Sarasota County eyes increased access to preserves as part of ecotourism push

Access to almost 100,000 acres of preserves, reserves, state parks and other natural areas could give Sarasota County an additional draw for tourism, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Rissler told county commissioners at a recent presentation on opportunities to increase public access to preserved and protected lands.

She characterized access to those lands – marketed as ecotourism – as the “fourth leg” of a stool for Sarasota County’s tourism efforts, along with beaches, arts and culture and sports.

That’s all part of the 2023 strategic plan, approved by the commission last January.

Sarasota County Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger, who put the increased access goal in the board’s 2023 strategic plan, took a moment to marvel at that amount, which represents almost 34% of the land in Sarasota county.

“All of us watching it are just filled with a sense of wonder and amazement at the incredible way that this county has preserved lands and maintained it,” he said.

Commissioner Neil Rainford added, “We have just an immense opportunity in Sarasota to get out in nature; I don’t think a lot of people realize the opportunities we have here.”

Through partnerships with the Florida Parks Service, Florida Forest Service and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Rissler said the ecotourism experience can be enabled and then marketed in partnership with Visit Sarasota County.

For example, visitors could camp at Myakka River State Park, then canoe down the Myakka River, stop at Snook Haven and then Sen. Bob Johnson’s Landing and finish at Myakka State Forest.

“To me, that would be an incredible experience for people to have,” Rissler said on Nov. 28.

24 years of preservation and gearing up for a 2026 referendum

Voters approved funding the 1999 Environmentally Sensitive Plan Protection Program in a March 1999 referendum. The program was extended through 2029 by a 2005 referendum that created the Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program.

County officials plan to place a referendum on whether to extend the program on the November 2026 ballot.

Since the preservation program’s inception, Sarasota County has protected more than 40,250 acres with the ELSPP, with more than 21,000 of the acres preserved by Sarasota County done so through conservation easements, which allow continued use but preclude future development.

About 126,000 acres of public and private lands are protected in Sarasota County, including 46 sites that total more than 96,094 acres of natural areas, including preserves, reserves and state parks.

Thirty nine of those sites offer public access, and six more will have future public access, Rissler said.

A (Legacy) trail of success

With a network that links Venice to the city of Sarasota, as well three extension routes linking it to North Port, the most public face of Sarasota County’s park expansion is the Legacy Trail.

The push for the expansion was fueled by a 2018 referendum in which 70.6% of Sarasota County voters approved a $65 million bond issue to pay to connect the original trail to Sarasota County’s two largest cities.

Vice Chairman Mike Moran praised Rissler for the speed with which the Legacy Trail extension north to Sarasota County was completed, 851 days ahead of schedule.

“Ultimately the taxpayer wins on that,” he added.

Rissler was more proud of the fact that along with the trailheads, Sarasota County added three community parks to the mix.

The extension through Deer Prairie Creek Preserve included a bridge for the trail near an accessible canoe and kayak launch.

The preserve – owned jointly by Sarasota County and the Southwest Florida Water Management  District – is also a possible location for horse trails, as Sarasota County seeks to add horseback riding and camping options to the public lands.

Rissler also pointed to the December opening of restrooms, an accessible fishing pier and canoe and kayak launch at the 287-acre Scherer Thaxton preserve off of Honore Avenue and adjacent to Oscar Scherer State Park as an eagerly anticipated amenity for that portion of Palmer Ranch.

She called the planned January reopening of Red Bug Slough, a 72-are preserve off of Beneva Road, as “the perfect little opportunity for people to get out and see nature and be in a preserve.”

Once opened, Red Bug Slough – bought in 2000-01 with ESLPP funds – will include a butterfly garden, a small lake with an accessible fishing dock, a playground and bathrooms.

A possible shift in focus for future purchases

Since the preservation plan’s inception Sarasota County has focused on preserving inland areas, especially adjacent to the Myakka River.

Mixed among praise directed at Rissler for the success of the program, commissioners suggested a greater emphasis should be placed on acquiring parcels that could access Sarasota Bay or the Gulf of Mexico.

“ I would really love to see a priority of finding and purchasing waterfront land,” Cutsinger said. “I would like to look for opportunities and make that a huge priority for new purchases.”

Earlier: Sarasota County is spending $65 million to renovate a park. Here are the details.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County hopes to add ecotourism as it increases public land