Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
January 4, 2018 1:00 a.m.
The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) ended 2017 on a high note with acquisition of many land parcels throughout the region destined either for conservation or to be sold so that other parcels can be purchased for conservation.
North Florida Land Trust is a non-profit organization that serves as a champion of environmental protection primarily in Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union and Volusia counties. NFLT was founded in 1999 and has protected thousands of acres of environmentally significant land including property at Big Talbot Island, the River Branch Preserve, Pumpkin Hill State Park, Moccasin Slough, along the St. Mary’s River and other valued natural areas predominantly in Northeast Florida.
Clay County: NFLT received a donation of 388 acres along Black Creek and Doctors Lake. South Doctors Lake, Ltd. gave the property, which has high conservation value, to the land conservation organization. The property is in Fleming Island and Middleburg and is adjacent to the nonprofit’s Black Creek Preservation Priority Area.
Duval County: North Florida Land Trust received a gift from two Jacksonville families; more than 30 acres of land. The Wilensky family donated more than 21 acres located near the Jacksonville-Baldwin border and the Hoffman family donated more than eight acres of land located on the Northside of Jacksonville. NFLT will not be keeping the properties, but will instead be using the donations to raise money for their mission. In separate action North Florida Land Trust accepted a donation of properties from PHS Industries Inc., the company that owned the property that was originally slated to be used by Google for its fiber-optics project in Jacksonville. The company donated the three vacant lots to the land conservation organization, which will in turn sell the properties and use the money to fund their mission.
Columbia County: NFLT acquired a donation of more than 522 acres of land along the Ocala to Osceola, or O2O, wildlife corridor. The property is located between 441 and the western boundary of the Osceola National Forest, just two miles south of the Florida-Georgia border in White Springs, FL in Columbia County. The land was donated to NFLT by Rebecca Carter Nowicki in memory of John Michael Carter.
NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with private landowners and other public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visit www.northfloridalandtrust.org.
No donations were noted for Nassau County, although there are other ways to place lands in conservation than donating them to NFLT.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.