In its current state, the Briger Forest is an uncommonly large and valuable piece of habitat, boasting an ecosystem that is the last of its kind in this area. It is the home to several species under threat of extinction, including the gopher tortoise and hand fern.

However, after much controversy, the Scripps Research Institute is looking to fulfill their dream of a commercial/residential offshoot of their facility on Florida Atlantic University’s FAU campus— by bulldozing one of the largest tracts of intact forest remaining in southeastern Florida.