Partnership with Cox Communications and ACT Puts Trees in the Ground and EcoRovers on the Trails
February 17, 2026
Gainesville, FL - Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) welcomes the addition of a brand new EcoRover, an all-terrain wheelchair, generously funded by Cox Communications. ACT’s EcoRover program aims to provide recreational access to local outdoor trail systems and events to the community in and around Alachua County at ACT preserves. The EcoRover features an adjustable joystick for rider or buddy use, can climb up to a 20% incline, and navigates sand, gravel, dirt, mud, mulch, snow, and grass.
This blue EcoRover, lovingly named “The Cox Mobile,” joins its counterpart, “Superman,” which was purchased in 2024 with support from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The addition of the second EcoRover expands ACT’s trail accessibility program by amplifying impact, both through increased registration capacity and also by making it feasible for people with mobility impairments to access trails together.
ACT and Cox began working together in 2023, from hitting the trail for a volunteer day and supporting ACT events such as TreeFest, this partnership has grown into quarterly volunteering and the incredible support for the trail accessibility program. ACT and Cox celebrated this collaboration with a tree planting workday last week, February 12th, 2026, at Little Orange Creek Nature Park and Preserve, where the Cox volunteer groups have planted over 3,000 longleaf pines. Staff from Cox were able to test drive the EcoRover and see the real impact their support has on the community.
““We’re proud to partner with Alachua Conservation Trust to introduce their newest EcoRover addition, The Cox Mobile. This collaboration is about more than technology; it’s about connecting people to nature. The Cox Mobile provides an opportunity for everyone to experience and enjoy our beautiful trails and outdoor spaces, regardless of physical limitations.” ”
““We are so honored to work with Cox Communications to bring another EcoRover to the community and see the impact of the program continue to grow. Over the past few years, we have gotten the privilege to work alongside the Cox Team doing invasive species removal and planting trees on our preserves. It is a joy to see the same faces every year and get to give back to the community and our environment together.”
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Those interested in supporting ACT’s trail accessibility program can donate online at https://www.alachuaconservationtrust.org/donate (please indicate “accessibility” in the comments online). Donations will be used to widen existing bridge structures, purchase a truck to transport the EcoRover to different preserves, and purchase equipment to retrofit the rover with even more adaptive capabilities to suit the needs of our community and make ACT’s conservation lands more accessible for everyone to recreate on and explore.
For additional information about the project, please contact ACT at info@AlachuaConservationTrust.org or (352) 373-1078.
