Letter from Helen M. Hood to Gary I. Sharp (May 21, 1975)

Letter from Helen M. Hood to Gary I. Sharp (May 21, 1975)

Letter from Hood to Sharp (May 21, 1975)

Lake Apopka (Fla.)

Environmental protection--Florida

Parks--Florida

Springs--Florida

A letter from Helen M. Hood, chair of the Parks and Endangered Lands Committee of the Florida Defenders of the Environment (FDE), to Gary I. Sharp, dated May 21, 1975. In this letter, Hood states that the FDE endorsed Sharp's proposal to form a recreational park in the Gourd Neck Springs area. Hood states that the FDE did not consider the area to qualify as endangered land, but agrees with Ney Landrum, director of the Florida Park Service from 1970 to 1989, that the site had potential for recreational use. Hood cites potential future growth in Central Florida as a reason for the site to be acquired for the public.

Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.

Hood, Helen M.

Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from Helen M. Hood to Gary I. Sharp, May 21, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.

1975-05-21

Digital reproduction of photocopied 1-page typewritten letter from Helen M. Hood to Gary I. Sharp, May 21, 1975.

Binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.

Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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1-page typewritten letter on Florida Defenders of the Environment, Inc. letterhead

eng

Text

Gourd Neck Springs, Lake Apopka, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Originally created by Helen M. Hood.

Copyright to this resource is held by the Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

King, Joshua

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