By: Patrick Riley
A proposed parking garage at Clam Pass Park that Collier County officials say would bolster beachgoers’ access to the county park is ruffling some feathers.
County officials are proposing to build a three-story garage on the popular park’s existing lot on Seagate Drive to double the amount of spaces, from 198 to 396.
More beach access and parking is needed to accommodate the growing number of residents and tourists flocking to Collier’s beaches and to help take pressure off some of the beaches within the city of Naples, said Barry Williams, the county’s parks director.
“The idea is to, again, spread people out more along our coastline,” he said.
But some environmentalists are concerned that more beachgoers at Clam Pass will have negative impacts on black skimmers who use the park to rest and fatten up during the winter months.
Adam DiNuovo, shorebird monitoring and stewardship program manager for Audubon Florida, said the birds, which are listed as a threatened species in Florida, are more numerous at Clam Pass during the winter than almost anywhere.
“Clam Pass has the largest overwintering flock of black skimmers, certainly in Florida, and it’s looking more like in the eastern United States,” he said.
Read more >> https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/environment/2019/04/22/clam-pass-parking-garage-raises-environmental-concerns/3451289002/
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