86 Acres Acquired to Expand Orange Lake Overlook

This latest conservation victory will be added to the existing 71-acre nature preserve owned by ACT

ACT has purchased 86 acres of land adjacent to Orange Lake from the Sawallis Family. The land, located along U.S. Highway 441, is directly north of ACT’s existing 71-acre nature preserve, the Marjorie A. Hoy Memorial Park at Orange Lake Overlook (“OLO”) in McIntosh, Florida. The acquisition more than doubles the size of the original preserve, includes access to Orange Lake, and is also contiguous to conservation land owned by Marion County.

The property and the surrounding area is rich in history, dating back to the 16th Century when the shores of Orange Lake were inhabited by the Timucua People. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Florida’s agricultural scene was booming and the entire 300-acre hill was planted with citrus. In the 1950s, the Huff Family operated the Ollie Huff Citrus Shop and packing house from atop the hill. A series of hard freezes in the 1980s ended the citrus business, but the property continued to attract local artists and photographers enamored with the picturesque landscape and view. These artists later helped save the overlook, increasing public interest and using their platforms to raise funds to protect the property from development. In 2019, The Conservation Fund and a private donor provided $1.12 million in bridge loans to ACT to move quickly to purchase the original 71 acres while continuing to fundraise for the project.

In May 2022, ACT opened OLO to the public as a nature preserve. The preserve was dedicated in the name of Marjorie A. Hoy, an internationally recognized entomologist and researcher whose work focused on Florida citrus pests. Upon her passing, Marjorie’s estate via her husband, Jim, made a $1 million donation to ACT. This donation, combined with over 300 individual donations as well as grants from the Felburn Foundation and Duke Energy, allowed ACT to pay off the remaining loans and install trails, kiosks, and picnic tables before opening the preserve to the public. 

With the bridge loans paid off on the original property, ACT was able to shift its focus to expanding the preserve and protecting more land along the iconic hill overlooking Orange Lake, which provides recreational opportunities to the surrounding area as well as critical habitat for sandhill crane, bald eagle, and numerous species of wading birds. When the property to the north became available for purchase, ACT worked with the owners to put the land under contract while soliciting donations, loans, and grants to help finance the deal.



Similar to when ACT first purchased the overlook, the community rallied to save this additional piece of ‘Old Florida’. With funding from the Hoy Family, Duke Energy, and the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation Project Assistance Fund, as well as bridge loans and donations from private individuals totaling more than $500,000, ACT closed on the expansion last week.

Photos by Kim Davidson.

2023 Conservation Stewards Awards Honors Community Educators

On Saturday, March 25th, ACT hosted its annual Conservation Stewards Awards at Prairie Creek Lodge. Each year, this event honors individuals in our community who are influential in a wide variety of ways – the arts, historic preservation, and particularly, in protecting our wildlife and natural resources. During the event, ACT recognized Randi Cameon, Vivian Filer and Richard Hamann as this year's Conservation Stewards.

The Conservation Stewards Awards is the largest gathering of community leaders and supporters of wild Florida in the region. This year, over 500 guests were treated to dinner, drinks and a musical performance from Gainesville-based Sooza Brass Band. All funds from the sold out event supported ACT's work towards land conservation.

Our 2023 theme celebrated the profound impact of community educators and their work to inspire future generations. Their devotion to providing educational opportunities to all and empowering young people to find their passion in conservation and their local communities is inspirational. The future of conservation would not be possible without community educators, who work tirelessly to ensure that those they serve have a meaningful understanding of the natural world, its history, and the opportunities for enacting change. Whether in outdoor classrooms at local nature preserves, community centers, or lecture halls, our honorees have made conservation and preservation a component of their work. Thank you for helping us honor their efforts and recognize their passion and persistence to shape the past, present, and future of conservation.

Congratulations to the 2023 honorees!

Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery & Preserve Gets A Surprise Visitor!

In late March, ACT's Fire Team assisted our partners at Conservation Burial, Inc. to conduct a prescribed fire at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery to help improve habitat diversity and return nutrients back to the soil. In addition to the conservation cemetery, staff and volunteers from ACT, FWC, Florida Forest Service, and the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association burned multiple units at Prairie Creek Preserve. In total, 75 acres of the 606-acre preserve were burned.

Following the burn, a Northern bobwhite quail was spotted in one of the recently burned units! Bobwhites are attracted to habitats that are managed with frequent, low-intensity fire, which is why they are known as the "fire bird".

To add to this exciting news, ACT's Fire Management Specialist, Rachel Townsend, also completed her training to become a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager during this burn. Congrats Rachel!

Photo credit: Top Right - Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by Conservation Burial, Inc.

Solar Impact & Swamp Head Brewery to Host 9th Annual Tree Fest Event on Earth Day!

On Saturday, April 22nd from 12-11 p.m., conservationists and craft beer enthusiasts alike will come together to support our local landscape at the 9th annual Tree Fest, presented by Solar Impact and Swamp Head Brewery. The event, which takes place at Swamp Head Brewery, provides support to ACT by raising money to plant longleaf pine trees at Little Orange Creek Preserve in Hawthorne, FL. In 2022, the annual event celebrated a major milestone of over half a million trees planted!

Join us this Earth Day from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. for a beer and help us reach our 2023 goal to plant 100,000 trees! For every beer purchased at the event, 4 trees will be planted. 20 trees will also be planted for every Tree Fest t-shirt purchased and every $1 donated by sponsors will plant 4 more trees.

The event will also feature live music, family-friendly activities, and tabling by local environmental organizations from 12-5 p.m. Food trucks will be on site throughout the event with food options to compliment your beer. See you at Tree Fest on April 22nd!

Weekly Walk & Talk at Orange Lake Overlook:

Friday, April 7th from 3 pm - 5 pm

Join ACT staff and partners on a hike of our different nature preserves each week and learn about the ecology, history, and current and future restoration plans.

Volunteer Workday at Serenola Forest Preserve:

Saturday, April 8th from 9 am - 12 pm

Join ACT for a volunteer workday to help remove old fencing in the preserve. Sign up here.

Marion County Farmland Preservation Festival at Majestic Oaks Ocala:

Saturday, April 8th from 9 am - 4 pm

Support local farmland preservation efforts and stop by for some farmland fun, food, and friends. Learn more here.

Weekly Walk & Talk at Santa Fe River Preserve South:

Friday, April 14th from 3 pm - 5 pm

Join ACT staff and partners on a hike of our different nature preserves each week and learn about the ecology, history, and current and future restoration plans.

The Amazing Give - Online Day of Giving:

Thursday, April 20th from 8 am - 8 pm

Help ACT raise funds to protect land at the headwaters of the Santa Fe River during this one-day online fundraising event.

Weekly Walk & Talk at Prairie Creek Preserve:

Friday, April 21st from 3 pm - 5 pm

Join our partners at Current Problems as they hike the preserve and pick up trash along the trail.

Tree Fest 2023 at Swamp Head Brewery:

Saturday, April 22nd from 12 pm - 11 pm

Join Solar Impact and Swamp Head Brewery to celebrate the environment by raising money to plant trees with ACT. There will be food trucks, family-friendly activities, live music, and of course, Swamp Head beer.

Weekly Walk & Talk at Saarinen Preserve:

Friday, April 28th from 3 pm - 5 pm

Join ACT staff during the City Nature Challenge as we hike the preserve and use the iNaturalist app to document and identify the flora and fauna that we see!

You make conservation possible! 

Thank you for donating your time, money, and energy to making ACT's work a success.

Please donate today - or consider including ACT in your estate planning - to save wild spaces, train the next generation of land stewards, and open up new public preserves to your community.

THANK YOU!

Banner image: J.H. Anderson, Jr. Memorial Park by Alison Blakeslee.