The Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) recently acquired a 538-acre conservation easement in Gilchrist County that will protect part of the North Waccasassa Flats region.

According to an ACT release, the Trust partnered with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to purchase the land owned by Bob and Lori Carroll which was acquired through the Florida Forever program.

“Working with Bob and Lori Carroll, as well as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, to protect the Carroll’s remarkable piece of North Florida’s natural heritage has been a pleasure,” said Tom Kay, Executive Director of Alachua Conservation Trust, in the release. “The North Waccasassa Flats is one of our region’s most extensive natural landscapes, and the Carroll property is an important part of it. The Carroll conservation easement is a lasting legacy for future generations to come.”

The North Waccasassa Flats is located in Florida’s Nature Coast — an approximately 14,000-acre undeveloped region between High Springs and Bell. The Flats is known for its various habitats and protects regional watersheds and groundwater resources.

The Carroll property contains habitat for species such as the Florida black bear, sandhill crane, and migratory bird species. The property also protects riparian wetlands surrounding Cow Creek, a major Santa Fe River tributary.

The Carrolls are working with ACT and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife program to restore upland habitat that will benefit species such as the Eastern Indigo snake and gopher tortoise.

“The conservation easement compliments our efforts to restore and manage native habitats while keeping the land in family ownership,” said Lori Carroll in the release. “We are glad that our land is forever protected from development. We thank FDEP for this opportunity, and ACT for guiding us through every step of the process.”

According to the ACT, the Florida Forever program is one of the nation’s largest and most successful land conservation initiatives and has been instrumental in acquiring land and conservation easements across the state to protect Florida’s natural resources.

The Carroll property is located just west of Canaan Ranch, a large privately-owned property recently protected with a conservation easement purchased through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).