Natural Environment
More than 2,200 acres have been set aside in the first two phases of development for lakes, parks, open space conservation and recreational trails.
Wildlife Management Plans have been established, which include habitat for gopher tortoise, scrub jays and burrowing owls, as well as protection zones for other listed species. Conservation areas and community parks are accessed by the recreational trail system.
In 1994, Viera earned the ENVY Award from the Florida Association of Realtors for balancing residential development with the area’s existing natural environment.
Viera
Wilderness Park:
Protecting our Natural Resources
for Generations to Come
Imagine a wilderness
area the size of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Indialantic and
Melbourne Beach combined. Now imagine it just west of Viera’s proposed mixed-use villages and extending westward to the River Lakes Conservation Area, owned and managed by the St. John’s
River Water Management District.
The Viera Company
has just such a picture in mind with its Viera Wilderness Park
which is a part of the proposed West Viera Expansion. Upon completion, this will be an area of 5,112 acres committed to intensive environmental management – buffering
the adjacent conservation area and preserving high-quality upland
and wetland systems in their entirety.
By setting aside
44% of the expansion area, the goal is to assure the long-term
protection and enhancement of Viera’s natural resources.
The proposed natural
resource management area will serve as a habitat for a variety
of federal and state protected animal species, including the
American bald eagle, Audubon’s crested caracara, Florida sandhill crane, the burrowing owl and the gopher tortoise. In
addition, the area will provide for continued agricultural operations,
carefully managed in accordance with a Habitat Management Plan
to maintain and enhance habitat vital to the caracara and other
protected species.
The Viera Wilderness
Park will be managed by the Viera Stewardship District which
was created by the Florida legislature in 2006 to provide community
infrastructure and ensure the long-term stewardship of environmental
and conservation resources within the West Viera expansion area. Through
environmental stewardship, the Viera Wilderness Park will become
a unique community resource that will be protected for generations
to come.
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