North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has received a donation of land in Southeast St. Johns County, according to an announcement from the organization. The 4-acre property is located in an area that is often targeted for development, but the previous owners decided to preserve it.
“This land is in an area that is very attractive to developers, but thankfully the property owners realized the value in keeping this land in its natural state,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “We appreciate that they reached out to us to take ownership and preserve this land because it is now or never. This is a real win for community conservation.”
The donated property contains various types of vegetation such as black mangrove, southern red cedar, oak, Indian blanket flower, and sabal palm. Preserving the site will help provide habitat for wildlife.
NFLT noted that the conservation value of this property aligns with its Salt Marsh and Climate Resilience Priority Preservation Area. This initiative focuses on protecting salt marshes and coastal habitats that offer important benefits like climate resilience, hurricane buffering, flood prevention, and storm surge reduction.
NFLT will manage the land according to its conservation mission. The organization plans to install signage around the property and organize ongoing cleanup efforts, which may include volunteer events as needed due to debris from tides or visitors.
North Florida Land Trust describes itself as a nonprofit dedicated to preserving lands of ecological significance in North Florida.
