But the other problems have arisen because there is a need for better balance and understanding between multiple user groups considering the archaeology, Indian culture and ecology of the site.įor example, the endangered gopher tortoise and the marsh rabbit were once a common sight in Maximo, but are nearly extinct within the park because of the increased activity and a lack of an “off-limits preservation area.” Other ordinance violations such as plant destruction, dogs off leashes and their subsequent fecal deposits, and open alcoholic containers have been common through the years, although the recent attention to the problems at the park have resulted in fewer violations. To some extent the original complaints about illegal activities have been lessened. There has also been significant collateral damage as city crews removed invasive plants and beach erosion when crews removed seaweed from the beach. Native flora and fauna also have suffered greatly from fragmenting of their habitat and local extinction of some wildlife. However, the years of accumulated hard “brick and mortar” recreation in the park and wilderness areas, have led to subsequent incremental damage to the Indian mounds’ archaeological and cultural value. The Maximo Disc Golf Course – the only disc golf course in the city – is now very popular and attracts many hundreds of players from across the region. The holes are frequently moved to provide variety for players. The holes include ten 4-foot by 10-foot concrete slab tees, with some of the tees located in the preservation area or on the mounds. The course’s layout was coordinated with the City Parks Department and disc golf players. (The boat ramp is on the northernmost area of the park with a large grassy parking area, all built outside the preservation areas.)Ībout nine years ago, the City Parks Department agreed to a disc golf course installation, hoping that more recreational activity would decrease complaints about illegal activity. Asphalt paths meander through some of the hydric mound area. A bathroom and city work shed were built on the mound itself with a large concrete slab nearby. Many picnic tables, an observation tower, a plastic playground area and cooking facilities stretch along the shoreline. Inherent wildlife, such as the gopher tortoise and marsh rabbit, was once abundant as this author remembers them from his childhood in the early 1970s and 1980s.īeginning about 20 to 40 years ago, the city began installing recreational facilities on the waterfront site where views of the Skyway Bridge and barrier islands dot the horizon. Native plant communities unique to the Indian mounds grew across the park, including pine flatwoods, a hydric maritime oak hammock and a maritime mound plant community with several rare species for Pinellas County. Maximo sits protected, nestled along Boca Ciega Bay with Eckerd College to the north separated by Frenchman’s Creek, once a source of fresh water. Maximo is eligible for the Federal Registry for its inherent archaeological significance.
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Its rich history began almost 10,000 years ago when the ancient American Indians settled here, mining Tampa Bay’s plentiful resources and building a series of intricate mounds all along south St. Petersburg find a resolution in a master plan that recognizes these ancient icons of the past and protects these rare features?Īs recently as 50 years ago, besides an occasional archaeological dig, the Maximo area was virtually a pristine site.
Will it continue its course toward unspecified, unchecked recreational usage at the expense of continued cultural, ecological and archaeological destruction? Or will the City of St. It also is one of the city’s most popular parks with passive recreational facilities, a well-used three-lane boat ramp and an eighteen-hole disc golf course.īut Maximo Park is at a crossroad. St Petersburg’s most unique park, Maximo Park, includes a wilderness area highlighted by a 10,000-year-old Indian mound designated as a “Preservation/Wilderness and Historically Designated Areas,” as well as rare native maritime habitat. Hillsborough County Saves $1.2 Million with Focus on Energy Efficiencyįinding a Balance Between Cultural, Ecological, Seagrass Protection at Cockroach Bay Yields Diverging Proposals The Road Not Taken: The History of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
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