Mariantonia Mejia | Staff Writer
As it stands, there is less than two percent of the already endangered Pine Rocklands remaining in South Florida.
Miami Wilds put this at risk.
For the past 17 years, South Florida residents have been hearing about the plan to build Miami Wilds, a waterpark that would go directly over the free parking lot for Zoo Miami.
As children, this excited us because, likely, we were sick of driving an hour and a half to Rapids if we were looking to slide down a few tobogans.
As adults, we must realize the true danger that construction like this poses to a Pine Rocklands nature preserve adjacent to the parking lot.
This construction would further add to the destruction of the home of native endangered and threatened species like the Florida bonneted bat, Bartram’s hairstreak butterfly, and the gopher tortoise.
For the bonneted bat, who uses the parking lot at nighttime to hunt and echolocate, Miami Wilds can be the termination of species.
Further, construction would put a stop to controlled burns, which help the pines regenerate and enable other grasses and plants to grow. Exposure to chlorine could also cause toxic gas to build over the forest, which creates an unsafe environment for these species.
On Nov. 4 of this year, Zoo Miami’s communications director, Ron Magill, hosted a rally in the zoo’s parking lot, protesting the construction of the aptly put “boondogle.”
FIU’s own chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America was in attendance, with their Vice President, Joselyn Peña, giving a speech to encourage employees of Zoo Miami to organize themselves.
It is important to note that capitalism plays a huge role in matters of destroying the environment, something that Peña was forced to censor in her speech.
The event was funded by a number of corporations, like the Sierra Club, who directly benefit from capitalist structures staying in place.
Collectively, these organizations claim that the issue of environmental conservation is not a political one, and that they don’t want to alienate supporters.
This is odd considering that politicians quite literally are the deciding factor for Miami Wilds to begin construction. Nothing could be more political than that.
“With everything going on with Miami Wilds, it’s just an example of the larger destruction to South Florida ecosystems that is going on in Miami,” says Peña. “All the infrastructure in Miami that contributes to the further habitat loss of these species is extremely vital.”
Luckily, the FIU Nature Preserve gives us a unique perspective on the ecosystem that could potentially be damaged if we allow Miami Wilds to have its way.
In a recent memo from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, she urges county commissioners to revoke the lease on Miami Wilds, stating that they had failed to complete multiple contractual obligations.
This decision is likely influenced by the February lawsuit against the US Department of Interior by multiple conservation groups, in which they succeeded in getting the National Parks Service to admit that they should have conducted an environmental review before giving Miami Wilds any endorsement.
Though there appear to be steps being made towards preventing Miami Wilds from establishing its roots, there is still the possibility that commissioners will take a vote on the amended lease on Dec. 12.
I encourage you to join YDSA in attending this meeting, as there is always power in numbers.
“We need to be connected to the resources that we get from the ecosystem and recognize our place in it, because I don’t think that people should be separated from nature. I don’t believe humans are the problem. Moreso capitalism is the problem. The exploitation of nature,” Peña states.
Florida is home to a number of endangered species, and it is our duty to the vulnerable creatures we share the earth with to do our best to protect them.