Alachua County Forever, the County’s environmental land acquisition program, has closed on the purchase of 2.58 acres from Lucretia Brooks. The closing was held on Friday, December 9, 2022, and involved the public-private partnership (critical to the County’s land conservation program). Funding for this acquisition was provided by the voter-approved Wild Spaces and Public Places one-half-cent sales tax.
Located east of Waldo, this property falls within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a critical area for land conservation locally and statewide. Small but important, the property was a privately-owned inholding within Alachua County’s Lake Alto Preserve, and its protection strengthens the habitat management and recreational opportunities in the preserve. This $11,000 purchase by Alachua County also falls within an area of significant focus by Alachua County and other conservation partners to protect water resources and wildlife habitat between Lake Alto and Lake Santa Fe. Staff was excited to observe a tree with claw marks from a Florida Black Bear during an early site visit to the property, which is primarily pine flatwood’s habitat.
Since County voters reauthorized Wild Spaces and Public Places in 2016, Alachua County Forever has protected an additional 13,482 acres. In addition, the program has protected 32,583 acres since its inception in 2000.
For more information, contact Land Conservation and Management Program Manager Andi Christman at 352-264-6803 or
achristman@alachuacounty.us.