Gopher Tortoise in Sandy Ridge Sanctuary in Coral Springs {Photo by Roy Gold}
Former Coral Springs Mayor Roy Gold will host groups of residents and guests on his monthly nature tour of Sandy Ridge Sanctuary on Saturday, May 2.
The 9 a.m. tour includes a trek through the 38-acre park, during which Gold will lead participants in exploring the land he helped preserve in the 1990s.
Located at 8501 NW 40th Street, the park features a winding trail that offers glimpses of a large bog and a man-made lake stocked with fish, created by the city.
Gold and the City of Coral Springs Parks and Recreation Department offer guided tours of Sandy Ridge Sanctuary on the first Saturday of every month at 9:00 a.m. The tours typically last 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the group’s interests, age, and ability.
An essential part of Coral Springs’s history, Sandy Ridge Sanctuary is a haven for gopher tortoises and other native Florida species. The sanctuary is a state-registered gopher tortoise preserve with specific rules, restrictions, and maintenance requirements.
Over the years, the city has relocated several tortoises to the park when their natural habitats were destroyed during development. The sanctuary also hosts various plant species, including Florida Slash Pines, Oaks, and Bald Cypress.
Seeing how fast the city was being developed gave Gold an idea he brought to the public around 1994. Following a citizen-driven initiative, the city created a $7.5 million environmentally sensitive land bond issue to purchase some of the remaining forested lands within the city limits.
An additional $2.5 million in state grant funding brought the total to $10 million. It allowed the city to purchase four parks: Red Lichen Sanctuary, Pine Flats Preserve, Cypress Gateway, and Sandy Ridge Sanctuary.
Before the 1994 bond issue was passed, the land was scheduled to be developed into 195 zero-lot homes. The landowner, Charlie Bosco, was an orchid producer who invented the idea of wearing orchids as wrist corsages.
For those interested in volunteering or booking a tour, contact Louis Goldstein at 954-345-2112.
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