Watermelon Pond Conservation Area Expanded with 290-Acre Addition

Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) has facilitated the acquisition of the 290-acre “Goethe Addition” property by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The property, located in Levy County, will be managed by Goethe State Forest. The Goethe Addition was acquired through the Florida Forever program, Florida’s premier conservation and recreation lands acquisition program.

The addition is located in the heart of the Watermelon Pond conservation area, which spans southwest Alachua County and northeast Levy County and contains one of the last remaining native longleaf pine landscapes in North Florida. Watermelon Pond itself is a sprawling complex of ponds, sloughs, and prairies. It is a haven for birds, including wood storks, bald eagles, and the northernmost population of Florida burrowing owls. The Watermelon Pond conservation area includes public lands managed in partnership by Alachua County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Forest Service. These lands are popular destinations for hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

District Recommends Three ACT Conservation Projects for Springs Funding

In May, the Suwannee River Water Management District (District) Governing Board recommended eight projects totaling more than $66 million for springs funding through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) springs and watershed restoration program. Three of the eight recommended projects were submitted by ACT:

Eikel Farm Ichetucknee (Columbia County): ACT will apply $402,750 along with matching funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost-share program for the acquisition of 179 acres in the Ichetucknee Springs Priority Focus Area to protect and manage private land to benefit water and wildlife.

Evergreen Ponds (Columbia County): This request for $721,502 for a 451-acre conservation easement is a 50% match for NRCS funds providing water resource protection in the Ichetucknee Springs Priority Focus Area.

Devil’s Ear Recharge (Gilchrist County): This $660,000 request will provide a match to NRCS funds for a conservation easement of 355 acres of high recharge soils and managed pasture in the Devil’s Ear Priority Focus Area for water resource protection.

In total, ACT's proposed projects will provide land protection for 985 acres within the District. An additional land conservation project submitted by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy was also recommended for funding.

Read the announcement here

ACT in the News

The tree's truth: Once dominant, longleaf pines face the growing threat of climate change

By Veronica Nocera, WUFT

Read the article here

Photo by Lori Carroll.

Discovering a New Side of Gainesville

By Peyten Hernandez, Spring 2024 Outreach Intern

As a senior in high school I remember being asked why I wanted to move to Gainesville and attend UF. There was no shortage of people telling me that there was nothing to do in Gainesville and that I would be bored. I always responded the same way: “but there’s football and the springs!” Yet somehow it took me almost four years to visit the nearby springs for the first time. Interning at ACT has illuminated, for me, the disconnect between UF students and the Gainesville community. Tabling and attending work days for ACT has opened my eyes to an entire community I hadn’t interacted with before, one where conservation is a driving force bringing everyone together.

From 5ks for the springs, to cleaning up preserves, to removing invasive species, I’ve learned that the residents of Gainesville are meeting up outside supporting one another. If you research Gainesville on any travel website, they’ll say the same thing: go outside. And that’s exactly what Gainesville’s residents do. Through meeting and talking with Gainesville locals, it seems like everyone knows everyone, and they love where they live.

"...I am so thankful to have had this experience throughout my last semester of college. As students, we get so caught up in life on campus that we are blinded to everything Gainesville and North Central Florida truly has to offer."

Fond Farewells & Welcome New Staff!

Please join us in bidding a fond farewell to Kristen Polacik and Taylor White. Kristen served as ACT's Rangeland Specialist in Okeechobee County for the past year. Kristen is headed to USDA's Agricultural Research Service as a support scientist. Many know Taylor from Rock Bluff Springs where he helped maintain the park and expand the hiking trails for the last three years. Taylor graduated this spring from the University of Florida and is taking a full-time forestry position with Goethe State Forest. We wish both Kristen and Taylor the very best in their future endeavors!

Please also join us in welcoming the following new ACT staff members:

Susan "Suzy" Koehler, RCPP Coordinator

Suzy joins ACT to support its Regional Conservation Partnership Programming (RCPP). Suzy most recently led a nationwide grant program in support of women, minority, and veteran-owned small business owners, as well as community contributions for Sam's Club, and the Walmart Foundation from its home office in Bentonville, AR.

In 2018, she joined the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust (NWALT) to lead its Farmland Preservation, Access, and Support Program which was key to a broader initiative to strengthen the local food system. For NWALT, this work included a farm-linking effort, and easement acquisition funding to make farmland more affordable to next-generation farmers in part through RCPP opportunities.

Rachelle Berger, Rangeland Specialist - Okeechobee County

Rachelle has joined ACT as our new Rangeland Specialist in Okeechobee County. She is a native South Floridian with a background in environmental management, higher education industry, and sustainable agriculture. Rachelle has been a scientist and scholar for over 15 years working both in field and laboratory. She is a triple gator and earned her Master’s at the University of Florida in Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences, a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture and Urban Land Management as well as her B.S. in Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Rachelle has been very involved within the community serving as President, Vice-President, and Secretary on university and industry associations. Rachelle has had extensive hands-on experience in soils, nutrient management, best management practices, irrigation, and crop production.

Read their full bios here

Upcoming Events

Featured Event

Learn more

CrEEK Family Fest

Saturday, June 1st from

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuscawilla Preserve

(Google Maps) Parking available across the street at the Micanopy Native American Heritage Preserve

Join ACT for a free, family-friendly day of environmental education activities along the trails at Tuscawilla Preserve.

Visit the ACT Booth at Brew at the Zoo

Saturday, June 8th from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Join ACT at Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo's third annual Brew at the Zoo. Enjoy craft beers from local breweries, live music, and animal encounters while supporting conservation efforts. More info here.

Visit the ACT Booth at the World Sea Turtle Day Celebration

Sunday, June 16th from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

Join ACT at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville for World Sea Turtle Day. Learn about Florida sea turtles and what we can do to protect them. More info here.

View all upcoming event details here

You make conservation possible!

Thank you for donating your time, money, and energy to making ACT's work a success.

Please donate today - or consider including ACT in your estate planning - to save wild spaces, train the next generation of land stewards, and open up new public preserves to your community.

THANK YOU!