North Florida Land Trust asking for donations to purchase land for conservation

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North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) is looking for donors to assist in the purchase of a 4.3-acre plot of land along A1A North. The property is located next to the McGarvey-Goelz Preserve in Ponte Vedra Beach, and it is currently advertised for sale for residential or multifamily development. But NFLT would like to purchase the land for preservation.

"We introduced ourselves to the realtor's representative and were able to negotiate a purchase price of $400,000 for the property," said Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT. “We have until Dec. 1 to raise the money to purchase this piece of land, which would give us access to property we already own and allow for public access for picnicking, canoeing and kayaking.”

The land, which is located at 1105 A1A N., is a wetland parcel with 0.55 acres of uplands containing a mixture of live oak hammock and cabbage palm that is surrounded by the freshwater wetlands of the Guana River. It is among the 112,346 acres in NFLT's seven-county focus area in critical need of preservation. The land contains a quality marsh habitat that is rich with wildlife, including roseate spoonbills, tricolored herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, white ibis, clapper rails and others.

The Guana River is the northernmost waterway feeding into the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve). It is one of 28 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems in the U.S. Those interested in donating to help with the acquisition of the property should send their donation to NFLT at 2038 Gilmore St. in Jacksonville or donate online at www.northfloridalandtrust.org. For further information, contact Jim McCarthy at jmccarthy@northfloridalandtrust.org or call (904) 479-1967.

NFLT is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that has protected thousands of acres of environmentally significant land, including property at Big Talbot Island, the River Branch Preserve, Pumpkin Hill State Park, Moccasin Slough and other natural areas predominantly in Northeast Florida.