Weedon Island Preserve

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With the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the distance, homes, ...

Mon Jul 23, 9:58 AM ET

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With the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the distance, homes, seen June 28, 2007, are beginning to encroach on the Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg, Fla. Given that Pinellas has packed in 3,300 souls per square mile — more than 10 times the average population density of the state — keeping development at bay is an ongoing challenge for the county's environmental planners, who have earned national recognition for their efforts to preserve and manage its wild open spaces.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)