Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) bought 429 acres along the Santa Fe River to further its efforts, along with those of other regional and state partners, to protect the watershed and Lower Suwannee River Basin.  

The purchase was supported by over 200 individuals and organizations, including the River Branch Foundation, the 1923 Fund, and the Nature Conservancy. ACT reported that more than 100 individuals donated $82,000 during The Amazing Give and another 100 individuals donated via mail and online appeals.  

The property surrounds a previous ACT acquisition from 2021, the 139-acre Sawdust Spring Preserve, on the Columbia County side of the river. 

“This acquisition would not have been possible without the generosity of our partners and   

donors,” ACT Executive Director Tom Kay said in a release. “The protection of Sawdust Spring and its surrounding lands is part of a long-term goal of ACT to safeguard as much of the Santa Fe River as possible for future generations.”   

Sawdust Spring has river frontage filled with karst features, cypress trees and rain lilies. ACT said the area provides critical recharge for the Floridan Aquifer and hopes to allow public access once restoration work finishes.  

ACT reported that the Santa Fe watershed provides habitat for endangered and threatened species like the Oval Pigtoe and Suwannee Moccasinshell mussels, wood stork, gulf sturgeon, and the West Indian manatee.