The North Florida Land Trust has added nearly eight acres of land along the Guana River to its portfolio through a donation from local real estate developers.
Known as “The Grove,” the parcel is located at the southwest corner of Mickler’s Landing and A1A. Situated between the McGarvey-Goelz Preserve – which NFLT has owned since 2004 – and Guana Tolomato Matanzas Natural Estuarine Research Reserve, The Grove property was among 112, 346 acres that NFLT had deemed in critical need of preservation. The marsh habitat’s wildlife includes roseate spoonbills, tricolored herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, white ibis, clapper rails and more.
The property’s donors – Gary and Laine Silverfield and Christie Atkerson – are long-time partners in the real estate development business.
“We are thrilled to see the development community responding to our preservation portfolio and working with us to protect the natural areas in North Florida,” said NFLT Executive Director Jim McCarthy, who noted that the acquisition was the organization’s third within the past month, with two more currently in process. In early December, the organization received a donation of land on Big Talbot Island from Charles Chupp, a local real estate investor and developer. The land trust also purchased a piece of property in St. Johns County from Fletcher Davis Management Group when the developer offered the land for sale after hearing it was included in the preservation portfolio.
