Secret land swap puts Keys cactus at risk

Last Stand recently learned of a secret real estate deal that resulted in the loss to the National Key Deer Refuge of an important 4.4-acre portion of the Ocean Bluff tract. In the 1980s, there was an epic battle on Big Pine Key between local civic activists, notably Grace Manillo, and the developers of Ocean Bluff. This tract contained 43.5 acres on the windward Atlantic dune ridge in part of Cactus Hammock, a unique ecosystem that supported endangered species including Key deer, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, and Keys tree cactus. With help from the Trust for Public Lands, the Ocean Bluff tract was acquired and transferred into public ownership -- the National Key Deer Refuge. It was saved -- and now it's not.

Refuge lands cannot be sold off, but a loophole allows trades. In January, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) traded the 4.4 acres of Ocean Buff to the Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge, which had leased this land for decades as a rustic campground. During this time, a boat basin and canal cutting through the dune drained fresh water and brought saltwater deep into the Cactus Hammock. Hurricanes and sea level rise further decimated the buttonwood swamp that formed a protective buffer. Consequently, the tree cactus has been reduced by about 95 percent in the last 11 years, from 440 to 25 stems. The situation is precarious.

In exchange for the 4.4-acre parcel, the USFWS received one acre on U.S. Highway 1. The USFWS wants a visitor center (more visitors equal more money), even though the community is concerned about traffic impacts and the probability of more Key deer road kills.

Last Stand deplores this missed opportunity to protect and restore Cactus Hammock. The result may be the loss of the tree cactus from its natural range and the undermining of critical habitat. We are concerned about the long-range potential for increased development of the 4.4 acres that may impact adjoining refuge lands. We especially deplore the secret way this trade was handled. The public only learned about it four months after the deal went down, when a local newspaper, Keys Barometer, broke the story at the end of April.

We hope that the USFWS will work with the Fishing Lodge to ensure good stewardship and with the Florida Keys Restoration Fund on a plan to restore the hydrology of Cactus Hammock. Filling the canal and boat basin would provide more dry land, and restoring the dune would help to protect this exposed southeast corner of Big Pine Key.

We urge the USFWS to recognize the critical importance of this 4.4 acre parcel of shoreline and to make every effort to get it back under the protection of the refuge. Quickly implementing the Keys tree cactus recovery plan is even more critical now, if this species is to survive.

We also ask for more transparency with the public. The refuge belongs to everyone.

Albert Sullivan, president

Last Stand