And this doesn't even take into account the valid environmental concerns of the Gulf Coast Conservancy which performs a valuable service for this county. If for no other reason, they remind us of how we have virtually destroyed the old Florida and replaced it with strip malls, congested roads and other forms of overbuilding. They remind us of what we were and could be again. They may be a tad overzealous, but people on a mission can be irritating at times. I would only wish they would seek ways to incorporate recreational activities into their lobbying efforts.
Somebody has to expose our children to nature in more of a recreational form.
Bring in the scouts. Let them hike and bike. We are raising a generation of kids who think the beauties of nature are found at Disney or man-made water parks. Juxtaposed to this issue before the county commissioners is a recent forum of interested citizens, which was struggling to articulate a long-range transportation plan. Commissioner Mary Aiken was reported to have said that a consensus emerged at this forum which could well be cutting edge, such as accommodating bicycle riders, and pedestrians, common road-kill along with our black bear population.