Protecting pine rocklands

When I arrived in Miami from Tennessee in 2002, my first lesson was learning about the Urban Development Boundary, established to prevent urban sprawl from further damaging the Everglades.

I marveled how a community could come together behind such a far-reaching and lofty goal.

I was similarly inspired last week, after reading the March 7 article To stop Walmart plans, Dade seeks to buy rare forest, thereby protecting the endangered pine rocklands tract. Kudos for this bold initiative. But the University of Miami should also step forward to help rectify this mess. Its reputation has been deeply tarnished.

I thank County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Commissioner Dennis Moss for this great leadership.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Protecting pine rocklands."