Two Freshwater Springs Permanently Protected by Alachua Conservation Trust
Santa Fe Spring. Photo by Kim Davidson.
ACT has permanently protected two freshwater springs located on 254-acres of land along the Upper Santa Fe River near its confluence with Olustee Creek in Columbia County. In addition to protecting the second-magnitude Santa Fe Spring and an unnamed fourth-magnitude spring on the property, 1.3 river miles have also been conserved through this land acquisition. This soon to be public preserve will be named Santa Fe Springs Preserve in honor of the spring that is the focal point of this property.
“ACT is endlessly grateful to the support our community has shown in response to this project,” said ACT’s Executive Director, Tom Kay. “For three years ACT has been working to purchase this property and thanks to hundreds of individual contributions, support from partners like the Suwannee River Water Management District, and grant awards from organizations like the Conservation Alliance and private family foundations, ACT has been able to secure the $1.4 million dollars needed to protect this property forever.”
Plans to open Santa Fe Springs Preserve are already in the works and ACT anticipates holding a grand opening by the end of 2021. In preparation for public use, ACT plans to install multiuse trails, a parking area, and kiosks that have low impact on the springs and river. Additionally, measures will be taken to restore the property to its natural state by removing old structures and replanting longleaf pine in former agricultural fields.
“Everyone is thrilled for the significance this purchase holds for regional water quality and for the momentum Santa Fe Springs Preserve gives to protect the watershed as a whole,” said ACT’s Santa Fe River Basin Project Coordinator, Melissa Hill. “Knowing that this land will never be developed and a piece of wild Florida will be available to the public forever is a tremendous accomplishment.”
The Santa Fe Springs Preserve is part of a much broader effort being undertaken by Alachua Conservation Trust to protect the entire watershed surrounding the Santa Fe River and its tributary rivers and creeks. Current efforts by ACT in the Santa Fe River Basin include coordinating a regional partnership with other agencies and working with private property owners to discuss the option of placing conservation easements – a voluntary tool that landowners can use to permanently protect conservation value – on their land.
Learn more about ACT’s work to protect the Santa Fe River Basin here.
Photos courtesy of Alison Blakeslee and Kim Davidson.
