The Martin Grade by Thomas Winter

Just half an hour west of Stuart, Florida, is an amazingly beautiful road that time seems to have forgotten. This is the Martin Highway, County Road 714 between Allapattah Road and State Road 710, but the locals simply call it:  "The Martin   Grade."

The Martin Grade Scenic Highway Project Protecting the Trees

This historic, 12-mile road is shaded by a canopy of hundred-year-old oaks and is surrounded by pastures, groves, swamps, and woods just as it was when it was carved out of the wilderness by the region's earliest settlers.

Corridor Aadvocacy Group Meeting Thursday September 9, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 pm Location To Be Announced What is the Martin Grade Scenic Highway Project? It is a community-wide effort to designate County Road 714 in western Martin County, Florida, a Scenic Highway in accordance with the Florida Scenic Highway Program.   The main emphasis of this project is to protect the tree canopy that covers much of the corridor and to preserve the rural nature of the area for generations to come. Art Photographer Thomas Winter donates art print of the Martin Grade.  Left to right: Amanda Farinos, Keren Carmel, Rob Dawson, Mona Schwall, Wilson the Dog, Thomas Winter, Judy Roberts, Mary Dawson (Lto R) . Photo by Steve Martine. About Photographer Thomas Winter	News and Updates County Commission Approves Eligibility Application! Unanimous Support on August 10, 2010 Click to Thank the Commissioners! The Draft Eligibility Application has been Submitted for Review To the Scenic Highway Advisory Committee on August 12, 2010 Final Version is due September 13, 2010 Please send us your comments as soon as possible. Click Here to Review the Draft Eligibility Application Welcome to New Corridor Advocacy Group Members:  Commissioner Ed Ciampi Brian Powers Welcom to the Martin Grade Team! Click Here to Join the Team! Announcing the Community Participation Program!  Active Community involvement is a key part of the Scenic Highway application process, which is now beginning. Award winning Martin County photographer, Thomas Winter, has jump started the Community Participation phase by donating a presentation art print of his renowned image of the Martin Grade and allowing SCL to use his Martin Grade images in promotional materials for the Scenic Highway Project. Get involved!   Invite us to your next gathering or meeting, and we will bring this beautiful Art Print and make a presentation about the project that will show you the beauty of the Grade and why it should become a Florida Scenic Highway. Click here for Information about CAG Meetings and Other News Follow the Martin Grade Project on facebook/martin grade
How did the Scenic Highway Project begin? Several years ago, a group of concerned citizens realized that widening the road would destroy the trees.  They started working to have the Grade designated a Florida Scenic Highway so that the people of Martin County can protect the trees for generations to come.   We need your help.
Why is  the Martin Grade worth protecting? The Martin Grade Tree Canopy is the iconic image of Western Martin County.  It is the symbol of the quality of life Martin County residents have chosen for their community,  and protecting it is a commitment to the concept that Floridians do not have to choose between the things that give their communities beauty and value and Progress.   Through planning and commitment, we can have both.