THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250469
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
Randi Strutton has visions of inner-city children traveling from the children's museum a few miles up the road, binoculars hanging around their necks, straining to catch sight of a blue heron taking flight from a nearby shoreline.
Could eco-tourism be the next big thing in Portsmouth? It's not such a wild idea for this urban-core city.
Portsmouth has commissioned Strutton and a group of environmentalists and builders to explore turning 142 acres of woodlands, wetlands and a 35-acre man-made lake into a wildlife preserve along Hoffler Creek in Churchland.
Strutton and her River Shore Civic League brought the idea for a refuge to the City Council earlier this year after learning that the Virginia Department of Transportation was selling the land.
The area along the Suffolk line is one of the last natural habitats, including tidal creeks and hardwood and pine forests, left in Portsmouth.
Earlier this year, state officials offered to sell the land to the city for $1 if it were dedicated as a refuge. The city refused the offer.
Mayor Gloria O. Webb said the city preferred to develop the land and thought that the 50-foot-deep lake with no fence surrounding it was a hazard.
Days after the city passed on the offer, the state accepted a $1.5 million bid from a Virginia Beach developer who planned to build a subdivision on the site. When the deal recently fell through, a group of residents who had formed a committee to save the land as a refuge seized a second chance to urge the City Council to act on the state's offer.
The Planning Commission looked at the possibilities and held a public hearing in April. The commission decided that some portion of the land should be designated as open space or a park, said William G. Jones, planning director.
State officials have agreed to hold the land for at least six months while the city decides whether it wants the tract.
Webb said that if the city decides the area should be dedicated to wildlife, she would rather have the state keep the land and turn it into a state refuge with state funds.
A local Hoffler Creek Refuge committee has already begun studying other preserves such as the Pea Island Refuge in North Carolina and the Ivy Creek Natural Area in Charlottesville for ideas.
Pea Island is a national wildlife refuge at the northern tip of Hatteras Island. The refuge has been kept in its natural state except for a few trails and some observation platforms for bird-watching and spotting other wildlife.
The Ivy Creek preserve could be the model for setting one up on Hoffler Creek. The city and the county of Albemarle own the Ivy Creek Natural Area; a private foundation assists in planning, maintaining and operating the natural area. The nonprofit Ivy Creek Foundation has more than 600 contributing members. Volunteers from the foundation also lead guided walks through the preserve.
The Hoffler Creek Refuge committee is developing plans for a private foundation that would form a Hoffler Creek Wildlife Refuge.
That committee hopes to have a loop trail around the lake, with benches and similar observation platforms along the trail.
The area, bordered on three sides by Hoffler Creek and its tributaries, provides a nesting and feeding place for waterfowl and a breeding place for crabs and other sea life that depend on nutrient-rich wetlands.
Strutton, who is on the committee, said the proposed refuge is the perfect place to teach inner-city kids about nature.
``There are probably children in Portsmouth growing up thinking that frogs say `Budweiser,' '' Strutton said referring to the beer commercials featuring frogs. ``They have no idea of life and the life cycle and feeling connected to nature. I think it's part of the education we owe our citizens. Everyone here needs to feel that connection - that community is more than people.''
Strutton said the proposed refuge could be used in conjunction with the Children's Museum of Virginia. She suggested that the city set up shuttle buses between Hoffler Creek and the museum. A guide could give lessons about the refuge and its wildlife during the shuttle ride.
Strutton and her group also want to entice college students to the preserve. They say the refuge could be a teaching tool for the local universities. It's part of a dwindling coastal ecosystem vital to saving the Chesapeake Bay.
The City Council agreed on Monday to assign a committee of experts, environmentalists and Strutton, who will represent citizens.
The experts include: Kenneth A. Dierkens, director of environmental services at Langley and McDonald; John Carlock, director of environmental planning for the Hampton roads Planning District Commission; Walter Priest, wetlands scientist for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary; Lyle Wermers of the Genesis Group in Chesapeake; Jimmy Spruill, chairman of the Portsmouth Planning Commission; and Tom Smith, of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The first meeting will be Friday at 9 a.m. at City Hall. It is not open to the public.
``We're happy right now,'' said John Hardy, president of the River Shore Civic League and a member of the the Hoffler Creek Refuge committee. ``We were so scared a few weeks ago. From when we started this until now, there seemed to be a lack of communication. This seems to be on track now.''
Even though committee members said they would like to see more residents on the panel, they were happy to have all the environmental expertise.
``The environmentalists will see the endangered species and they'll want to save this land,'' said Betty Cornetta, a River Shore resident working for the proposed preserve. ``This particular tract of land is in an area where there are no more sanctuaries. Being a new mom, I want something set aside for my children to see.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff aerial photo BETH BERGMAN
The preserve - or development - from the west.
Color staff map by John Earle
Area shown: Possible Preserve
KEYWORDS: WILDLIFE PRESERVE PORSTMOUTH PROPOSED
by CNB