The document discusses three perspectives - a land developer, Florida's tourist board, and environmentalists - on how to balance urbanization and Florida panther protection. The land developer argues their planned community will coexist with wildlife. The tourist board wants to protect Florida's natural attractions that drive tourism. Environmentalists primarily want to safeguard the panther population from losing habitat to development. There needs to be a common boundary where urbanization occurs away from protected panther lands to satisfy all perspectives.

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Leanna Gardner E
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ENC 1102 Composition II- CRN 81433 S
November 7, 2012

2. Overall message:
How can the state of Florida balance the
reality of urbanization with the need to
protect the Florida panther?

3. Purpose
 A large developer in Collier County has planned to
construct a community that will be a sustainable one as
well as preserving the rural quality of the area.
However, the Tourist Board and Environmentalist are
also included on this plan in different ways.

4. What is a
―Sustainable Community‖?
Definition How can this be
 A sustainable community achieved?
is one that is
economically, environment  Active, organized, and
ally, and socially healthy informed citizenship.
and resilient.
 A sustainable community
 Inspiring, effective, and
manages its responsive leadership.
human, natural, and  Responsible, caring, and
financial resources to meet
current needs while healthy community
ensuring that adequate institutions, services, an
resources are equitably d businesses.
available for future
generations.

5. The Florida Panther
Why is the Florida Why should the Florida
Panther endangered? Panther be protected?
 Habitat Loss – Construction
reduces available habitat  Today, there are less
important to territorial than 100 Florida
panthers.
Panthers in the wild.
 Human-Wildlife Conflicts –
Florida panthers cross roads  As recent as the early
and highways and are hit by
cars. 1990s, only about 30
 Low Genetic Diversity Florida panthers existed.
 Pollution – Mercury  Although the numbers
 Disease – Feline leukemia have risen due to
 Fear – A misunderstanding of recovery programs, the
the dangers posed by Florida Florida panther is still
panthers prevents
reintroductions to new areas. critically endangered.

6.  Although urban development is good for Florida’s
economy, Southwest Florida must find ways to develop
sustainable communities that will protect the habitat of
the Florida Panther.

7. At a Glance:
The Land Developer’s Perspective
 In the perspective of the Land Developer, the community
that will be built will not pose as a threat, but more of
an opportunistic idea where humans and animals can co-
habitat without disputes.
 The Rural Lands Stewardship Program, created in
2002, was founded on the principle of preventing urban
sprawl and protect lands by transferring development to
environmentally suitable areas. (www.conservancy.org)

8. Reasons to support the proposed
town in Collier County
 Building an urban city brings about more beneficial
factors than harmful ones. Urbanization can be closely
associated with higher incomes, improved health, higher
literacy, and an improved quality of life. The
environment will not be harmed in the process, as there
are boundaries as to where the town will be built.
(www.whyarticles.com)
 With the demands for economic growth, there are also
breakthroughs where natural resources are preserved.
Strategies are created to ensure the protection of
resources and neighboring lands. Opportunities to save
wildlife is important, and that is why supporting the new
town would mean granting time in preserving them.
(www.wri.org)

9. At a Glance:
The Florida Tourist Board’s Perspective
 The Florida Tourist Board looks at the state of Florida as
a tourist attraction, due to its weather and its unique
rural features, including its large bodies of water and
land. Florida’s landmarks and beauty is a main priority to
jumpstart its economy.

10. Reasons to support the proposed
town to increase tourism
 Tourism is one of the most important factors for
accelerating Florida’s economy. Roughly forty million
people visit Florida annually, which is one of the biggest
reasons why tourism is a great source of income for the
state. (fcit.usf.edu)
 With tourism, national parks attract nature lovers;
thereby giving a meaning to the environment as a
precious factor to Florida’s tourism. (fcit.usf.edu)

11. At a Glance:
The Environmentalist’s Perspective
 The primary concern is of the well-being of the Florida
panther. By enforcing and creating more towns, it will
invade the panther’s habitat. In the act of developing
this town, the panther population will surely shrink.

12. Describing the Environmentalist View
 Before the souring skyscrapers and numerous strip
malls, there was land that home to hundreds, if not
thousands, of animals. They were protected in their
habitats and never had to worry about human
interference on their sanctuary. However, through the
progressive decades, urbanization has taken over what
was originally owned by countless animals, including the
Florida panthers. When urbanization increases, the
surrounding environment becomes overwhelmed with
pollution and noise—one in which an animal cannot live
peacefully. To sum up, animals should be left to dwell in
their habitats without the threats of urbanization.

13. Reasons to go against the new
town
 Instead of investing in a new town that will do nothing for
distinguished endangered species, there should be more
proactive measures in creating larger areas for wildlife to
live. Petitions are done for this purpose, and until
businesses can come to that realization, urbanization should
be postponed. (www.biologicaldiversity.org)
 Preserving wilderness protects the quality of soil, water, and
air that every species depend on for life. If the Florida
panther is rescued, several plants and animals will also be
rescued and preserved additionally. (panthersociety.org)
 There are simply too many panthers for a smaller territory
range. Panthers can easily get killed from going through
traffic. With the increase of roads, panthers can easily cross
boundaries and be killed on impact.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD5xE39Szis&feature
=youtu.be)

14. Common Ground
 The belief system between all three perspectives are
fairly similar, although strikingly different. We can come
to an agreement that once nature interferes with
urbanization, there is a problem! To decrease potential
law suits, there must be an understanding between
these three parties to not cross the lines.
 As long as the well-being of the animals are not
disturbed, then touring and the rise of cities will not be a
problem.

15. Conclusion
For this conflict to be
resolved, there needs to be
a common ground that can
be agreed upon among all
three parties. For the Land
Developer and the Tourist
Board to be in agreement
with the Environmentalist,
there must be a boundary
where the Florida Panther
and its lands are protected
and untouched, while
urbanization still flourishes.
As long as tourists and
people of the community
create a space that is
sustainable for surrounding
wildlife, there will always
be common ground. Once
that boundary is crossed,
these parties will continue
to differ in views.

16. Scenarios/ Alternate Solutions
 If the Land Developer
wanted to expand the new
 If a Florida Panther was town, would it pose as a
spotted at a tourist problem to the other
attraction or in Collier parties?
County, how would The
Florida Tourist Board or If the Land Developer feels
Land Developer come to the need to expand its
an agreement with territory, then the Tourist
Environmentalists? Board may feel the need to
do the same.
They would have to report Urbanization, although it is
the presence of the animal beneficial, can cause
first, and create a larger problems with
boundary that would serve to Environmentalists that would
protect the animal and the quickly discard the notion. As
people surrounding where it long as the new land has no
was spotted. impact on neighboring
wildlife, then an agreement
could be made.

17. Works Cited
 "15 Florida Panthers Killed! - YouTube." YouTube. 1 Sept. 2007. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
 ―Cities And The Environment | World Resources Institute.‖ World Resources Institute
| Global Warming, Climate Change, Ecosystems, Sustainable Markets, Good
Governance & the Environment. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
 ―Lawsuit to Be Filed Over Delay in Protecting Florida Panther Habitat.‖ Center for
Biological Diversity. 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
 ―Rural Lands Stewardship Area (RLSA) - Conservancy of Southwest Florida.‖
Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
 "Tourism in Florida." Exploring Florida. University of South Florida. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
 "Urbanization It's Causes, Effects and Benefits." whyarticles.com. Natural
Geographic, 1 July 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.