Audubon says wood stork has a better chance of survival with combined
growth strategies
NAPLES, Fla., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- 91% of Southwest Florida
residents want the needs of both wildlife and people to drive decisions
pertaining to the region's growth, according to an Audubon of Florida
survey released today.
The first-of-its-kind survey offers fresh insight into how important
Southwest Floridians view the natural environment and the role it plays in
their quality of life, as well as the impact of growth and development on
the iconic wood stork and other threatened wildlife. The survey covered the
Ft. Myers/Naples area where residents provided their insights on quality of
life, the natural environment and growth.
"This proves that most people who live here in Southwest Florida
believe that we need to balance growth with protections for water, woods
and wildlife. They realize the wood stork is an indicator of the health of
the wetlands that store our water and keep it clean. Protecting the stork
habitat also protects our water and woods, and as the survey shows, that
combined with better growth management is essential to our quality of
life," said Brad Cornell.
Some key findings from the survey:
-- 91% of Southwest Florida residents overwhelmingly agree the needs of
not only people, but also wildlife must be the arbiters of growth and
development decisions.
-- 89% believe a combination of both growth restrictions and greater
requirements on new development can help protect the wood stork and
other threatened wildlife
-- 76% of residents consider the natural environment very important to
their quality of life
-- 67% believe the natural environment in Southwest Florida is
deteriorating
-- 68% of residents say they have heard of the wood stork, and awareness
of the bird increases as income increases
-- Two out of three residents believe Southwest Florida is growing too
fast, which is a greater percentage than other parts of Florida where
growth is higher
"The research shows that wildlife, clean water and open spaces are very
important to the people who live here, which is why they are so sensitive
to anything that unnecessarily threatens the environment," said Cornell.
Methodology
Four hundred residents of the Ft. Myers/Naples area were interviewed by
telephone in a random sample gathered February 27 through March 4, 2008
with a margin of error +/- 4.9 with a 95% confidence level.
About Audubon of Florida
Audubon protects wood storks and their natural wetland habitat at the
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and in the greater Everglades system. In addition
to advocacy and sanctuary management, Audubon of Florida works closely on
local conservation issues with leaders from the Collier County Audubon
Society and 42 other Audubon Chapters statewide. Audubon calls on residents
and visitors to visit Corkscrew Swamp and join Audubon in calling for
tougher protections for Southwest Florida's wetlands by visiting
http://www.saveourswamp.org .
SOURCE Audubon of Florida
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Related links:
http://www.saveourswamp.org
CONTACT:
Brad Cornell, Big Cypress Ecosystem Policy
Associate, +1-239-280-6278; or David Cookson, Cookson Research
Consulting, +1-407-644-0260 ext. 1
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