Residents Invited To Help Save Slice Of Paradise In Tarpon Springs

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — To help save the vanishing wilderness in Florida’s most densely populated county, the West Klosterman Preservation Group will host a fundraiser Thursday in Dunedin.

The public is invited to join grassroots organizers, neighbors, friends, concerned citizens and VIPs to attend the event. All are dedicated to helping save “slices of paradise” starting with the West Klosterman Preserve and growing from there to other parts of Pinellas County.

The Jimmy Buffett-themed benefit for the West Klosterman Preservation Group will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Sea Sea Riders Restaurant, 221 Main St. in Dunedin. Dress is Florida festive cocktail.

Guests are invited for a fun night of tropical celebration. People can enjoy music by Roger Bartlett (Jimmy Buffett’s original guitarist from his Coral Reefer Band) and keyboard artist Robin Swenson (best known for his work with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons).

There will be food by Sea Sea Riders, beverages, a cash bar and a silent auction.

The ticket price of $50 per person includes music, food and a drink ticket. All proceeds go to the identification and preservation of slices of paradise in the Pinellas County area. Tickets are available here.

An organization of concerned citizens, the WK Preservation Group is close to succeeding in saving 14 acres of pristine and ecologically important land from becoming a condominium development.

Environmental scientists have toured the property and documented more than 60 species of plants and wildlife, including gopher tortoises, flying squirrels, osprey and eagles, wood storks, an ancient and endangered Florida rosemary, giant air plants, longleaf pine and many others.

Flaked chert is a common find and evidence of ancient native living areas. The preserve is coastal upland adjacent to the 76-acre Mariner’s Point Management Area, an environmental lowland preservation area owned by Pinellas County and has functioned as one ecosystem with the MPMA for over 100 years.

Success in saving the preserve will lead to:

• Protection of rare, threatened and endangered wildlife.
• Promoting groundwater recharge and improving surface water quality.
• Avoiding increased stress on overcrowded roads and infrastructure.
• Preserving irreplaceable land for generations.

Saving the preserve will also enable the group to continue to identify and work with county and state authorities on future conservation projects.

The Pinellas County School District purchased the West Klosterman land from the Diocese of St. Petersburg in 1996 with an eye toward building a school or other educational facility. After determining the property was not needed, the school board voted to put the land up for sale.

A developer expressed interest, and the school board agreed to sell the land to the developer for $3.3 million. A nearby resident noticed people gathered at the property’s gate in January 2020 and learned of the agreement.

This discovery led to the formation of the WK Preservation Group as a 501(c)(3) charity that has led a campaign to save the West Klosterman Preserve for over two years. In that time, WKPG has united over 1,000 supporters and donors to commit to saving the preserve, and then to identify more conservation opportunities for future campaigns. WK Preservation Group website can be found here.

To donate to the effort, people can visit the Pinellas Community Foundation’s West Klosterman Preserve Fund website.