Conservation Florida Wins Full Funding for Arbuckle Creek Ranch
Arbuckle Creek winds its way through Highlands County toward Lake Okeechobee. Photo by Graham Norman.
Conservation Florida and its partners at Avon Park Air Force Range and NRCS have successfully secured funding to save the 1,250-acre Arbuckle Creek Ranch. The land will protect vital wildlife habitat, including Florida’s endangered cutthroat grass, and help sustain military readiness activities.
Avon Park, Fla., (June 15, 2021) — Conservation Florida, a dynamic driver of statewide land conservation, is moving quickly to protect 1,250 acres in Highlands County.
This will be one of many conservation lands to be permanently protected by Conservation Florida within its Headwaters to Okeechobee (H2O) regional partnership boundary. The H2O is a land conservation initiative that’s all about water in the Northern Everglades. This vibrant landscape contains historic cattle ranches, sweeping vistas, and vast ecosystems. Because it forms the headwaters of the Greater Everglades, its protection is critical for the future of Florida’s freshwater supply.
The owners of Arbuckle Creek Ranch signed an agreement with Conservation Florida in mid 2020 that gave the nonprofit time to seek funding to purchase a conservation easement, which is a binding legal agreement that permanently restricts development activities on environmentally sensitive lands.
A cowboy rides out on a foggy morning to tend cattle on Arbuckle Creek Ranch. Photo by Carlton Ward, Jr.
Conservation Florida achieved its fundraising goal through competitive federal grant programs and is now finalizing plans to permanently protect the land’s special attributes.
Arbuckle Creek Ranch is important to protect and beneficial to the public because it helps filter and replenish drinking water within the Lake Istokpoga watershed, which drains into the Kissimmee River and on to Lake Okeechobee. It also supports local agriculture, aids military readiness, and provides habitat for native plants and wildlife.
The ranch is within the boundaries of the Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) Sentinel Landscape. This vast landscape is centered around the Air Force’s “largest primary air-to-ground training range east of the Mississippi River,” according to APAFR.
“The protection benefits of Arbuckle Creek Ranch extend well beyond its boundaries,” said Traci Deen, Conservation Florida’s CEO. “It contributes to the health of the entire Greater Everglades Ecosystem and adds to the Florida Wildlife Corridor.”
Last year, the U.S. Dept. of Defense, through its Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, pledged over $1.7 million to support Conservation Florida’s campaign to protect Arbuckle Creek Ranch.
Now, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has awarded Conservation Florida and its regional partners the remaining funds needed to carry Arbuckle Creek Ranch over the finish line and protect this special property forever.
“When private landowners, nonprofits, and agencies work together, we can protect critical ranch lands within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape. Partnerships such as this one are helping to keep the ranching industry viable in Florida while protecting threatened ecosystems and wildlife,” said Juan Hernandez, NRCS state conservationist for Florida.
The NRCS administers the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program for Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE), which provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits.
In addition to the water, wildlife, and habitat benefits, protection of Arbuckle Creek Ranch will benefit Avon Park Air Force Range by reducing residential development that interferes with military operations.
“We are extremely grateful to NRCS for their support and are pleased to see this project move forward. Working in conjunction with NRCS and Conservation Florida to acquire a conservation easement on Arbuckle Creek Ranch is a tremendous opportunity to protect working lands, promote conservation, and enhance mission sustainability at Avon Park Air Force Range,” said Buck MacLaughlin, Lt. Col., Ret. AF. “Protecting this property buffers the flight path into Arbuckle Airfield and protects night-time military training by limiting dense construction of incompatible light sources. The ability to operate at night is a distinct advantage that our military forces use while serving our country.”
“Arbuckle Creek Ranch is an exceptional property,” said Adam Bass, Conservation Florida’s director of conservation. “It will protect a mile of natural land along Arbuckle Creek, two pristine streams, rangelands that are part of Highland County’s cultural heritage, and hundreds of acres of critical habitat.”
At a time when Florida is facing intense development pressures, ranchlands are sought after for conversion into large housing developments and planned communities. Conservation Florida has made ranchlands in the Northern Everglades a top protection priority within its Headwaters to Okeechobee regional land and water conservation initiative.
Arbuckle Creek Ranch is a family-run cow-calf operation where a herd of cattle is managed with the goal of raising calves to sell. It is also home to an endangered cutthroat grass community that spans 300 hundred acres.
The natural habitat on the property is also ideal for Florida scrub jays, eastern indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises. Florida panthers, and other endangered Florida species, have been documented on the ranch.
The Arbuckle Creek Ranch conservation easement project is one of many that Conservation Florida is working on in the Greater Everglades ecosystem. The larger goal of the regional initiative is to form a continuous conservation corridor stretching from the Everglades Headwaters to Lake Okeechobee.
Help Conservation Florida save more land and keep Florida wildly beautiful by making a donation today!
About Conservation Florida
Conservation Florida is a statewide accredited land trust with a mission to save Florida’s natural and agricultural landscapes for future generations. Our conservation projects support Florida’s native plants and wildlife, fresh water, conservation corridors, family farms and ranches, the economy and nature-based recreation. Since our founding in 1999, Conservation Florida has led the way in strategic and evidence-based land protection and has saved over 30,000 acres of critical habitat through acquisition, facilitation and incubation of conservation projects.
We save land by developing conservation strategies, exploring funding sources and purchasing or accepting donations of land and conservation easements. Our other services include providing expertise to guide landowners through the land protection process, serving as a trusted community partner to support statewide land conservation and promoting land conservation through effective education and advocacy. Our vision is large-scale, and we are 100% committed to conservation in the state of Florida – for nature, for people, forever!
About NRCS
NRCS puts more than 80 years of experience to work assisting America's private landowners with conserving their soil, water and other natural resources. Local, state and federal agencies and policymakers also rely on our expertise. We deliver technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs. Cost shares and financial incentives are available in some cases. The majority of conservation application is accomplished with local partners. Our partnership with local conservation districts serves almost every county in Florida. Participation in NRCS programs is voluntary.
About Avon Park Air Force Range
Avon Park Air Force Range is a 106,000-acre military training facility located in Polk and Highlands Counties, in South-Central Florida (see our official mission statement). The Fish, Wildlife, and Outdoor Recreation Program works in coordination with the Air Force to provide recreational opportunities to the public and military personnel.
APAFR is known as a world-class destination for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, birding, and outdoor educational opportunities for all ages.
