Neighbors trying to save this Pinellas preserve are nearly out of time

NEAR TARPON SPRINGS — Tex Carter walked past a chain link fence decorated by green ribbons fluttering in the breeze.

The 8,144 ribbons each represent a $20 donation to environmentally sensitive land that lies on the other side. In nearly four years of grassroots fundraising, it hasn’t been enough to save the preserve.

These 14 acres on West Klosterman Road are home to Florida scrub habitat, one of the rarest ecosystems in the country, and support more than 60 endangered plants and animals native to the state.

The overgrown lot had been a frequent hangout for teens. Glass beer bottle shards and bonfire coals are still scattered across the grounds. In 2020, developers hoping to build condos nearly bought the scrub land from Pinellas County Schools, which has owned the property since the 1990s.

Carter, whose organization stepped in to stop the condo deal, hopes to close a sale with the school district that would conserve the land as a public park.

But it has been an uphill battle for nonprofit WK Preservation Group, which is still more than $400,000 short of its goal. The group has to come up with $1.5 million by Sept. 15 to meet a fundraising deadline issued by Pinellas County.

After dousing himself in bug spray, Carter locked the gate behind him and stepped into the thickly wooded property.

Saving wild Florida

The path that winds through the scrub and upland pine forest was originally cut as a fire break. Once the preserve is purchased, it will serve as an outline for a 1-mile trail across the property. Until then, Carter, prospective donors and reporters (and those pesky, partying teens) are the only ones who share the path with wildlife.

A wide hole dug in the earth sits just a few feet from the front gate. It’s one of roughly 100 gopher tortoise burrows scattered about the preserve, which suggests that at least 40 protected tortoises live there.

Likely searching for food or shelter, one hatchling slowly crossed the path on a recent morning. The tortoises survive off berries and cacti, which are plentiful across the preserve.

Carter, too, sometimes samples their diet. He veered off the trail to pluck a hog plum from a stocky bush.

“That’s very likely ripe,” he said, chewing and pointing at another cluster of the ping-pong-ball-sized fruits. “If it’s not ripe, it’ll make your mouth a little dry.”

Another important feature concerning the preserve is its proximity to other county-protected habitat that borders the property.

Mariner’s Point Management Area’s 76 acres are closed to public use while the county conducts environmental restoration there. But the fence separating Mariner’s Point and West Klosterman doesn’t matter much to the animals that roam between both properties.

“They’ve been one ecosystem for hundreds of years,” Carter said.

What’s taking so long?

Fundraising got off to a rocky start, and the nonprofit is still playing catch-up, Carter said.

It took six months to secure a contract once Pinellas County pledged funds from the Penny For Pinellas sales tax initiative to match half of the preserve’s cost. This delayed large contributions from wealthy donors, the nonprofit’s director said.

Carter has a “real concern” about meeting the fundraising deadline, he added. As president of WK Preservation Group, he has been in this fight since the beginning, soliciting donations from big-name donors and negotiating with local politicians.

If the group doesn’t raise the money in time, the county will consider granting them more, according to Paul Cozzie, director of Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources.

Carter said he hopes it doesn’t come to that.

“We need a couple of big-pocket donors to step up,” he said.

Some good news: fundraising has been more fruitful lately, according to the nonprofit. Carter stressed that “deadlines drive donations,” and said half of all contributions made this year were received over the past three weeks.

Carter is already looking beyond West Klosterman Preserve. He’s in talks with county officials about raising money for three other properties they are eying for conservation.

“Let’s get a success, and then let’s do other small slices of paradise in Pinellas County,” he said.

After retiring, Carter moved to north county to be near his grandchildren, but he quickly fell in love with Florida’s natural beauty. Now, he can rattle off scientific names of plant species, like Ceratiola ericoides, or the Florida rosemary.

This rare plant endemic to the state is tucked at the end of the preserve’s path and will be the centerpiece of the park, Carter said.

But in its current state, the rosemary bush is withered and brown. A large oak casts its shadow over the plant, shading it from much-needed sunlight. It has been years since a controlled burn, which opens the canopy and allows the rosemary to seed, has been conducted at West Klosterman.

The plant’s health also hinges on the county deal — scheduling a controlled burn will be parks managers’ first act as the preserve’s new stewards.

“Four years ago, it looked a lot more spectacular,” Carter said of the rosemary bush. “A year from now, if we’re successful, it’ll look good again.”

Those who want to contribute to efforts to preserve the area can donate here.