On Saturday May 4th, the County broke ground for the future Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center. The groundbreaking ceremony was a tribute to the area's early pioneers and included many activities in addition to the traditional turning of the earth. The group, Gypsy Wind, delighted the audience with Florida folk music and visitors had the opportunity to meet up close several species of animals representative of those that inhabit the Preserve. Beautiful exhibits with artifacts belonging to two of the major past users of the Preserve lands, Native Americans and ranchers, intrigued everyone with a side of the Preserve that few know. Typical food, which included cornbread, grits, watermelon, cracker bread, homemade jellies and sweet tea was served from tables artfully decorated with plants from the Preserve. The Preserve staff, dressed in pioneer costumes borrowed from Heritage Village, mixed with the public answering questions and giving tidbits about things to come when the Center opens.
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The guests of honor were members of the private and public sectors, and represented the support the Preserve has earned over the years. Commission Chairman Barbara Sheen Todd made the opening remarks of the official ceremony and stressed the importance of preserving both the natural and the cultural heritage of the County. Her remarks were followed by those of Ronnie Duncan, chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Board, who reminded attendees of the importance of this Preserve as a water storage and purification area. Ken Rowe, president of the Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve, renewed the commitment of this organization to support the County in its efforts to protect and manage the Preserve. The last speaker was Sylvia Garcia, daughter of local rancher and pioneer Al Boyd. Ms. Garcia read an excerpt from Patrick Smith's book, A Land Remembered, a masterful description of an encounter between Florida pioneers herding wild cattle through central Florida's swamps and a massive swarm of mosquitoes. The passage puts in perspective the minor mosquito nuisance that we may experience today as compared to the major effects that mosquitoes had in the lives of early Floridians.
Antique farm tools were used for the symbolic turning of earth by Susan Latvala, Barbara Sheen Todd and Kenneth Welch, County Commissioners; Jerry Beverland and Beverly Biliris, mayors of the cities of Oldsmar and Tarpon Springs, respectively; Ken Rowe, president of the Friends of Brooker Creek; Jake Stowers, Assistant County Administrator; Ronnie Duncan, Chairman of the Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District; and Sylvia Garcia, daughter of pioneer Al Boyd.
