Protected Santa Fe River corridor expands

Alachua County Forever closed a purchase for 189 acres along the Santa Fe River on Feb. 10.
Alachua County Forever closed a purchase for 189 acres along the Santa Fe River on Feb. 10.
Courtesy of Alachua County

The Alachua County Forever program recently acquired 189 acres along the Santa Fe River.

Alachua County purchased the property from Betty and Joel Matthews. The $841,798 closing was on Feb. 10 and will protect just over half a mile of frontage along the Santa Fe River via the Wild Spaces and Public Places (WSPP) one-half cent sales tax, according to a county press release.

“Protecting family land through conservation provides an exciting way to combine a family legacy and love for their land with a healthier and more sustainable future for the next generations of Alachua County citizens,” said Alachua County Land Conservation and Management Program Manager Andi Christman in a press release.

The new Matthews property purchase will help protect the wetland floodplain forest and uplands along the Santa Fe river’s south bank.

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The 189-acre purchase on Feb. 10 marks the second Alachua County Forever acquisition of 2023. The first purchase came in early February for 128 acres of property along the Santa Fe River on property located in both Alachua and Bradford counties.

Alachua County recognizes the Santa Fe River as the most important strategic ecosystem for protecting out of the 47 ecosystems on its list.  

Alachua County Forever Santa Fe River Matthews Property location map
Courtesy of Alachua County

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