North Florida Land Trust: Conservation deal adds 1,600 acres to state’s Wildlife Corridor

U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean helped hammer out the deal to preserve land valued at $3.7M.

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North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) officials are highlighting a substantial conservation property acquisition brokered in Baker County.

The effort will preserve 1,685 acres of land in the area known as Thayendanegea Timber land. Several nonprofit and governmental organizations collaborated to close the conservation deal.

NFLT officials say they involved the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and other organizations to purchase the land easement valued at $3.7 million.

Allison DeFoor, President and CEO of NFLT, said he enlisted Fernandina Beach Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean in working to finalize the agreements.

“Sometimes projects like these need a little help from a friend, so I reached out to Congressman Aaron Bean to ask for assistance,” DeFoor said. “Congressman Bean and his team were able to help us move this project forward, and now there are 1,685 acres that will remain protected forever. We appreciate Congressman Bean stepping in to help and his commitment to what we do, because it is now or never.”

Much of the property is used for land management and controlled growth. Collections of wetlands dot the landscape, as do wildlife management efforts featuring species such as deer, turkey, dove and waterfowl.

The designated conservation tract is nestled within the Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor, which spans about 1.6 million acres of public and private property across approximately 100 miles through the Ocala National Forest and the Osceola National Forest.

For the NFLT, it’s the second high-profile preservation acquisition within the past few weeks. The most recent conservation acquisition was completed in late March when the NFLT preserved about 1,700 acres of property in St. Johns County just east of the Shands Bridge running along the shores of the St. Johns River.