Although local planning standards called for 2,330 acres, the fastest-growing county in the Sunshine State of Florida had only 254 acres of useable park land. Until . . . November 4, 1986, when Pasco County (north of Tampa) voted to finance acquisition, design, construction and improvement of the Pasco County Park System. The referendum also supported environmental preservation.

A Florida Registered Landscape Architect led Dames & Moore, Inc.'s multidisciplined design team through the four-year development of a new county-wide park system. Although Landscape Architects were responsible for design, layout and special permitting of boardwalks, observation towers, boat launches, active recreation facilities, parking, and site grading for a dozen multidimensional parks, they also helped procure several grants to augment funding.

Local leaders and the general public were invited to "roll up their sleeves" at bi-weekly charette-style meetings with the Project Manager, Parks and Recreation Department Director, County Commissioners, and local water management district staff. By involving the community in essential design decisions, three beachfront parks, three nature preserve regional parks, four community active recreational parks, and two neighborhood recreation parks were designed to suit citizens' regional environmental concerns and specific recreation needs for multiple sport and swimming facilities within easy pedestrian access to neighborhoods and schools.

During renovation design of 5-acre Hudson Beach Park, one of Pasco County's first beachfront parks, the design team architect Fleishman Garcia Architects, introduced a style reminiscent of the early "Florida Cracker"-with rustic wood exterior, open porches, and metal roofs-as a common architectural motif for picnic shelters, restrooms, and structures at all twelve parks.

Design of the beachfront parks-all located on the Gulf coast-required the Landscape Architects to work closely with State environmental regulatory agencies to place boardwalks through the mangroves. Situated on a 45-acre island key-predominantly a black-mangrove salt marsh with significant migratory and resident bird populations-Green Key Park is designed primarily as a small passive activity area with bird viewing along an environmentally sensitive board-walk trail, wade fishing, a playground in a beach sand area, and picnicking. Anclote Park, 10-acres located on a bluff overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, features a 200-foot fishing pier.

As Southwest Florida Water Manage-ment District watersheds and habitat for a variety of environmental communities, the regional nature preserve parks-113 acres on Crews Lake, 64 acres along the Pithlachascottee River, and 500 acres along the Withlacoochee River-preserve wilderness resources. Boardwalks, canoe trails, nature trails, and observation towers allow park visitors a better understanding of these fragile ecosystems while protecting and preserving wildlife corridors, unique vegetative communities, and water resources. LASN