COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Years of storm damage, erosion, and sand movement have changed Tigertail Lagoon and the surrounding areas.
The lagoon is getting shallower, and the area where water flows through is getting narrower.
Friends of Tigertail worried about the lagoon water getting locked in. This would impact the water quality which will have an effect on the wildlife and the people who visit.
President of Friends of Tigertail Linda Colombo is worried about this area’s future. Leaders are proposing a new engineering plan to fix this issue.
“You have to help Mother Nature along, maybe one part of the wildlife might be inconvenienced for a short time, but we need to get it back to where it was,” Colombo said.
Brad Cornell, Environment and Policy associate for Audubon Western Everglades, said nature is ever changing and should not be touched.
“We are playing a little bit of God, and we are not very good at being God so that’s the danger of this task,” Cornell said.
As Tigertail has changed over time Cornell said it’s become home to many different species of birds.
“The area is so unique, so diverse, so huge, its some of the most important beach nesting bird habitats for birds in the spring and summer in the whole state of Florida,” Cornell said.
On Tuesday, Collier County District One Commissioner Rick LoCastro held a meeting about Tigertail where everyone discussed their concerns.
LoCastro said it’s one of many meetings to try to come up with a solution.
“We have to figure something out thats a compromise that can sustain the habitat value and not hurt other values,” Cornell said.
There is still a long process ahead before anything is decided on Tigertail’s future.
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