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Private donor buys multiple parcels to expand Hope Sound Scrub Preserve and create neighborhood parks in Martin County
Summary
A private winter resident, Louise "Wheezy" Yiser, purchased multiple Martin County parcels — including about 11 adjacent to Hope Sound Scrub Preserve, a 4‑acre stormwater‑adjacent tract and a one‑acre site in Jensen Beach — and intends to convey them to the county for preservation and small public amenities.
Martin County's environmental staff said a private donor, Louise Yiser (who goes by “Wheezy”), has purchased several parcels and plans to transfer them to the county for conservation and limited public use.
John Mail, the county's Environmental Resource Division administrator, described how the donor moved quickly after reviewing a short list of candidate properties and decided to acquire multiple parcels rather than simply provide matching funding. "She goes, 'I want to get them all,'" Mail said of the donor's response during a meeting with her and her attorney.
Among the acquisitions are roughly 11 parcels adjacent to what the transcript names Hope Sound Scrub Preserve. Mail said those purchases increased the preserve's footprint by roughly 15% and prevented development proposals—he specifically cited a plan for three‑story townhouses near the park entrance that would have altered how visitors experience the preserve.
Another parcel is a roughly 4‑acre addition next to the East Fork Creek stormwater treatment area on U.S. 1. Mail said the property briefly went under contract with another buyer; when that contract failed, the donor moved to secure the land. County staff plan "very limited, low‑impact recreational features": parking, a trailhead, interpretive signage about the stormwater facility and scrub/wetland, short trails and a small picnic shelter.
Near the donor's home in Jensen Beach, Mail said she acquired three parcels totaling about an acre near North River Shores. That site, he said, had previously been the location of a stalled multifamily project that could have yielded approximately 30 units; the donor's purchase will convert the lot into a small neighborhood park with a water feature or pond.
Mail said staff will next assess ecological restoration needs (including exotic species removal), fencing and signage and will discuss how to acknowledge the donor's intentions. "I have a meeting with her this afternoon," Mail said, and noted any formal naming or acceptance of parcels will require board approval.
The Environmental Lands Oversight Committee will review additional candidate properties in June; Mail said the committee evaluates and scores parcels for possible inclusion in the Martin County Forever program before items move to the board.
Next steps: the county will complete management planning and restoration work for each parcel and present naming and formal acceptance recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for action.
