Friday, November 2, 2012

OKALOOSA COUNTY MAKES A COMMITTMENT TO THE EMERALD COAST WILDLIFE REFUGE ON OKALOOSA ISLAND


Great job Okaloosa County for looking to the future in job growth and recognition of the Fort Walton Beach/Okaloosa Island area.

Lease approved for Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge
By KARI C. BARLOW
315-4438 | @KariBnwfdn kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com 
OKALOOSA ISLAND — The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge will pay Okaloosa County $1 a year to lease 3.6 acres of the old Island Golf Center property. County commissioners approved the 10-year lease in mid-October. It gives the refuge two years to start building its medical clinic, education center and marine center.“Our founder years ago had pinpointed that piece of property as their dream for where the refuge would end up,” refuge Director Amanda Wilkerson said. “It’s perfect for us because it’s centrally located in our coverage area.”The refuge is finalizing design and construction plans for the clinic and education center. Wilkerson hopes to have a development order in hand within in the next 45 to 120 days.“I’ve been with the refuge since 2000, and we’ve been waiting for this since then,” she said. “I’m definitely excited.” The medical clinic — where the staff will rehab injured and sick animals — will be about 4,000 square feet. “It’s going to be a lot different from what we’re normally used to because it’s going to be an interactive building,” Wilkerson said. “Our ICU, nursery, exam rooms and surgery center are all going to be viewable by one-way glass. There will be an intercom system so people can actually communicate with people on the inside and see what’s going on.” Speakers will allow workers to explain to visitors outside the room exactly what they’re doing to an animal. That setup is designed to educate the public about the service the refuge provides. “Until people really see a heron that has been maimed by fishing line and the procedures it takes to get that animal back on its feet, they have no idea,” Wilkerson said. “Then it becomes more serious to them.” She said the refuge is “working on potential financing” for the clinic, which could open by late 2013. The proposed education center will house the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge Academy of Zoological Sciences, a charter school that initially will serve sixth- and seventhgrade students. “As soon as the building is done, we’re ready to go,” Wilkerson said. “If the funding that we need … comes through, that will open the fall of 2013.” The refuge also plans to build a marine center that will be used for stranded marine life, research and necropsies. The 3.6-acre site sits on 35 acres of the old golf course. The land includes a heron rookery, a pine and oak hammock, coastal dunes, drainage ponds and several acres of wetlands. “The property is beautiful,” Wilkerson said. “It has a lot of educational benefits … with its different kinds of habitats.” County commissioners agreed in June to allow Destin nonprofit AquaGreen to build a $20 million fish hatchery on 4.4 acres of the property and Destin-based Dominion Capital to build Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone on 2.8 acres there. Wilkerson said she is confident the three groups can co-exist while also preserving natural areas for visitors. “We’ve already talked about different ways we can partner with each other,” she said. “I think it’s going to strengthen all of our organizations by being there.” The refuge plans to kick off a campaign in December to raise money to build the clinic and other facilities.  For more information, go to www.ecwildliferefuge.com  or call Amanda Wilkerson at 650-1880.

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