Lee County eyes 600 acres for conservation

Lee County's 20/20 Conservation program may be back in the land-buying business, as county commissioners eye the possible purchase of more than 600 acres on sites in Sanibel, near Corkscrew Road in Estero and along the Caloosahatchee in the Olga/Alva area.

County commissioners have authorized staff members to get appraisals to begin work to acquire three sites, including having a professional appraiser set a value from which the county can begin negotiating for the property or by negotiated purchase.

The parcels under consideration include:

• 579 acres between Corkscrew Road and the Corkscrew Swamp, within the Estero census-designated area, but not part of the incorporated village.
• 96 acres in Olga including more than 500 feet of Caloosahatchee riverfront
• 8.3 acres on Sanibel, in the midst of other conservation and public lands on Wulfert Road north of Sanibel-Captiva Road.

The acquisition of the 96-acre site on the Caloosahatchee drew the most public support at the Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday. Neighbors from Olga and Alva urged commissioners to authorize the hiring of an appraiser to get the work started toward buying the site.