The Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) recently completed the transfer of an extensive cave system connected to Manatee Springs State Park to the state of Florida in February.

According to an ACT press release, the 288-acre Manatee Springs Addition in Levy County was purchased in 2021 by ACT after a major public appeal, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars incurred by the non-profit land trust, kept the area from being sold to developers.

The addition buffers existing state park lands along the southeast boundary and features multiple sinkholes. The addition includes the largest known cave systems in Florida with more than 20,000 feet of explored and mapped underground conduits.

Manatee Springs is a popular destination for cave divers, tourists and local swimmers. Manatees also use the springs as a refuge during the winter months when temperatures in the Suwannee River become too cold and they go to the spring for warmth.

“Since 2019, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has conserved over 220,000 acres through the Florida Forever Program. Land trusts like ACT continue to play an important role in stewarding projects like the Manatee Springs Addition and working in tandem with DEP to protect the lands that make our state a special place to live and visit.,” said Callie DeHaven, DEP Division of State Lands director, in the press release.

Loans, donations and financing from the landowners themselves helped ACT to secure the property which included a long-term plan to sell the tract to the State. While incurring interest fees on the loans, ACT held the property for more than two years while working to incorporate the natural area into the existing park boundary. The sale was finalized in January, but ACT will continue to fundraise in order to pay off the remaining loans that weren’t covered by the state acquisition.

“We are grateful to every donor and lender who contributed to this conservation effort as we raced against the clock to protect it back in 2021,” said Tom Kay, the ACT executive director, in a press release. “Together with ACT donors and supporters, the owners of the property, and the State, we were able to see this project across the finish line. Conserving this land benefits our springs, rivers, aquifer, and wildlife. Continued funding for the Florida Forever Program is vitally important for land conservation projects like this one, which not only provide increased public recreation, but also preserve recharge areas around our fragile springs.”