The Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) recently acquired 20 acres in Gilchrist County, including 2,000 feet of frontage along the lower Santa Fe River, to create a corridor of protected lands along the waterway.
According to a recent ACT release, the property contains two fourth-magnitude springs, wetlands, a spring run and a hardwood forest and is a well-known area for public recreation and wildlife habitat.
The 2,000 feet along the riverbank and 150-foot spring, located within the Suwannee River Water Basin Management Action Plan and cited as a priority area by the Florida Ecological Greenways Network, includes various species of reptiles, amphibians, fish and wading birds. It also includes the northernmost range of the Florida manatee, a keystone species.
The property also features live oak and cypress trees with an open understory home to rain, lilies and coreopsis. The previous landowners used the area for camping and recreation prior to the ACT acquisition, and it includes the remnants of a historic railroad bridge that spanned the river, along with an original path and concrete markers that date back prior to the Civil War, which are still visible in some places.
The property was of special interest to the ACT and identified as critically important for protection. This acquisition is part of a larger ongoing effort to conserve lands along the Santa Fe River by both ACT and several state and local entities.
“Our community relies on the Santa Fe River not just for its water resources, but also its ecological, recreational, and cultural significance,” said ACT Executive Director Tom Kay in the press release. “This property has a rich history; now it begins a new chapter as permanently protected land that will benefit both people and wildlife.”
Funding for the acquisition came from ACT’s Rise Up for the Santa Fe River Campaign, as well as individual donors interested in the protection of the Santa Fe River. ACT continues to raise funds to complete additional projects along the Santa Fe River and will participate in the 12-hour The Amazing Give fundraiser on April 30.