Audubon and the Florida Park Service celebrated the ribbon cutting for a new bunkhouse at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park on May 15.

Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida, said Audubon has a long connection with Okeechobee County.

Marvin Chandler was the first Audubon warden in Okeechobee County in 1936.

“Back in the day, they were protecting birds from poachers,” she explained. Marvin’s nephews succeeded him as wardens. In the 1970s, Audubon warden Rod Chandler told  Audubon: "my family and I have been patrolling Lake Okeechobee and these prairies for many years trying to protect the birds. Now the prairies themselves are being destroyed. If anyone is going to save prairies, maybe Audubon should." In 1980, Audubon purchased the Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary.

In 1995 when a huge ranch adjacent to the Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary was available for sale, Audubon spearheaded a campaign to convince the state to purchase the property. In 1997, the dream of preserving the prairie was realized with the establishment of the 54,000-acre park.

Wraithmell said Audubon sold their land to the state. Part of that money was put into a trust to fund Grasshopper Sparrow conservation.  

“Conservation doesn’t do itself. It takes people to get that done,” she explained. While some might question why Audubon would invest in a building, “we are investing in the people who protect this place.”

The bunkhouse will be used by sparrow techs, crews conducting controlled burns and AmeriCorps workers.

Robert Yero, Florida Park Service District 3 Bureau Chief said Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is one of 175 award-winning state parks. He said the prairie is a unique environment. The remote site means housing is a challenge for visiting workers.

“I can’t wait to see the difference the bunkhouse makes for sparrow techs and burn crews,” Yero said. This year, controlled burns covered 27,000 acres of the park.

Okeechobee City Councilman Noel Chandler, who was an Audubon warden for 13 years, was on hand for the bunkhouse dedication. He said it was a wonderful thing his father lived to see his dream realized.