ACT Partners with State and Regional Conservation Programs to Protect North Florida’s Swamps and Sandhills
March 11, 2026
Gainesville, FL - ACT has protected over 1,000 acres in North Florida in partnership with several state and regional conservation funding programs. Through the Florida Forever Program, ACT’s efforts have led to the protection of 284 acres that will add to existing conservation lands within the Pinhook Swamp project area, Florida Wildlife Corridor, and Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor. The conservation easement will allow the property to continue to operate as working timberlands, while restricting future development and subdivision.
The property, which is located in Columbia County, is under intense development pressure from nearby Lake City. Deer, turkey, gopher tortoise, and black bear frequent the property and will continue to roam freely thanks to efforts by the owners to protect their land as habitat for wildlife. Prescribed fire is utilized to manage upland pine stands of various ages, creating an open understory of herbaceous plants that attract wildlife. Over 50 acres of wetlands on the property provide additional habitat for various species of fish, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as wading birds, including the Federally-threatened wood stork. These newly-protected wetland areas also buffer nearby riparian areas, including Falling Creek, which is a major tributary of the Suwannee River.
““We are grateful to the Thomas Family for their commitment to protecting their family-owned land through a conservation easement. The Florida Forever program is a much-needed state-level conservation option that provides families with the opportunity to protect their land, while also promoting low-impact agricultural practices that encourage long-term sustainability.””
An additional 814 acres in Gilchrist County within the Surface to Springs Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) area has also been placed under a permanent conservation easement. The Land West property is located just south of Cow Creek, which drains into the Santa Fe River, and is also near several other properties already in conservation. The easement, which received federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and matching funding from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, will restrict development and subdivision while protecting low-impact agricultural uses on the property. In addition to protection of the land with a conservation easement, ACT has assisted with efforts to convert the property to longleaf pine. Prescribed burns have been planned for over 200 acres.
““As someone committed to conservation and the preservation of Florida’s natural landscapes, I am honored to have partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and the NRCS RCPP program. Through our recent conservation easement and ongoing land management practices at Land West Holdings, these programs have enabled us to implement and enhance vital initiatives, including longleaf pine restoration, species protection, and prescribed burning. This has allowed for very important species, like the gopher tortoise, to thrive. This partnership has been instrumental in our mission to convert approximately 500 of our nearly 1,000 acres into longleaf pine. In addition to this restoration project, the partnership has helped protect our large basin marsh wetlands, which are connected by forested basin swamps of mature cypress and wetland hardwoods. I am forever grateful for the support of these programs and the significant impact they have on our land.””
State and federal-level funding for these two projects was critical for long-term protection and will add to the growing corridor of conserved lands within both the Pinhook Swamp and North Waccasassa Flats focal areas. Federal programs, including RCPP, provide up to 75% of the funding needed for conservation easements on agricultural lands. State programs such as Rural and Family Lands and Florida Forever help fill the gap in conservation funding, while also providing landowners with multiple avenues for protecting their land.
For additional information about this project, please contact ACT at info@alachuaconservationtrust.org or (352) 373-1078.
