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| Students from Jupiter High School inventory aquatic life in the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area. |
The Group has successfully collaborated with other groups in order to help the BLM meet the challenge of maintaining the balance between visitor use and conservation, between public access and preservation of imperiled habitat, and between recreational opportunities and protection of sacred traditions. The Jupiter Working Group’s many partnerships have also built trust between public and private stakeholders.
Other notable accomplishments of the Group include providing more than 65,000 visitors with services, including more than 3,500 guided tours. They have also been involved with exotic species removal and engineering the design for shoreline restoration, expansion of public access to the historic areas, installation of native landscaping and security fencing, burial of electric lines, ADA access ramps, developing an authentic Seminole Teaching Chickee, restoration of the 1920s Keeper’s Workshop, the creation of a public plaza and interpretive deck at the base of the lighthouse, and the preservation and protection of critical scrub habitat.
The maintanance of the JILONA for the enjoyment of future Americans is a priority of students from Jupiter High School. The students have immersed themselves in the scientific lessons the JILONA has to offer—including water quality, aquatic species diverstiy, and other science-based studies. By using the JILONA as an “outdoor classroom,” students have opened the eyes of residents of all ages to the issues surrounding this important sanctuary on Florida’s coast.
This program was nominated for the Interior Department Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Award, which recognizes partnerships that promote conservation, protect natural and cultural resources, use innovative approaches for resource management, and engage youth and diverse entities in accomplishing the Interior Department’s mission.
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