Saving the Savannas in South Florida

Celebrating Women’s History Month

Carol Herzog’s earliest memory of the area that would later become Savannas Preserve State Park is as a little girl, sitting in a Piper Cub on the hard-packed savanna beach south of Fort Pierce, waiting for her father to spin the propeller while she pulled out the choke to start the plane’s engine.

This was in the late 1930s, the early days of Carol’s lifelong love affair with “The Savannas.” Carol’s parents were nature lovers and the original managers and later proprietors of what would become the Heathcote Botanical Gardens, situated at the north end of St. Lucie County’s south savannas.

Carol grew up with a close relationship with the Real Florida and worked to preserve its natural abundance and beauty all her life. As a young girl, she loved her horse and pet bobcat, turtles and snakes that were all part of the family.

In adulthood, Carol and her husband built a house on the east shore of the savannas in the early 1970s, and her activism to preserve the savannas began in earnest. At that time, the savannas were private, undeveloped marsh and savanna in the midst of rapidly growing residential and commercial developments. Area residents descended on the marsh as a natural playground where they could party and race airboats and off-road vehicles, trampling the landscape and endangering wildlife. Local commercial developers were beginning to illegally dredge and fill with impunity.

Carol took action by becoming involved with local conservation alliances, property holder associations and municipal officials, documenting and making them aware of these destructive and illegal activities. She took local reporters for canoe trips and horseback rides to showcase the beauty and diverse wildlife of the savannas.

As public awareness grew, she worked with other activists to bring the savannas to the attention of Florida officials, who were setting aside funds to acquire environmentally sensitive land that had potential for recreational use. The efforts of the activists were rewarded in 1977 when the state of Florida made an initial purchase of 3,812 acres for $5.1 million and the Savannas Preserve State Park was born.

The state started staffing the park with rangers and law enforcement officials, and the park and wildlife started their comeback. Today, the Savannas Preserve State Park encompasses more than 6,000 acres of the largest remaining remnant of Florida’s historic east coast savannas.

Carol Herzog continues her preservation involvement with the park, working at the native plant garden and aiding with other park activities.