Two unique public workshops scheduled for alternative transportation Study for J.N. “Ding” Darling
Workshops No. 2 and No. 3, two unique interactive public workshops, are scheduled for the ongoing Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands study for J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge have been scheduled.
The first of these will be held on Thursday, April 2, and the next will be held on Thursday, April 16. Both workshops will begin with a formal presentation at 4:30 p.m. at the Sanibel Community House.
These workshops will present different information and different purposes and organizers encourage the public to attend each.
The workshop #1 for this study was held on Jan. 29.
A preliminary alternatives public workshop (workshop #2) will be held at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 2, at the Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL. This workshop will build upon the public opinions expressed and comments collected at the first public workshop as well as comments collected from recent surveys and stakeholder interviews. The workshop is the start of the alternative building process. The workshop will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a formal presentation describing the project efforts to date, followed by a break-out session that asks participants to help identify and develop preliminary alternative transportation scenarios. At the conclusion of the workshop, another presentation will summarize the comments heard during the break-out session and describe the next steps in the study.
A refined alternatives public workshop (workshop #3) will be held at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 16, at the Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL. This workshop will build upon the public opinions expressed and comments collected at the previous two public workshops. The workshop will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a formal presentation describing the project efforts to date, followed by a break-out session that asks participants to rank preliminary alternative transportation scenarios, identifying the scenario(s) that they believe should be refined and studied in detail, so that implementation recommendations can be developed. At the conclusion of the workshop, another presentation will summarize the comments heard during the break-out session and describe the next steps in the study.
As one of the most visited refuges in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service network, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge strives to meet its goal of ecological conservation and wildlife habitat protection while attempting to accommodate increased vehicular and foot traffic generated by visitors to the Refuge and Sanibel Island. This concern is also felt by the City of Sanibel, which is committed to remaining a sanctuary barrier island community. In response to this concern, the Refuge, in partnership with the City of Sanibel and Lee County applied for a grant from the Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) Program in 2006. This program, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is designed to assist national parks and public lands (including wildlife refuges) in managing their visitation, while meeting the primary goal of providing sanctuary habitats for various wildlife. This project evaluates alternative transportation techniques and scenarios for the Refuge and Sanibel/Captiva Islands while continuing to balance human activities with the commitment to preserve and protect natural areas.