North Florida Land Trust
Media Release
November 16, 2020
Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 16, 2020 – North Florida Land Trust has received the final donation needed to obtain 12 acres of land to expand Bogey Creek Preserve in north Jacksonville. An anonymous donor gave the nonprofit land conservation organization $100,000 to help them reach the purchase price of $150,000 to acquire the land from the McGehee family.
This anonymous donation actually exceeds what we still needed for this project and the remaining funds will go to our Amelia Forever Campaign.
“The community has been very supportive of our efforts to preserve this beautiful piece of property which will expand the trails at Bogey Creek for everyone to enjoy,” said Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT. “We are happy we will finally be able to purchase this land from the McGehees who have been trying to sell the land for preservation for many years. This anonymous donation actually exceeds what we still needed for this project and the remaining funds will go to our Amelia Forever Campaign.”
The additional 12 acres contain forests and streams which will expand Bogey Creek Preserve’s trail system. The public park, located off Cedar Point Road, is a mix of maritime hammock, mixed pine-oak forest and seep-fed cypress swamps. The preserve neighbors Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and protects nearly one mile of critical marsh front on Clapboard and Bogey Creeks.Bogey Creek Preserve was acquired in 2017 through community donations and was opened to the public in 2019. NFLT will officially acquire the additional 12 acres in January.
This anonymous donation, donations from the community and a matching $10,000 donation from Timucuan Parks Foundation helped the nonprofit exceed the $150,000 purchase price. The additional funds will go to the Amelia Forever Campaign which was created to acquire the remaining natural spaces that exist on Amelia Island. More information about the campaign can be found at www.nflt.org/ameliaforever.
About North Florida Land Trust
North Florida Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to protect the natural resources, historic places and working lands (farms and ranches) throughout north Florida. Founded in 1999, NFLT has preserved tens of thousands of acres of land through donation or purchase of land as well as conservation easements. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with willing landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visit nflt.org.
Outstanding news!