Alachua County’s environmental land acquisition program, Alachua County Forever, recently closed on the purchase of 289 acres from the Khanh Dinh Trust along the shore of Lake Alto.
According to an Alachua County release, the closing was held on Oct. 31 for $420,000. The funds were provided by the voter-approved Wild Spaces and Public Places sales tax and private donors.
The area acquired was part of property left by Khanh Dihn, whose family said in the release, “Dad dearly appreciated the beauty of nature, and was far ahead of his time in his efforts to conserve the earth and its resources. His first company, founded in the early 1980s, focused on harnessing the thermal and electrical powers of solar energy. During his career, he developed other technologies to enhance energy efficiency in residential and commercial climate control systems. He would be thrilled that these beautiful lands will be preserved in their natural state for the benefit of all.”
Alachua Conservation Trust acquired three parcels through the partnership totaling 12 acres while Alachua County acquired two parcels totaling 277 acres. The property is located between Lake Alto and the city of Waldo and protects one half a mile of the Lake Alto shoreline and is part of the Santa Fe River watershed.
The property is within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is a statewide landscape corridor that has been identified as critical to protecting the remaining wildlife habitats in the state.
The Dinh property is Alachua County Forever’s fifth conservation land acquisition in 2023. The program – working with area landowners – has now protected 33,663 acres since it started in 2000.
