Alachua Conservation Trust Conserves 288 Acres of Land Above Manatee Springs Cave System

January 7, 2022

Gainesville, Florida – Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) has permanently protected 288 acres of land immediately adjacent to Manatee Springs State Park thanks to an outpouring of public support for the project. Comprised of multiple sinkholes, a twisting underground cave system and mature hardwood forest, ACT intends to sell this stretch of land to the state to be incorporated into the existing state park.

Wrapping around the park’s southern and eastern edges, the 288-acre property boundary is a mere 0.5 miles from the Manatee headspring. The land is also directly within the Manatee Springs Priority Focus Area, Lower Suwannee Priority Focus Area and the Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), making it a high-priority conservation area for the state.

The property’s underground cave system, karst features and proximity to the park directly connect it to Manatee Springs, a first magnitude impaired Outstanding Florida Spring and the largest of its kind on the Suwannee River.

Before bubbling to the surface from a vast, intricate system of underwater caverns, spring water first moves through the surrounding underground lime rock and sands. These surrounding lands act as a sponge, soaking up rainwater that eventually reaches the Floridan Aquifer - the main drinking water source for North Florida.

“The interconnectedness of a spring to its surrounding lands cannot be emphasized enough,” said ACT executive director, Tom Kay. “Alachua Conservation Trust is grateful for the seller’s willingness to finance part of the sale and the ACT supporters who provided loans and donations to conserve these 288 acres.  This land contributes directly to the water quality of the area springs, aquifer recharge and the protection of Florida’s drinking water resources.”

According to Florida State Parks, between 35 and 150 million gallons of clear water flow from the first magnitude spring every day into the Suwannee River — with a daily average of 100 million gallons. 

The area is also rich with history, where Manatee Spring and its surrounding lands have felt the footprints of both today’s tourists and early Paleo Indians. Artifacts found on the land indicate that humans have lived on this land for at least nine thousand years.

Today, Manatee Springs State Park’s trails take visitors through a tangle of hickory, magnolia, holly and oak trees, where multiple sinkholes await exploration. Visitors frequent the area for hiking, biking, camping, fishing, swimming, cave diving, paddling and wildlife viewing.

And as the largest single spring flowing into the Suwannee River, Manatee Spring and its surrounding lands have also long been famous as a safe haven for wintering manatees, where visitors flock from all over the world to see these gentle giants.

Additional land next to Manatee Springs State Park is currently under threat of residential development. As development pressure increases in the area, it is more crucial than ever to preserve these vulnerable karst features and maintain a buffer around the existing state park.

Private bridge loans, owner financing, and public donations helped ACT acquire the property in the final days of 2021. A special donor match challenge online also raised $70,575 towards the project.

ACT is working on a regional level to protect springs, rivers and the Floridan aquifer in the Suwannee, Santa Fe and Ichetucknee watersheds.

This project is one of many that ACT is focusing on within the Santa Fe River Corridor. Over 62% of the Santa Fe River is protected along one shore or the other as conservation land and ACT and its partners are working to protect as much as 75% of the river by 2045.

For more information about Alachua Conservation Trust or this acquisition, call (352) 373-1078 or email info@alachuaconservationtrust.org.

Banner image by Alison Blakeslee.