WK Preservation Group Steadfast Toward Environmental Stewardship Goal With $1.5 Million From Pinellas County

WK Preservation Group (WKPG) has reached a landmark milestone in its effort to save the West Klosterman Preserve, home to many of Florida’s native plants and wildlife, from development and preserve it for future generations.

After more than three years of fundraising and thousands of volunteer hours, WK Preservation Group (WKPG) has reached a landmark milestone in its effort to save the West Klosterman Preserve from development and sustain its ecological importance for generations to come.

On Aug. 15, Pinellas County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution directing the County Administrator to negotiate the purchase of the West Klosterman Preserve from its current owner, Pinellas County Schools, in partnership with WKPG. The County has committed $1.5 million of Penny for Pinellas funds toward the $3 million required to purchase the 14-acre tract on West Klosterman Road west of Carlton Road in Tarpon Springs.

WKPG will match the County’s commitment with $1.5 million donated by private citizens and organizations passionate about preserving environmental treasures. WKPG has already raised more than $750,000 for its contribution and is reinvigorating the fundraising for the outstanding funds with a $35,000 matching-gift campaign initiated by longtime supporter Sally McConnell to reach its $1.5 million share.

History of What’s at Stake

The West Klosterman Preserve is adjacent to the 76-acre Mariner’s Point Management Area (MPMA), an environmental preservation area already owned by Pinellas County. Together, they comprise a 90-acre ecosystem.

Environmental and archeological scientists have toured the property and documented shaped chert flakes (evidence of ancient Native American settlements) and more than 60 species of native plants, trees, and wildlife. These include an endangered Florida rosemary scrub plant, longleaf pines, gopher tortoises, and wood storks.

Kay Carter and her husband, Tex, are among the founding members of WK Preservation Group, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to conserving the land.

“It’s a unique piece of property. To allow it to be destroyed is unthinkable — once you’ve cleared it, that’s it,” Kay explains. “It’s not like you can decide 10 years from now, ‘Oops, we should have saved it.’ If you decide, ‘Oh, now, we want to plant trees there because it’s an upland site that flows naturally into the MPMA lowland preserve,’ it’s like starting over. So, anything you save today on this property is going to preserve the MPMA, because water sheds right down to it. [The Preserve] is a natural extension to [that area].”

Kay explains that Pinellas County Schools (PCS) purchased the West Klosterman land from the Diocese of St. Petersburg in 1996, intending to build a school or other educational facility. After determining the property was flood-prone, the school board voted to put the land on the market at the end of 2019. By January 2020, the school board accepted the highest bid of $3.35 million from a development group. However, they never finalized the contract.

In February 2020, a resident with direct sight of the preserve witnessed people gathered at its gate. He spoke to them and learned of the pending sale. The alarmed resident gathered a core group of like-minded neighbors through social media. One concerned citizen turned into many, with the Carters and others in the area quickly forming the WK Preservation Group Inc. Through its campaign, #SavetheWKP, the organization caught the attention of PCS and later established an agreement to purchase the preserve for $3 million and donate it to Pinellas County. PCS is committed to the vision of the preserve and will put the $3 million to work in educational facilities, a benefit for all in the community.

After acquisition, the land will be managed as a preserve in perpetuity, effectively doubling upland habitat for rare and endangered species, increasing the natural drainage system, and enhancing ecological stability. Together, the West Klosterman Preserve and the MPMA would create a significant, ecologically diverse oasis, including sandhill uplands, ancient natural forest, freshwater marshland, and estuarine wetlands bordering the Gulf of Mexico. If WK Preservation Group reaches its goal, “it’s a win-win for the community,” Tex says. “Not only will we be preserving something irreplaceable, but the money generated from the sale of the property will also be going back to support the educational needs of nearly 100,000 students in the Pinellas County school system.”

Partnerships Toward Transformation

Since 1969, Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF) has served the community through collaborations with nonprofits addressing the county’s greatest needs. WKPG partnered with PCF after witnessing the instrumental role PCF played in securing the purchase of the 44-acre Gladys Douglas Hackworth Property in Dunedin and saving it from development. “That relationship with the Pinellas Community Foundation has been extremely important because, being a new nonprofit, we don’t have a history in the community,” Kay says. The backing and mentorship provided by PCF bolstered WK Preservation Group’s reputation and legitimized the group as it organized in the community.

Pinellas Community Foundation’s partnership with WKPG broadens PCF’s commitment to environmental and conservation causes, strengthening its ecological impact by combining WKPG’s passion for preserving natural habitat in Pinellas County with PCF’s philanthropic expertise, charitable gift planning resources, and wise counsel. WKPG also has the full support of local chapters of the Florida Native Plant Society, Suncoast Sierra Club, Clearwater Audubon Society, and other environmental organizations.

The West Klosterman Preserve demonstrates the strength of real people uniting to achieve a worthwhile goal and gaining support from citizens, nonprofit organizations, and governments. Efforts in 2022 to save the land through state legislative means were unsuccessful. However, now that Pinellas County has decided to join the preservation effort, WKPG expects its $1.5 million commitment will inspire new donors for the project. The organization has received a $250,000 closing gift from the Efroymson Family Foundation, a $200,000 gift from the Sjouwerman family, and grants, gifts, and commitments from the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, the Suncoast Sierra Club, the Clearwater Audubon Society, and many individual donations through its website. Collectively, these bring the effort to about 75% of its goal.

With the County’s contribution, WKPG will still need to raise about $750,000 more from donors to meet the $3 million requirement. One of the preserve’s enthusiastic and continuing supporters, Sally McConnell, has agreed to match contributions to the West Klosterman Preserve up to $35,000 through Oct. 31, and WKPG is actively soliciting support from other generous donors.

While focused on the future of these 14 acres in Tarpon Springs, WKPG is also thinking beyond this project and looking for other green spaces to conserve. “Pinellas County is so densely populated,” Tex says, “any land that we can save is important.”