Local State Park Expands with ACT’s Efforts

This acquisition under the Florida Forever Program forms part of the proposed Northwest Marion Greenway

ACT has facilitated the permanent protection of several parcels within a planned wildlife corridor linking Price’s Scrub State Park in Marion County with Barr Hammock Preserve in Alachua County. A total of 124 acres were protected through the State’s Florida Forever program, which provides acquisition funding for land identified as critical for conservation. This acquisition follows another key land purchase last year by the Alachua County Forever program, which placed 76 acres within this corridor into conservation with funds from the voter-renewed Wild Spaces & Public Places half-cent sales tax.

Price’s Scrub State Park encompasses nearly 1,000 acres with one of the highest biodiversity ratings in Marion County. The 9.5-mile trail system is frequently used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The new acreage was purchased in 1969 by physicist Alex Green and astronomer Tom Carr, colleagues at the University of Florida. Tom Carr’s brother, environmentalist Archie Carr, had notified them that the land was for sale. The land features high pine ridges, seepage slopes and a basin marsh that extends into the western part of the existing state park. Bobcat, red fox, coyote, deer, gopher tortoise, wild turkey, bald eagle, sandhill crane, and many other species have been observed on the properties.

“This property has been in our family for over 50 years, when our father, Alex Green, purchased it after a development project fell through,” said Marcie Green, who serves as the Trustee for the Green Trust. “My father’s research focused on many environmental issues, collaborating with departments throughout the university, including mechanical engineering, the medical school and forestry departments. Later in life, he focused on alternative fuels. He always highly valued natural Florida and our family connection to this land. We are honored to see the land now protected as part of the state park, where it can be utilized for public recreation and provide habitat for wildlife and we are grateful to ACT for their efforts in facilitating the sale.”  

ACT, an accredited land trust, served as the landowners’ representative and successfully facilitated the acquisition of the properties by the State. Negotiations to have this land purchased and incorporated into Price’s Scrub State Park began two years ago when ACT applied to amend the Florida Forever project area to include 110 acres from the Green family and 14 acres from the Carr family, making the land eligible for acquisition under the Florida Forever program. ACT also provided support to the landowners as they negotiated and ultimately closed on the land purchase.

“Our goal is to relentlessly conserve the best of what’s left of wild Florida, whether through our own acquisitions or by guiding landowners who want to see their family lands protected,” said ACT executive director, Tom Kay. “We are grateful to the State for recognizing the important conservation value of these lands and to the Green and Carr families for their stewardship of the land over time and their steadfast dedication to seeing it protected.”

Photo by Alison Blakeslee.

$1 Million North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grant Awarded to ACT & Alachua County

The next phase of the North Florida Wetland Connector Conservation project has been awarded $1 million through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant program. The NAWCA program, which is administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, is a federal grant program that provides funds for projects that conserve wetlands for the benefit of migratory birds. This is the third round of funding awarded to ACT and its partners at Alachua County.

This third phase of grant funds will be used to acquire key tracts in Alachua County near Lake Alto, Lake Tuscawilla, and Lochloosa Creek, as well as reimburse closing costs on ACT's recent purchase of the Sawallis property just north of Marjorie A. Hoy Memorial Park at Orange Lake Overlook. Over $2.1 million in matching contributions will be leveraged with grant funds towards these acquisitions.

In total, the grant funds will protect an additional 1,025 acres, providing habitat for waterfowl such as the Northern pintail and Mottled duck, raptors including Bald eagles and Swallow-tailed kites, Sandhill and Whooping cranes, as well as numerous other species of migratory birds. Together, these lands serve as important linkages between the Florida Wildlife Corridor and nearby conservation areas in North Central Florida. Previous phases of the North Florida Wetland Connector Conservation Project have protected more than 6,200 acres.

Video Spotlight: A Conversation with Cave Divers Tom Morris & Mark Long

Click the image above to view the video.

Natural Resources Interns Make Big Impact at ACT's Preserves

ACT's Natural Resource Management Interns are about half way through the semester and they have already made a huge impact at our preserves! This summer, we have eight Natural Resource Management Interns, whose backgrounds include Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Natural Resource Conservation, Biology, and Forest Resources Conservation. Our interns will continue to gain experience in invasive species management, chainsaw use and maintenance, and prescribed fire throughout this semester.

Over the past 5 weeks, the interns have made some big improvements at ACT's preserves, including installing steps at the observation tower at Little Orange Creek Preserve, improving longleaf pine habitat at Saarinen Preserve, removing invasive species at Marjorie A. Hoy Memorial Park at Orange Lake Overlook, preparing fire lines at Prairie Creek Preserve for a future burn, and helping finish a new trail at Santa Fe River Preserve South. Many of these projects can now be enjoyed by the public when visiting ACT's nature preserves!

Donations Needed for a Field Vehicle

As ACT continues to expand its work across Florida, we find ourselves in need of a reliable field vehicle for our interns to be able to travel to work sites as well as our field staff to conduct site visits at potential conservation lands. With your support, we are hoping to purchase or accept the donation of a gently used truck or all wheel drive SUV to help support our staff as they work to conserve as much land as possible!

Young Leaders for Wild Florida Summer Camp

July 10th-July 21st

This 2-week program supports participants to become Florida's next generation of environmental leaders through educational outdoor adventures, workshops with leaders in our community exploring environmental issues and career paths, and student-led advocacy projects. Applications are now closed and we look forward to welcoming our 2023 participants soon!

Visit the ACT Booth at the North Central Florida Outdoor Expo

Saturday, August 12th from 9 am - 5 pm

Visit ACT's booth at the World Equestrian Center during the 5th Annual North Central Florida Outdoor Expo featuring educational displays, children's activities, market style shopping, prizes, giveaways and more.

UF Campaign for Charities (UFCC) Begins

Monday, September 25th

University of Florida employees can donate to ACT by designating us as their selected agency through the payroll deduction program starting on September 25th. Learn more here.

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: Red fox by Kim Davidson.