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TO: James E. Chandler County Administrator DEP TMENT BEAD CONCURRENCE: ober M.esti g, P Community Deve pmt Director FROM: Roland M. DeBlois,r-AdCP Chief, Environmental Planning DATE: September 25, 1995 RE: Request for Board Approval of Herb Kale (Memorial) Nature Trail at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area It is requested that the data herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting on October 3, 1995. DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS The +298 acre Oslo. Riverfront Conservation Area, consisting of coastal hardwood hammock and estuarine wetlands, was jointly acquired by the County and St. Johns River Water Management District in 1991 for conservation purposes. Over the past year, permitting, engineering and design of public access/passive recreation site improvements has been conducted and is nearing completion. More recently, the County has received approval of a FIND cost -share grant for "Phase II" construction of improvements in Fiscal Year 1995-96. These improvements, as set forth in the approved management plan, include limited parking, nature trails, boardwalks, and an observation platform. Earlier this month, the County received a proposal sponsored by the Pelican Island Audubon Society (PIAS) and the Eugenia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FLAPS), requesting that the County name the nature trail at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area the "Herb Kale Nature Trail", in honor of Dr. Herbert W. Kale II, recently deceased. This agenda item is presented for the Board to consider the memorial trail request. VX f�"IT_*cl As explained in the attached letters of endorsement, Dr. Kale was a member of the Florida Audubon Society for 20 years, where he held the position of Vice President of Ornithology. Prior to that time, he lived and worked in Indian River County and was a staff scientist at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) for over ten years. In his work at the FMEL, Dr. Kale engaged in research on the upland and wetland areas that comprise the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area. John Kale notes in a letter (attached) that his father wrote to the County Commission 20 years ago (in 1975), urging protection of the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area property for ecological reasons. Consistency with Management Plan The proposed memorial trail is consistent with management plan approved by the Board and the St. Johi Management District. In fact, the dedication of th serve the plan's intent to promote alternatives to County management costs by encouraging volunteerism funding. As proposed, the PIAS would take the lead trail markers, a memorial plaque, and in assisting maintenance of the trail. the property is River Water e trail would out-of-pocket and alternate in providing in long term OCTOBER 3, 1995 13 BOOK 96 PAGE 262