“Our obligations here are for ourselves and future generations.”
– Charlie Hunsicker, director of parks and natural resources, Manatee County, speaking at the grand opening of Neal Preserve (Herald-Tribune, April 2014).
Charlie Hunsicker's quote is one that speaks to me.
Neal acquired a 120-acre coastal habitat on State Road 64 (I believe he acquired the land in 1982) and then donated it to Manatee County. The result is Neal Preserve and is about eight miles from Wildewood Springs.
Neal Preserve is an “open air museum” for all to learn about and enjoy Florida habitats. It is located eight miles from Wildewood and sits just south of State Road 64 (Manatee Avenue) before crossing the bridge to Anna Maria Island. An onsite, open-air tower provides views of Palma Sola Bay, Sarasota Bay, Longboat Key, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, and Anna Maria Island.
“Neal Preserve represents a success story of partnership. State and national agencies played a role in the preserve’s development…Manatee County continues to preserve these sensitive lands while providing unique passive recreation for all its visitors (Manatee Parks and Recreation).”
Neal Preserve, like other preserves, does not allow pets to honor the sensitive nature of the habitat and nesting bird sites. This is the same thinking behind the founding of the rules that guide Wildewood Springs IIA's leash laws and disallowing any feeding of the birds or animals in our neighborhood (Rules and Regulations. Pets. VI, p. 11).
I'm grateful to Pat Neal for building our neighborhood with respect for the flora and fauna that called Wildewood home long before any human residents moved in.
I'm grateful to Pat Neal for building our neighborhood with respect for the flora and fauna that called Wildewood home long before any human residents moved in.
