LIVING HISTORY
16
Dawson. “They are the watchdogs.”
There is good reason to be vigilant about protecting Martin
Grade. It has been in danger before.
In the early ‘90s, when Dawson was a commissioner, she
worked closely with the local community to save the trees
when the county paved the corridor. The state had wanted to
widen the road, and that would have necessitated destruction
of the canopy, which has sprung up through the years
on what is now the road right of way. Dawson and the other
commissioners were determined the trees would stay.
“The state required a plan that everything 100 feet from
the center line of the road would come down,” Dawson said.
“The people in the community said: ‘No. That’s not what we
want to do.’ We worked with the people and came up with a
plan to save the trees. By the mid-’90s, they paved the road.
Everyone was very happy.”
Then in 2006, another scare surfaced. Real estate development
was the order of the day, the housing market was
booming along the Treasure Coast, and the regional transportation
agency wanted to four-lane Martin Grade. With no
other east-west highway in the area, the situation for the trees
seemed dire. But once again, local citizens united and spoke
up for them. The people decided that the Florida Scenic
Highway designation was a way to save The Grade.
“We needed to shine a light on the problem and to capture
people’s imaginations,” said Dawson. “We found that this
program was the best plan or way to go. It was successful at
removing four-laning Martin Grade in the long-range planning.
It would give us the weight to fight with.”
If it is approved, the scenic designation will protect the
canopy by removing invasive plants and establishing proper
tree maintenance. It will also open the door to essential
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