by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A local nonprofit has identified 20 parcels of land in the Pumpkin Hill/Timucuan Preserve on the City’s Northside that it plans to hold in conservation easements.
The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has a big wish list on its 10th birthday as it plans to acquire the properties near Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park to protect the quality of land and water in the area.
“The National Park Service, Florida State Parks and City of Jacksonville deal in big pieces of land when they take on a conservation project,” said Bonnie Barnes, executive director of the NFLT. “We can help pick up the little pieces. We fill in the Swiss cheese of the area’s park systems.”
Barnes is passionate about the importance of the acquisitions for different reasons.
“This is a beautiful place that can provide plenty of recreational opportunities for people,” said Barnes, “By placing this land in a conservation easement we can also help protect the health of the river and the community.”
The protection Barnes spoke of comes from reducing the amount of developed land along the tributaries of the St. Johns River. Developments near Pumpkin Hill Creek Reserve State Park would require septic systems because City sewer service isn’t available in the area.
“That presents the chance for those systems to leak into the water,” said Barnes.
The City of Jacksonville has created a Septic Tank Removal Program to connect Jacksonville neighborhoods to sewer lines in troubled areas to prevent the systems from damaging the river.
“There are about 50 impaired tributaries in the area,” said Mark Middlebrook, interim director of the St. John’s River Alliance and advisory board member of the NFLT. “If you have areas that are still healthy, it makes sense to protect them.”
The NFLT promotes its idea of conservation throughout seven counties: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns. Some of the properties it has protected include the 250-acre Moccasin Slough and the 245-acre North Fork Ranch in Clay County; 40 acres at Pescatello Island, a 360-acre conservation easement in Atlantic Beach from Dutton Island to the Intracoastal, 4.67 acres at Bogey Creek in Pumpkin Hill/Timucuan Preserve in Duval County and the 41-acre Gloria Child Goelz Preserve in St. Johns County.
The NFLT has been on a mission of “permanently preserving natural areas and special places in North Florida” for 10 years and will recognize that milestone with a celebration in October. For more on the NFLT go to www.northfloridalandtrust.org.
356-2466