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GSTF Receives First Federal Dollars For Camp Mahachee Restoration Project
$450,000 Allocated to Restore Hardwood Hammock Secured by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar with Support from Nicklaus Children’s Health System
Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida (GSTF) is proud to announce the Camp Mahachee Hardwood Hammock Restoration project is the recipient of $450,000 in federal funding as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. The monies are allocated for the continued restoration of the 11-acre hardwood hammock habitat, a GSTF property located in Coral Gables. The funding was secured in March of 2024 by Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), with support from Government Relations and Community Affairs teams at Nicklaus Children’s Health System as part of $23 million dollars Congresswoman Salazar secured in government appropriations for critical projects in Miami-Dade County.
This project will provide resources for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the ongoing rehabilitation and restoration project, which includes removal of invasive species, installation of open area features such as trails, benches, and educational guides related to the native habitat.
Through Girl Scout stewardship, the property will be a restored, more climate-change-resilient habitat. While the site is located in the City of Coral Gables, it serves girls and community members from across every zip code in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties — hosting thousands of visitors and campers each year.
“This robust, multi-phase rehabilitation project will breathe new life into an endangered native hardwood hammock habitat, providing for both climate resilience and serving as a living laboratory for Girl Scouts and our entire community to experience habitat restoration in real time,” said Chelsea Wilkerson, CEO, GSTF.
Additional benefits of this project include:
- Reversing three-quarters of a century’s decline of native hardwood hammock
- Attracting vital pollinators to the local ecosystem
- Helping avoid and reverse areas that are vulnerable to or experiencing beehive collapse and colony collapse
- Advancing agricultural enhancement in Coral Gables and adjacent areas
“I am thrilled that Miami’s Girl Scouts took the initiative to identify a critical need in our community to restore and protect our natural habitats,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to have secured funding for this special project — one that protects Miami’s beautiful ecosystems and empowers our next generation of leaders!”
During Phase 1 of this project with support from the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Coral Gables Garden Club and Miami-Dade County, volunteers restored approximately two acres of Mahachee’s front entry area — clearing of invasive vine; planting of 1,200 native hardwood trees; addition of a butterfly garden; water and electrical access establishment through installation of a well, pump, and electrical panel, the first significant upgrades since the camp’s purchase in 1945.
Camp Mahachee was purchased in 1945 and dedicated in 1948. It has a 75-year history of getting girls outdoors, connecting them with the environment, and providing them a safe place to learn about nature. Research shows that the more time girls spend outdoors, the stronger their confidence and challenge seeking over the course of their lifetimes.
