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"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in Water."
-- Loren Esiseley
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Historically, the native Tequestas paddled their dugouts down the river through pristine hammocks and through dense mangroves to reach the productive fishing grounds of Biscayne Bay. Today, the Oleta River flows through Miami-Dade's Greynolds Park complex and the State's Oleta River Recreation Area. This exceptional resource contrasts sharply with the high density residential neighborhoods and business districts that abut the parks. It is the only water course in the country that has not been completely dredged or otherwise altered.
In 1993, four properties along the Oleta River were identifies for acquisition by EEL. No site was pristine: their importance was their connection to the river and nearby parklands. A restaurant and a condominium are now located on two of these sites: two are now in the public domain. On one site, the owners of a 30 acre in holding in Oleta River State Recreation Area planned to build a high-rise condominium on their property.
The property became entangled in a bankruptcy and in the savings and loans misfortunes of the mid '90s. Only then was the State, in partnership with the EEL program, able to acquire the parcel and maintain the watery wilderness within the State Recreation Area.
A smaller three acre riverfront site adjacent to East Greynolds Park was also acquired by EEL with a matching grant from the State's Florida Communities Trust. To restore the site to more natural conditions, invasive exotic Australine pine trees have been removed and elevation modified. The site now functions as a self-maintaining mangrove wetland, temming with fish and wading birds.
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