U.S. proposes major refuge to protect wildlife, Lake Okeechobee

In a significant commitment to clean polluted runoff before it enters Lake Okeechobee, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday that the federal government would create a 150,000-acre refuge south of Orlando. About 50,000 acres would be purchased by the federal government, and the remaining 100,000 would be protected through conservation easements on private land, Salazar said Friday afternoon before delivering the keynote address at the annual Everglades Coalition conference. In a role reversal of sorts, the federal government is taking the initiative to buy land for Everglades restoration that had been lacking in previous years. Still unknown is how engaged the state government will be. Under former Gov. Charlie Crist, the state proposed a huge land purchase south of Lake Okeechobee but Gov. Rick Scott has opposed that approach. Also unknown is how much Salazar's proposal will cost and where the money will come from. Also unknown is how much Salazar's proposal will cost and where the money will come from. Efforts to restore the natural flow of the Kissimmee River between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee have been ongoing for decades. The goal is to remove nutrient pollution from runoff from ranches, dairies and cities that have been polluting Lake Okeechobee. Salazar embraced what his office is calling a new national wildlife refuge and conservation area. It's based on buying easements from ranchers, which would allow ranching to continue while preserving wildlife habitat and allowing water storage and treatment. "That means that (the land) won't be developed, and it will continue to be maintained as a ranch," Salazar said. "I think from the point of view of a rancher, and I've been a rancher for a good part of my life, this is a way of preserving ranches not only for this generation but for future generations."...more