ACT's Springs Acquisition Projects Recommended for State Funding

The five acquisition projects will protect 2,108 acres, improving water quality for springs in the Suwannee and Santa Fe River basins

On May 16th, the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Governing Board recommended seven projects for springs funding to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). ACT nominated five projects and was the only nonprofit with projects recommended for funding. These five projects will help protect high recharge areas and wildlife habitat in the basin, improving the health of the springs and aquifer:

• Bobwhite Sandhill Land Acquisition (Suwannee County) - This 622-acre conservation easement acquisition will help preserve the Troy Peacock Lafayette Blue Falmouth Springshed and benefit the Suwannee Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP).



• Suwannee River Sandhill Land Acquisition (Suwannee County) - This 630-acre conservation easement acquisition consists of sandhill, wetlands, and restorable uplands in the Troy Peacock Lafayette Blue Falmouth Springshed and provides high recharge to the Floridan Aquifer.

• Lafayette Woods Land Acquisition (Lafayette County) - This 102-acre conservation easement will allow natural system restoration of longleaf pine sandhill ecosystems and provide groundwater recharge, flood protection, and river corridor protection adjacent to Peacock Springs, Lafayette Blue, Troy Springs, and SRWMD lands.

• Gilchrist Sandhill Land Acquisition (Gilchrist County) - This 562-acre conservation easement in the Devil’s Ear Priority Focus Area contains protection for wetlands and sandhill uplands adjacent to Cow Creek in Gilchrist County. The project protects water quality and water supply in the region.

• Hornsby Horse Pasture Land Acquisition (Alachua County) - This 99-acre conservation easement in the Columbia Hornsby Treehouse Priority Focus Area contains five sinks and will support aquifer recharge efforts near Mill Creek.

Two projects submitted by Alachua County were also recommended for state funding. All seven projects will now be reviewed by FDEP.

“ACT is grateful for the Governing Board's support of these five significant conservation projects within the District. These projects will conserve 2,108 acres and alleviate future significant impacts on the springs, high recharge areas, and sensitive habitat within the Suwannee and Santa Fe river basins. With this funding support, ACT and its partners will continue to relentlessly work towards the permanent protection of land in North Florida that strengthens the preservation and restoration of our cherished springs and aquifer.” - Tom Kay, ACT Executive Director

Photos: Top right - Suwannee River by Alison Blakeslee; bottom left - Diver in Peacock Spring by Florida State Parks

Photo by Alison Blakeslee.

Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation Grant Awarded for Sandhill Conservation

ACT is one of four land conservation organizations selected to receive funding from the 2023 Gulf Partnership Project Assistance Fund (PAF) for its Drew Sandhill Preserve project in Suwannee, Florida. The Project Assistance Fund provides matching funds to land trusts that work in the Gulf of Mexico region to protect land. The funds can be used to cover due diligence costs. This year's selected projects will leverage $97,500 from the Project Assistance Fund with matching funds of more than $6.6 million.

ACT's awarded project will protect 630 acres within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and 1.5 miles of riverfront along the Suwannee River. The project area also features 150 acres of imperiled sandhill ecosystem, a third-magnitude spring, and artesian cave system underneath. Permanent protection of this property will ensure preservation of an important groundwater recharge area, as well as provide essential habitat for federally-threatened and endangered species such as the Eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, Suwannee moccasinshell, gulf sturgeon, and Suwannee alligator snapping turtle. This project has also been nominated to receive matching funds from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Over the last 9 years, the Gulf Partnership Public Assistance Fund has helped protect more than 50,000 acres, leveraging nearly $100 million in conservation funding. This is ACT's fourth project to receive Project Assistance Funds for its work in the Gulf Coast region. Previous ACT projects have included the expansion of Marjorie A. Hoy Memorial Park, Little Orange Creek Preserve, and protection of land along the Santa Fe River.

Interns in the Field: ACT's Natural Resource Internships Build Skills for Future Conservation Careers

At the end of April, ACT’s seven Natural Resource Management Interns completed their term working with ACT’s Land Management team. Collectively, the Natural Resource Management Interns contributed 1,200 over the course of four months to steward land in the region. Their contributions to ACT’s Land Management team was invaluable. Some of the major projects they completed included installing 2 kayak launches and building a bridge at Santa Fe River Preserve, restoring habitat around legacy longleaf pines at Saarinen Preserve, participating on 7 prescribed fires, removing invasive species at Blues Creek Ravine Preserve and Prairie Creek Preserve, restoring the uplands at Tuscawilla Preserve, removing barbed wire fencing at Orange Lake Overlook, and working with ACT partners to restore ephemeral wetlands creating better habitat for striped newts. Additionally, interns were able to meet with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists, learn about cave crayfish, and participate on a timber cruise.

We are grateful for the time and effort our interns put in this semester! The internship is a mutually beneficial endeavor for both ACT and the interns who participate, and interns take away a variety of things from the experience.

"My experience with ACT this semester has been life changing! Through this internship, I got to be hands on and learn things I never imagined myself learning and becoming confident in. Prescribed fire, chainsaw work, exotic removal, and habitat restoration are just a few of the land management techniques we learned. I also had the opportunity to work on a crew of amazing people and receive mentorship and guidance from our internship lead and other professionals at ACT. Because of this internship, I have grown professionally and personally and am better prepared for a career in conservation."

- Courtney, Spring ‘23

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!

Freshwater Fish and Critters of North Central Florida at Santa Fe River Preserve (Main Entrance):

Saturday, June 17th from 9 am - 12 pm

Join us at Santa Fe River Preserve to learn about the freshwater fish and critters of North Central Florida with retired U.S. Geological Survey Research Fish Biologist, Howard Jelks! Space is limited. R.S.V.P. here.

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.

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: Turtles sunning on the Santa Fe River by Tedd Greenwald.