Conservation Florida and Florida Fish and Wildlife Advancing 23,000 Additional Acres Toward Permanent Conservation
A private property spanning more than 23,000 acres of natural land cover and pine silviculture in Florida is on the path to permanent protection, where it could help shape the future of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Trenton, Fla. (June 10, 2022) – Conservation Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have co-submitted an application for funding to permanently protect the Gilchrist Club. The application has been submitted to Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where it will be reviewed by the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC). The ARC is charged with evaluating, selecting, and ranking state land acquisition projects on the Florida Forever priority list, as well as reviewing management plans and future land uses.
“The FWC is excited to partner with Conservation Florida to propose the Gilchrist Club as a new Florida Forever project. The Gilchrist Club represents a unique opportunity to conserve valuable fish and wildlife habitat on a landscape level, while also providing new outdoor education opportunities for youth and families,” said Chris Wynn, FWC Regional Director.
Florida Forever is the state’s preeminent conservation and recreation lands acquisition program working to conserve natural and agricultural landscapes for future generations. The program has the ability to shape the future of Florida through land acquisition and protection that would provide a host of ecosystem benefits - including water quality, native plant and wildlife protection, and outdoor recreation. Through collaborative partnerships, Florida Forever serves as a blueprint for conserving the best of Florida's irreplaceable wild spaces.
Gilchrist Club spans more than 23,000 acres of stunning natural beauty in Trenton, Florida. The property has been carefully managed for wildlife and timber, which is beneficial to not only quail, but a host of other resident species as well - such as the southern fox squirrel, swallow-tailed kite, and eastern indigo snake. The owners have utilized prescribed fire as a safe way to apply a natural process of ensuring ecosystem health while mitigating invasive species, resulting in a pristine Florida wilderness.
"The Gilchrist Club is pleased to work with Conservation Florida as we seek to see our property permanently protected. We are grateful to the Acquisition and Restoration Council for their consideration in recommending us for Florida Forever funding, and to both the Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife for working with us on this special property," said Bob Menke, original landowner and founder of Gilchrist Club. "We are thrilled to expand the mission of the Gilchrist Club by conserving this magnificent landscape, so it remains this beautiful for generations of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen to enjoy."
Gilchrist Club is a one-owner property, which creates an ideal opportunity for the state to protect a large area of vital landscape in one acquisition. The property falls within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN), which is the science and data set used to guide Florida Wildlife Corridor boundary. The property is part of a wildlife corridor of statewide ecological significance connecting Goethe State Forest to the Sante Fe and Suwannee Rivers.
In addition to its size and ecological significance, what makes protection of this property extremely exciting is the opportunity to support an essential wildlife corridor as part of an expanding ecological network protecting essential wildlife, wetlands, and springsheds in the critical north-central Florida region. The property's northern neighbor is an existing Florida Forever boundary, the Waccasassa Flats. To the south is Goethe State Forest and other proposed conservation projects adjacent to Goethe. This broader landscape connection provides a range of upland and wetland habitats supporting a broad array of native species while providing important water resource protection.
Dr. Tom Hoctor, Director of the University Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and founder and lead scientist for the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) explains: “The property is a very important opportunity to protect a priority wildlife corridor in the FEGN that runs from Goethe State Forest in the south and north through Waccasassa Flats to the lower Sante Fe River. This corridor is also an important complement to the Florida Wildlife Corridor that will significantly enhance efforts to protect a connected network of conservation lands in north Florida as well as the rest of the state. It helps support connections between Gulf Hammock, Goethe State Forest, Sante Fe River, Suwannee River, Camp Blanding, and the Osceola National Forest. Together these systems are an essential part of Florida’s efforts to protect a statewide wildlife corridor system.”
Conserving Gilchrist Club gives added hope for species that require room to roam and are dependent on the conservation of connected natural lands for their survival. Intact properties of this size, ecological value, and a willingness to explore conservation are few and far between which makes this opportunity a big and exciting one.
Conservation Florida, and our partners at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, are committed to connecting and protecting a statewide conservation corridor. Protecting these vast landscapes protects our native plants and animals, provides places to get outside and enjoy nature, contributes to a strong economy, and safeguards our water resources.
Notably, the Gilchrist Club property is home to an important wetland complex boasting three distinct watersheds – Waccasassa, Suwannee, and Sante Fe – whose flow directly impacts the Gulf of Mexico and the Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve. Protecting the property would conserve 11,000 acres of wetlands alone.
"By tapping into the power of partnership, we're advancing land conservation that directly protects water, wildlife, and wild spaces," said Traci Deen, Conservation Florida's President and CEO. "We're grateful to The Gilchrist Club for their interest in permanent conservation, and are proud to submit this property for consideration with our partners at FWC."
Help Conservation Florida save more land like the stunning Gilchrist Club property. We invite you to link arms with us, and fund land conservation like the future of Florida depends on it - because it does.
About Conservation Florida:
Conservation Florida is a statewide accredited land conservancy working to conserve Florida’s water, wildlife, wild places, and protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Our conservation projects support Florida’s native plants and wildlife, fresh water, wildlife corridors, family farms and ranches, the economy, and nature-based recreation. Since its founding in 1999, Conservation Florida has prioritized strategic and evidence-based land protection and has saved over 30,000 acres of critical habitat.