Eagle Reserve: An Eagle Story
worked to redesign the road to direct vehicular traffic around the preserved area. For residents to view the preserve and eagle’s nest from a safe distance, a limited access, passive-use pedestrian path was designed instead of a road. As part of the Eagle Management Plan, a permanent eagle protection zone was also established with a significant landscape buffer during nesting season – October 1 to May 15 – to minimize any infrastructure construction nearing the nesting site. The eagle protection zone is also marked by the long curve on Spotted Eagle Way around the bald eagle’s nest. As eagles are also a water-dependent species, Pulte and the team of engineers worked to establish a large lake location within the buffer that would serve as a food source for the nesting habitants as well as enhance the natural beauty of the community for all of its residents. The builder also ensured supplemental plantings of native vegetation were to be installed within the boundaries of the eagle nest area to establish further preservation. In addition, Pulte voluntarily contributed $35,000 to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida to fund conservation activities including aerial monitoring to search for new bald eagle nests. Pulte remains committed to the highest environmental standards, and trusts that the residents of Eagle Reserve will be good stewards of the land and responsible guardians of the eagle pair and its fledglings for generations to come.
Inspired by stunning natural vistas and a commitment to ecological preservation, Eagle Reserve is a testament to Pulte’s careful land planning and environmental stewardship for its communities throughout Southwest Florida. As its name implies, Eagle Reserve is a place touched by the presence of an active bald eagle’s nest that has long inhabited the location. Since approximately 1986, an eagle pair has fledged numerous chicks during the nesting season, with three new chicks fledged just this past March. Recognizing the importance of preserving and protecting the eagle’s nest and its inhabitants, Pulte worked with local ecological experts Passarella and Associates and engineers Barraco and Associates to devise an Eagle Management Plan that would ensure the nesting habitat would continue to flourish. From the initial site planning, all the through the construction process, the preservation of the nesting habitat has been of the utmost importance, beginning with a commitment to less density for Eagle Reserve than what was initially approved. While Pulte had the opportunity to build up to 760 multi- family homes on the site, they focused instead on preserving a more intimate feel within the 70-acre gated community consisting of only 181 single-family homes. The community’s secluded entrance also adds to the intimacy and opulence of the natural preserves, with unique entry signage that pays homage to its feathered inhabitants. With a narrow entrance, the community opens to reveal a nestled feeling as you wind down its paths enhanced by lake views. While early site plans for Eagle Reserve proposed a road cutting through the eagle preserve, Pulte and the team of experts understood the importance of limiting disturbance to the bald eagle’s nest and
Powered by FlippingBook