ZooMiami, Boy Scouts, Make History With First Of Its Kind Pine Rockland Campsite

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE – ZooMiami is making history with a little help from some South Florida Boy Scouts.

For the past four years, the Scouts have been donating their time and effort to a conservation project at what is now known as the new Pine Rockland Campsite at ZooMiami.

On Saturday, the Scouts took part in a dedication ceremony attended by Jason Smith, from the office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava who said he plans to push the mayor's office to continue to maintain the property.

"I'm just in awe and I've already texted the Mayor and the rest of our staff and we need to think about how to continue to make this sustainable and ensure the legacy so others can enjoy this and that does mean looking at our budget, I mean that's what I'm going to tell the Mayor," said Smith.

The scouts removed invasive plants, replanted native foliage, and removed illegally dumped trash on the property which was once an abandoned maintenance area and bunker for the old Richmond Naval Blimp Base.

The new Pine Rockland Campsite is the only campsite within a zoo in the country.

The Scouts created two primitive campsites as well as two hammock campsites, a fire ring for ceremonies and a projector screen for video and movie presentations.

The campsite is owned by ZooMiami but was built by the Scouts as a project for the community of Miami-Dade County.