The Florida Department of Environmental Protection may start cattle grazing in Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County.
Local community members are protesting any such plans.
Opponents to cattle grazing at Myakka obtained a draft document explaining the plan. The file proposes grazing on about 6,600 acres of the park.
DEP head Jon Steverson recently said he wants to cover their own costs.
Environmental activist Jono Miller said cattle grazing at Myakka River State Park is part of a larger effort to bring more commercial and private uses to state parks.
Miller began an online petition opposing to the operation. It currently has about 2,400 signatures.
“The only two purposes that our state parks are supposed to be for: conservation and recreation,” he said. “They’re not supposed to be for extractive industries. We’re not supposed to be setting them up to sell timber or allow people to hunt or take alligator eggs.”
Out of Florida’s roughly 170 parks, 10 have active cattle grazing or timber contracts.
Director of the Florida Park Service Donald Forgione said operations like cattle grazing or timbering are temporary methods used for managing the land.
He said dollars that may come from any cattle grazing are a side benefit.
“We’re not looking for a place to run cows, we’re looking for that tool to help restore the plant community,” he said.
Forgione said it’s still too early to tell if they’ll use any of the land selected in the draft document.
But, if cattle grazing is approved at Myakka River State Park, the process would include opportunities for public input.
Read the draft document here:
