klosterman preserve

Saving the West Klosterman Preserve

Our group has undertaken the mission to SAVE FROM DEVELOPMENT and to preserve a beautiful, natural, untouched 14 acres of land in Tarpon Springs that is teeming with native animals and plant life, including some endangered species. These 14 acres are adjacent to the 76-acre Mariner’s Point Management Area (MPMA), an environmental preservation area owned by Pinellas County.

Pinellas County Schools owns this property, and has agreed with WKPG and Pinellas County that the land should become a preserve.  But PCS also needs to raise money for their school facilities, and needs to receive at least $3M in value for this property to spend on school facilities.  WKPG has agreed with PCS to raise the money required, and are cooperating with Pinellas County to raise money and obtain matching funds from the County. It is the plan that Pinellas County would own and operate the West Klosterman Preserve.  Pinellas County has appropriated $1.5 million for the project. WKPG has raised $2,820,000 and is campaigning to raise the remaining $180,000 to match with the County’s contribution to make the final goal and acquire the West Klosterman Preserve.

The Future for You and the WK Preservation Group

You can be proud to be a part of the team working to save the West Klosterman Preserve and other important slices of paradise in Pinellas County. Thank you for your support and contributions.  Thanks also to the many partners and people who have come alongside as we pursue the vision of preserving natural habitat sites in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area.

The West Klosterman Preserve demonstrates the strength of real people uniting to achieve a worthwhile goal and gaining support from organizations and government by working with them constructively and respectfully.

The WK Preservation Group expects to continue with our preservation mission and will be announcing our next project as we draw closer to success on the West Klosterman Preserve.   We look forward to working with you to continue to identify and preserve natural habitat projects for our community and the people and living things that make their homes there.

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In The News

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Dec. 2, 2024, TARPON SPRINGS, FL – After nearly five years, WK Preservation Group (WKPG) has reached a critical point in its quest to save the West Klosterman Preserve, 14 wild acres on W. Klosterman Road, from development.

MAIN POINTS:

  • On Nov. 20, the sales agreement was finalized between the land’s owner, Pinellas County Schools, and the buyer, Pinellas County. The sales agreement incorporates a gift agreement between WKPG and Pinellas County that provides the county with $1.5 million toward the property’s $3 million purchase price and sets a due diligence period and a final closing date of April 2025 for the sale.
    This gift agreement has a deadline of Dec. 10, for WKPG to raise the $1.5 million gift amount and have it ready by the closing of the sale.  
  • The gift agreement provides that WKPG and its funding partner, Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF), will consolidate all money raised and call in pledges made over the years to preserve the land intact. 
  • WKPG and PCF leaders are now contacting supporters who have made financial pledges toward saving the preserve and are already receiving their pledges in time to meet the Dec.10 target.

“We’ve done what we need to do,” said Kay Carter, founding member and chief operations officer of the WKPG board of directors. “The county will ask for the money when it’s ready to close next year and we’re confident we will have it available.”

Pinellas County School Board Chairperson Laura Hine signed the sales agreement on behalf of the school board on July 16. Barry Burton, Pinellas County administrator, signed it Nov. 20 on behalf of the county. 

“We want all pledges to close out by Dec. 10, as stipulated in our gift agreement with the County,” emphasized Tex Carter, WKPG founding member and president of the WKPG board of directors. “Although the closing date is early next year, WKPG will hold the money and transfer it to the county when it is time for the final closing.”  

For charitable contributions, donors who are looking for tax benefits will have already earned their benefit when they make their contribution to WKPG.   

As long as the process goes smoothly and all of the funding requirements of the gift agreement are met, WK Preservation Group and the people who have supported the WK Preserve campaign can take pride in how they have worked to save the West Klosterman Preserve. 

“Almost five years ago, a group of Pinellas County residents decided that it was important to prevent the rapid disappearance of the small slices of paradise still remaining in Pinellas County,” said Carter. “They have worked over the years to build a partnership with Pinellas County and Pinellas County Schools. Today, this partnership includes the county, the school board and WKPG with almost 2,000 citizens who have donated, working to ensure that one of the slices of paradise is saved, and that future preservation efforts can succeed in the same way as the West Klosterman Preserve.”

After completing the West Klosterman project, WKPG will turn its attention to saving other wild parcels in densely populated Pinellas County from development. 

Background 

The West Klosterman property is a preserve in name only. It sits next to the Mariner’s Point Management Area (MPMA), a 76-acre, county-owned preserve. The two properties will be managed by the county as a larger preserve in perpetuity, effectively doubling upland habitat for rare and endangered species such as gopher tortoises, migrating birds and rare plants. It will increase the area’s natural drainage system and prevent an estimated 600 extra daily car trips on narrow, dead-end Klosterman Road. 

WK Preservation Group was formed as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization in early 2020 to save the West Klosterman property from developers who expressed interest in purchasing the long-unused property and building up to 70 multifamily living units on it. The Pinellas School District had purchased the property in the 1990s from the Diocese of St. Petersburg. Plans to put a school on the property never materialized.  

WKPG has joined forces with Pinellas Community Foundation in seeking the large donations that are key to completing acquisition of the Preserve. To learn more and support its cause, visit www.wkpreserve.com.

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Press Release

Tarpon Springs, April 2, 2024 – WK Preservation Group (WKPG) and Pinellas County have signed an agreement to jointly fund acquisition of the 14-acre West Klosterman Preserve from Pinellas County Schools.

The signing by County Administrator Barry Burton on April 2 is the final step in the joint funding process that began last year and which was unanimously approved in August 2023 by the Board of County Commissioners. The county agreed to commit $1.5 million in Penny for Pinellas funds toward the $3 million asking price for the Preserve. WK Preservation Group has a deadline of Sept. 15, 2024, to raise its share. With donations and pledges, the amount left to raise is now $885,000.

“We’ve got a big gap to close, but we’ve done so much, generated strong support, and provided a focus for community involvement in preservation causes. We’ll get there” said WKPG President Tex Carter.

“We are proud to support the park and preserve areas in Pinellas County, so that all of our residents may have easier access to natural spaces and wildlife. The West Klosterman Preserve signifies Pinellas County’s ongoing commitment to protecting our green spaces for the residents of today and tomorrow,” said Kathleen Peters, 2024 county commission chair.

The grassroots nonprofit has been trying to save the environmentally valuable West Klosterman Preserve from destruction since 2020. After two unsuccessful attempts at securing legislative funding in 2022, WKPG volunteers have been actively raising funds through appearances at community events, creating business sponsorships, and conducting tours of the preserve in exchange for donations. Look for future information on upcoming events at www.wkpreserve.com/wkpg-events.

What’s next?

After completing the West Klosterman project, WKPG will turn its attention to saving other wild parcels in densely populated Pinellas County from development. 

The West Klosterman property, located on West Klosterman Road west of Carlton Road, is adjacent to the 76-acre Mariner’s Point Management Area (MPMA), which is already under county management. The county will manage the two properties as a larger preserve, effectively doubling upland habitat for rare and endangered species. It will also increase the area’s natural drainage system and prevent an estimated 600 extra daily car trips on narrow, dead-end Klosterman Road.

How to donate

WKPG has joined forces with Pinellas Community Foundation in seeking the large donations that are key to completing acquisition of the Preserve. To donate, pledge a closing donation, participate in an event or become a WKPG volunteer, visit www.wkpreserve.com or email the Board at info@wkpreserve.com.

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Ann Kelly introduces you to the West Klosterman Preserve Group

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