HOBE SOUND, Fla. — The federally-threatened Florida scrub jay would have been at risk if the golf course proposals would have went through at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
WPTV News anchor Mike Trim spoke with Jim Howe of the Audubon of Martin County and Audubon Florida during protests against the project.
Both Howe and Audubon Florida executive director Julie Wraithmell said Jonathan Dickinson State Park is the southernmost natural habitat for the scrub jay in Florida, with an estimated 130 of the birds residing in the park.
Region Martin County
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With constant development, the bird has already lost its natural habitat in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, confirmed by Wraithmell.
“If we continue to chop these parcels into smaller pieces like was done farther south, the bird's local extinction is almost inevitable,” Howe said.
Howe said the scrub jay doesn’t migrate, and the closest area we find them outside of Martin County is Ocala State Park.
Howe hosts scrub jay walks at the state park for free, with the next one scheduled for Oct. 2 at 9 a.m.
