SIGN THIS PETITION to "SAY NO" to North Collier Regional Park for potential expansion of athletic fields and facilities and/or sports tourism. Collier County is considering using the parks conservation easement-protected preserves to allow for such expansion/development which, at full capacity, could increase annual park traffic from 27,000+ visitors to over 265,000 visitors per year.  SAY NO and ask Collier County to REMOVE North Collier Regional Park as a potential site for expansion/development consideration.  If you live in the corridor of Vanderbilt Beach Rd./Immokalee Rd./Oakes Blvd./Livingston Rd./Airport Pulling Rd., your community either borders the park or is in the immediate area.  

You are urged to sign this petition and "SAY NO" for the following reasons:

• Preserve Destruction: North Collier Regional Park was one of the parks evaluated, based on the assumption that the existing conservation easement-protected preserve could be considered for expansion of athletic fields and facilities. We don't want to destroy our natural preserves and disrupt wildlife habitat. The Conservancy has created "Preserve the Preserve" plan to help stop this travesty.  http://www.conservancy.org/our-work/policy/action/preserve-the-preserve
• Disruption to Neighboring Communities: Wilshire Lakes, Sienna Reserve, Tiburon, Marsala, Pelican Marsh, Livingston Lakes, Village Walk, Sandalwood Village, Oakes, Bradford Square and other communities are either bordering the park or are nearby the park.
• Home Values Diminished: We are a compilation of family safe communities as well as retirement housing. Such expansion could diminish our home values and quality of life.
• Traffic Congestion: In 2015, we had 27,000+ visitors to the North Collier Regional Park and this proposal at full usage would generate over 265,000+ visitors per year to North Collier Regional Park. This can greatly impact the Livingston / Vanderbilt / Immokalee corridor.
• Noise/Crime/Lighting/Quality of Life: Such plans will increase noise, lighting, and potentially mischief/crime (especially to those communities bordering the park).
• Blue Zone Community:  The preserve and nature paths were created for foot walking, jogging and bicycling.  The preserve and nature path is not a placeholder for future intensification (e.g. sports facilities), but an amenity for North County residents - not people who don't live here (e.g. sports tourism).  

If you need more information, please keep reading to see 1.) background 2.) why this is a problem 3.) what you can do 4.) links to more details.

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BACKGROUND
Collier County recently hired a consulting team headed by Hunden Strategic Partners to assess “sports participation trends, current supply of sports facilities, opportunity for expansion or development of new sports facilities in the near and distant future, a sports marketing plan, detailed revenue and expense analysis and projected constructions costs for any new or expanded facilities.”

As the County’s parks are a primary location for existing athletic fields, these parks were a focus for this study’s assessment of how additional sports infrastructure might be accommodated.

North Collier Regional Park was one of the parks evaluated, based on the assumption that the existing conservation easement-protected preserve could be considered for expansion of athletic fields and facilities.

WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?

• The existing conservation easement prohibits removal or destruction of native vegetation. 
• This preserve is necessary for protection of natural resources. 
• This preserve provides a quality of life benefit by serving as a destination for passive recreation activities. 
• As the County continues to build out, the community relies on the assurance that preserves protected by conservation easements will indeed be protected and serve as the last remnants of native vegetation in urban Collier County. 
• The preserve at North Collier Regional Park is not a placeholder for future intensification, but an amenity for County residents. 
• Bordering and neighboring communities could be impacted by diminished home value, quality of life with peaceful living, increased noise, potential mischief/crime, and traffic to our roadways. 

The preserve is used by:

• Walkers 
• Joggers 
• Cyclists 
• Rollerbladers 
• Birdwatchers 

A partial list of wildlife utilizing the North Collier Regional Park preserve includes the following:

• Deer 
• Squirrels 
• Bobcats 
• Bald eagles 
• Wood storks 
• Pine warblers 
• Pileated woodpeckers 
• Downy woodpeckers 
• Red bellied woodpeckers 
• Red shouldered hawks 
• Killdeer 
• Kestrels 
• Rattlesnakes 
• Egrets 
• Great blue herons 
• Roseate spoonbills

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Sign this petition.
• Attend the Collier County Board of Commissioners meeting:  The meeting is on Tuesday, June 28 at 9am inside the Commission Chamber on the third floor of the Administration Building, located at 3299 Tamiami Trail East.
• Contact the commissioners via email
• Let them know maximizing sports tourism and/or increasing athletic field capacity cannot come at the expense of existing passive recreational park amenities and binding commitments for preservation NOR at the expense of WHERE YOU LIVE.  Ask that if they move forward with studying the feasibility of sites for new athletic fields, the North Collier Regional Park conservation easement-protected preserves BE REMOVED FROM CONSIDERATION.

MORE INFORMATION

• http://www.colliergov.net/home/showdocument?id=66313
• http://www.conservancy.org/our-work/policy/action/preserve-the-preserve