Thousand Islands, FL

In the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach, the last piece of an environmentally valuable puzzle was put into place. A team of public and private partners protected the last remaining privately-owned parcel in 2008, permanently preserving the Thousand Islands in its entirety.

“This acquisition really shows the power of partnerships. Separately, each of the partners would not have been able to acquire this property, but we all worked together, leveraged our efforts, and as a result we’ve been able to make it happen.”

- Skip Williams, Cocoa Beach Commissioner

Summary

The Thousand Islands sit within the Banana River portion Indian River Lagoon – one of the nation’s most biologically diverse bodies of water, boasting more than 2,100 varieties of plans and over 2,200 species of animals. The lagoon’s ocean beaches also support one of the densest sea turtle nesting areas found in the western hemisphere.

Challenge

This property ranked as a high conservation priority for the state of Florida, not only because of its ecological value but also because it was surrounded by protected land. The property consists of a mixture of islands, fragile sea grass meadows, and mangrove forests that provide habitat for manatees, dolphins, marine fish and shellfish and a diverse bird population, including pelicans, egrets, osprey and ibis.

Solution

The Conservation Fund facilitated the sale of 279 acres of wildlife habitat and recreation waters from private landowners to Brevard County, which used funds from its Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) program for the purchase. Additional funding came from the Florida Communities Trust state grant program and the city of Cocoa Beach.

Results

The protected property will become part of the county’s EEL preserve system and will be open to the public for paddling, wildlife viewing and fishing.