Within the area comprised of Golden Gate Parkway, Naples Airport and Goodlette -Frank Road there is work going on that you may or may not know. The effort is known as The Greenway Project or locally named Naples Central Park. This is a combined effort on the part of local, state and federal officials. You can now see the new 80 acre Freedom Park from Golden Gate Parkway and Goodlette-Frank Road. It is great now but when it's finished it will encompass the Park, The Conservancy and the Gordon River out to Naples Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. There will be a kayak/canoe launching area between the Naples Zoo and The Conservancy for access to the Gordon River. This parking and launch area will have also picnic areas and the Freedom Park, the Zoo and the river will all be interconnected. Perhaps you have seen the new entrance to the Conservancy being worked on this summer on Goodlett-Frank Road. This is part of the weaving of the Zoo and The Conservancy together for public usage of the river.
The Conservancy is also going through major changes both on the buildings they currently have, new ones being built, some being recycled and always with conservation in mind.
The Zoo has a goal to become one of the best in America. It now has a very high ranking nationwide which allowed them to buy certain animals that other zoos only dream about. This wonderful Zoo was in peril of being sold to developers. The Naples Board of Realtors donated $10,000 in 2007 and the citizens of Collier County are assessed a small tax in order for this zoo to excel as it has and stay a local site. If you are a resident of Collier County you are granted free admission on the first Saturday of each month during the summer.
This entire project should be finished by 2014. www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/ is a website you can go to in order to find out about all the Greenway Projects around the state of Florida and this one in particular.
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