A big crowd turned out demanding answers from supervisors about invasive species in wetlands in the district.
CDD 1 residents packed a town hall meeting Thursday evening at La Hacienda Recreation Center where the issue of invasive species was the hot topic.
The removal of invasive species could be potentially very expensive. That fact divided the audience, with some worried about the environmental impact and others more concerned with the potential costs of addressing the situation.
Residents took to the microphone trying to zero in on a bottom line, but CDD 1 officials said that it’s too early to tell. A $100,000 figure discussed in previous CDD 1 meetings was refuted by CDD 1 supervisors and District personnel.
CDD 1 Supervisor Kathy Porter, a Sumter County master gardener, deftly handled many of the questions regarding the threat of the invasive species.
“We already own the preserve,” she said. “Do we want to take action before it gets out of control?”
She encouraged residents to be educated on the issue and stay involved in the process.
“The purpose of this meeting is to get you involved,” she said.
Many residents stepped to the microphone to describe what they have seen occurring in the wetlands.
Jean Allen of the Village of Rio Ponderosa remembered a time when there was enough water that she could see an alligator swimming.
“Now all I see is a wall of weeds,” she said.
Mary Corell bought her lot in 1997 in the Village of De La Vista North.
“We loved it. It was totally open. We loved the birds and the wildlife,” she said.
Corell remembered a time when she would take out her binoculars and spot herons, egrets and wood storks.
“Now they are disappearing,” she said
And she loved the the sound of the frogs.
“We don’t’ hear the frogs or just a fraction of what we used to hear,” she said.
CDD 1 Chairman Ellen Cora said there are no definitive answers at this point. She encouraged residents to get involved and attend CDD 1 meetings.
Villages Homeowners Association representative Joan Testa urged residents to put their trust in CDD 1 supervisors and District staff.
“They are in there fighting for us,” Testa said.
