The Florida Conservation Group (FCG) announced a significant conservation victory today, securing the permanent protection of more than 7,300 acres of working forests and farmland in rapidly developing Levy County.
The massive effort was achieved through a coordinated partnership utilizing two key state land conservation programs: the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida Forever program.
The newly protected land includes family-run farms, cattle ranches, and working timberlands, vital to both the state’s economy and environmental health.
A Tandem Approach to Preservation
The conservation easements were split between the two state programs, demonstrating how they can work together to safeguard Florida’s natural resources:
- RFLPP: Preserved approximately 3,500 acres of agricultural land, including 1,782.57 acres of a family-run farm and cattle ranch. This program focuses on keeping ranches and farmlands in operation, preventing future development while enhancing water quality, aquifer recharge, and flood hazard reduction.
- Florida Forever: Facilitated the conservation of more than 3,800 acres of working forests, which prioritizes ecologically significant land crucial for the state’s Wildlife Corridor.
“Programs like the RFLPP and Florida Forever are Florida’s most powerful tools to safeguard our working lands,” said Julie Morris, executive director of FCG. “These lands provide wildlife habitat, green space and clean air, as well as protect our water resources and our food security. They keep Florida running, and if we don’t protect them now, we risk losing them to sprawl.”
Protecting the Corridor and the Economy
The conservation easements allow landowners to maintain operational productivity while conserving their property in perpetuity. This is especially important for northern Florida, where timberlands comprise the bulk of the essential Wildlife Corridor.
Dr. T.R. Baxter, a landowner in Chiefland whose property was preserved, noted the increasing pressure on timber owners. “With the reduced demand for timber products there is strong incentive for landowners to subdivide their property resulting in fragmented habitat and a larger human footprint,” Dr. Baxter said. He added that the preservation “will benefit all people and all things wild through increased air quality (carbon sequestration), increased water quality (aquifer recharge) and wildlife corridor continuity.”
FCG, an organization that initially focused on ranchlands but expanded its mission to include working forests, stressed the urgency of acting now.
“The unbelievable growth over the last decade has positioned this region as the next frontier, and if we’re going to preserve Florida’s rural lands, the time to act is now,” said Don Quincey, an FCG board member and owner of Quincey Cattle Beef in Chiefland.
FCG noted that with growing interest from landowners, continued investment in both the Florida Forever and RFLPP programs is critical to protect more working lands before development irreversibly changes the landscape. This successful effort in Levy County, they concluded, shows what is possible when landowners, conservation groups, and state agencies collaborate.
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