Wednesday with Bob Ballard, deputy secretary for land and recreation in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), to finalize the agreement.

It says "DEP agrees to remove existing pines in the park only if the pines have died, are toppled by windstorms or constitute a public safety hazard."

Saunders said the agreement will replace his pending legislation.

"I am grateful for the countless hours put in by Helen Harrison and the other volunteers with Save Our Pines as well as the willingness of DEP to reach an agreement," he said. "This agreement shows what can be accomplished when citizens, legislators and state agencies communicate and work together."

For more than 10 years, park officials have been following orders from the DEP to remove all invasive, exotic species, including the towering pine trees, from state parks.

In response, Key West artist Harrison and others formed the Save Our Pines organization to lobby state and elected leaders on behalf of the shade trees. The group met with state park representatives and wrote hundreds of letters supporting the trees and seeking an exemption from the statewide removal of exotic species.

Their efforts were rewarded on Wednesday.

"They finally heard us," Harrison said, "after 11 years of pleading, fueled by the groundswell of public sentiment, thousands of dollars in contributions and countless volunteer hours."

Harrison thanked Saunders and his staff, Holly Merrill and Sue Ellen Spencer, for their work in preserving the shady spot along the beach.

"I'm sure this hard-fought victory won't really hit me until I'm actually relaxing under the pines, enjoying the cool shade offered by this uniquely comforting space that has now been saved," she said Wednesday, already planning a public potluck celebration under the pines from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Park Manager Mark Knapke, who has borne the brunt of some people's anger over the tree removal, declined to comment on the agreement, and directed calls to the DEP press office.

"We will still be taking away the trees that are possibly causing safety hazards or those that are diseased," DEP spokeswoman Katie Flanagan said. "But we won't be cutting any of the healthy trees down."

The agreement is effective immediately and is permanent, she said.