Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
From Adversity to Diversity: The Cape
Florida Project
KELLIE WESTERVELT
In the early hours of August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew swept across the Atlantic
Ocean and Biscayne Bay, making landfall in rural Homestead, Florida. The Category
5 hurricane had sustained winds of 165 mph, with gusts reaching more than 200
mph. Considered at the time to be the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, the winds of
the storm altered the face of South Florida overnight, scouring the landscape and
leaving homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods destroyed in its wake (Landsea et al.
2004).
Hurricane Andrew's impact on South Florida was immediate and traumatic, but
in at least one case, it was also beneficial. The eye of the storm passed fourteen miles
south of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, leveling its 436-acre Australian pine ( Ca-
suarina equisetifolia ) forest. Although a popular park in the community, Cape Florida
was a natural disaster long before Hurricane Andrew. Australian pines and an assort-
ment of other invasive species had overrun the park's natural communities. In one fell
swoop, the storm destroyed 98 percent of the park's exotic tree canopy—a task that re-
source managers had been trying to accomplish for some time (fig. 3.1). Hurricane
Andrew set the stage for an ecological restoration project that would engage the com-
munity for years to come.
This chapter explores the long-standing relationship between Cape Florida and
the greater Miami-Dade community. It discusses the challenges faced in restoration
planning, funding, and execution in a highly publicized and politicized process, and
reviews the variety of programs used to involve a diverse, multicultural volunteer pool
in the restoration project. Finally, it shows the results achieved through community
support and perseverance, and the power of connecting people to place.
A History of Community Activism
Cape Florida State Park is located on the tip of Key Biscayne, the southernmost
coastal barrier island on the eastern seaboard of the United States. It is surrounded by
the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Biscayne Bay to the west. Just seven miles south of
downtown Miami, it was a very popular park, known for its historic lighthouse and
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