Greene Family Lands Preserved Near Lake City
October 30, 2024
Gainesville, Florida - Nearly 1,500 acres in Columbia County were recently protected by a conservation easement purchased by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and facilitated by Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT). The two organizations worked together to help the Greene family sell a conservation easement on land owned by the family for generations. The land is part of the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor, or O2O. The conservation easement was acquired through Florida Forever, Florida’s premier conservation and recreation lands acquisition program.
The 1,475-acre Greene property lies on the east side of the Suwannee River about 30 miles north of Lake City. The land is an important link between conservation lands along the river and the Pinhook Swamp conservation area, which is adjacent to the Osceola National Forest. Protection of the Greene property contributes to the larger O2O, which in turn is part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor - a statewide network of over 18 million acres that is Florida’s blueprint for landscape conservation. The O2O Corridor is one of the State’s priority conservation areas with over $400 million appropriated for land protection in the State’s 2023 budget. The Greene conservation easement is one of the largest State acquisitions in the O2O.
As a nonprofit land trust dedicated to conservation, ACT played a critical role by representing the Greene family and helping them navigate the Florida Forever process.
“My family has owned this property for over 100 years, going back to the time of free-range cattle and turpentining. We see the increasing development in our area and we wanted to protect our land. I am pleased that we have this opportunity to conserve our land with a conservation easement, and ACT helped us make it happen.”
“The Greene family have been incredible stewards dedicated to preserving and restoring their family land for generations. Their commitment to conservation as well as DEP’s has resulted in another successful project that is creating a more connected Florida Wildlife Corridor.”
The Greene property contains pine plantations and natural pine forests intermixed with forested wetlands and floodplains of the Upper Suwannee River. The sandy uplands provide habitat for anumber of imperiled species including the Eastern indigo snake and gopher tortoise. The large undeveloped tract is an important habitat for Florida black bear, turkey, and white-tail deer.
“We appreciate the work of great partners like Alachua Conservation Trust. The Greene conservation easement serves to further protect and link important Florida Forever priority areas. This project as a whole contributes to the Pinhook Swamp conservation area, one of Florida’s wildest natural landscapes.”
The Greene project is part of the 183,000-acre Pinhook Swamp Florida Forever project area in Columbia County. The conservation easement is an agreement between the landowners and the state to permanently prohibit development and land use conversion. It allows the family to continue to use the land for recreation, hunting, and timber production. The DEP owns and monitors the conservation easement.
More information about the Florida Forever program and priority areas can be found here.
For additional information about this project, please contact ACT at info@AlachuaConservationTrust.org or (352) 373-1078.
