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.
