Volunteer in the New Year on Virginia Key

Volunteers have replanted native species throughout the island.

Resolved: in the new year to do something for nature on Virginia Key

Go ahead, make Virginia Key part of your New Year’s resolutions and join the community effort to protect and preserve one of our community’s natural jewels.

Here are  some of the volunteer organizations working to restore the natural environment on Virginia Key and throughout South Florida:

Urban Paradise Guild.
www.urban-paradise.org
“Our mission is to re-create native habitats in the Urban areas of Miami-Dade County, and to promote sustainable models for healthy living that safeguard, enhance and integrate the human and natural worlds for the benefit of both.”

Tropical Audubon Society
www.tropicalaudubon.org
“We believe in the wisdom of nature's design. We seek to foster and promote ecological conscientiousness in our community.”

Sierra Club, Miami Group
http://florida.sierraclub.org/miami/
"Our mission is to enjoy and protect the natural places in South Florida, to teach others to understand and respect the fragile environment in which we live, and to practice and promote the responsible use of South Florida's ecosystems and resources."

Citizens for a Better South Florida
www.abettersouthlflorida.org
“Citizens is dedicated to providing environmental education, particularly to the under-served community, that inspires active stewardship and preservation of the South Florida environment.”

TREEmendous Miami
www.treemendousmiami.org
“TREEmendous Miami consists of a dedicated group of people who like to plant trees so that we can make Miami-Dade a greener, cooler, healthier and more enjoyable environment in which to live. Our environment is our number one concern.”

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Also on Facebook, join Friends of Virginia Key for updates and event info.

Urban Paradise Guild's Idea of Paradise on Virginia Key

“Recreation through conservation.”

That’s an approach Sam Van Leer, director of the Urban Paradise Guild, an environmental advocacy and volunteer restoration group, would like to see on Virginia Key.

Van Leer has helped craft a tangible plan for just what that would mean on Virginia Key’s North Point. He says this can be accomplished in a short time with just a modest investment of public and private funds plus the sweat equity his organization harnesses so well:

1. A public beach shared by people during the day, nesting sea turtles at night.

2. Mult-use paths enjoyed by all.

3. Native vegetation selected to preserve the stunning views of the Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlike Area, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and the city skyline.

4. A large area set aside for mountain biking.

5. Picnic areas along the North Point Beach.

6. Walking paths that allow people to explore different native habitants found in coastal and inland areas.

7. A primitive campground on high ground, with exposure to cooling and bug-abating breezes.


The Urban Paradise Guild was founded, in part, to defend Virginia Key from commercial development, Van Leer states.

As a member of the Virginia Key Coalition, he and hundreds of other citizens participated in the September 2009 public planning charrette that took a closer look at each part of the island and crafted sustainable and public recreation-oriented plans for the island.

Which is very much in line with the UPG’s motto: “creating sustainable paradise in South Florida, one Habitat at a Time.”

TO LEARN MORE: http://www.urban-paradise.org/

Photo: Sam Van Leer and UPG volunteers help replant dunes with native vegetation on Virginia Key beach

@2010 All Rights Reserved
On Facebook: Friends of Virginia Key

What a “Green” Master Plan Looks Like: Trails, Public Beaches, More Trails

During the five years of “master planning” for Virginia Key, there was lots of talk of creating a “green” plan for the island. But doubts set in after one early proposal showed 11 parking garages.

The inclusion of “bioswales,” “green roofs” and “green recreational opportunities” didn’t do much to sway a skeptical public from the impression that the plan contained a tad too much concrete.

A June 2009 Miami Herald editorial summed it up this way:

Residents don't want to tart up Virginia Key with retail complexes and parking garages. They want a beautiful place to play and relax....A place to walk through nature preserves, hang out at the beach or take the family on a spin along a biking trail.

That eco-friendly vision might come to fruition first in the North Point. Miami-Dade Environmental Resources Management restoration expert Gary Milano (with input of Tropical Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Miami Group and Urban Paradise Guild) has just submitted to City officials a “green” blueprint for the North Point.

The proposed plan protects restored natural areas while carving out space for biking trails, beachside picnics and solitary strolls through hammocks and alongside dunes and marshes.

The proposal, which includes a primitive camping area, reflects public consensus culled from many several well-attended public planning charrettes on the island dating back to 2007.

It's what a "green" master plan should look like. Let's hope the City agrees.

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On Facebook: Friends of Virginia Key