By Henry A. Stephens
staff writer
September 2, 2005

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — While a proposed $600,000 face lift of the Oslo Road boat ramp could be a dream for Vero Beach anglers, its popularity may become a nightmare for scientists at a state mosquito laboratory.

"This could jeopardize our long-term ability to conduct research," Professor Walter Tabachnick, director of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, said Thursday.

Tabachnick's remarks came in a public hearing with county Public Works Director Jim Davis prior to the county's application for a $200,000 grant, the maximum awarded by the Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program.

The University of Florida has owned the laboratory for 49 years, Tabachnick said. Its buildings occupy about 30 acres north of Oslo Road, surrounded by the almost 400-acre Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, owned by the county and the St. Johns River Water Management District.

As such, Tabachnick said, his agency is the nearest neighbor to the county project.

"And we're not happy campers," he said. "This could change the ecology. There's no free ride (for the boating improvements)."

The lab staff needs the unspoiled salt marsh, he said, to conduct its research into diseases carried by mosquitoes and other biting insects.

If the boat ramp proves popular, Tabachnick said, the additional car traffic could undermine the isolation that makes the area good for research.

Tabachnick expressed surprise when Davis said he didn't know how many cars visit the ramp now and how many would with the upgrades.

"We haven't done any traffic counts, but people tell us the boat ramp is frequently used," Davis said.

In addition to the grant, Davis estimated the project also would require $400,000 from the county to:

• Pave the eastern end of Oslo Road, widening the 1,000 feet closest to the Indian River Lagoon to contain 40 parking spaces.

• Enlarge the turnaround circle near the ramp so a pickup truck could turn with a 20-foot boat trailer.

• Replace the existing "primitive" ramp with reinforced concrete and add a sandy area for kayaks and canoes.

• Place docks for fishing, observing the river and mooring boats.

Tabachnick said he didn't want to block the project, adding, "We can see a need for something there."

Davis accepted Tabachnick's offer to help county engineers reduce the impact on roadside mangroves or other surrounding natural habitat.

Charles Searcy, a former School Board member and local angler, said he has tried for years to get the county to upgrade the boat ramp.

The channel is 2 feet deep and only can handle canoes, kayaks and other shallow-draft boats, he said.

But the project won't dredge the channel for larger boats, Davis said.

"This would be for boats up to 20 feet," he said. "It wouldn't be open to deep-draft boats."

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