Philanthropist Buys Time for Nature and Wildlife in Northern Everglades
Thanks to an anonymous conservation buyer, Eagle Haven (a 2,909-acre property on Lake Kissimmee) is getting a shot at permanent protection.
Conservation Florida successfully connected a conservation buyer with a critical conservation property in Polk County and will be working with the new owner to achieve its permanent protection.
Eagle Haven, formerly known as Lost Oak, is a landscape lost to time, where 300-year-old live oaks and saw palmettos anchor thriving ecosystems. It is a place where swamps and marshes support an abundance of life while slowly going about the business of purifying water that feeds the Kissimmee River. It is also home to bald eagles and a population of Florida’s beloved scrub jays.
However, with such natural beauty and over four miles of frontage on Lake Kissimmee, Eagle Haven was slated for a luxury golf resort development. The proposed development plan called for 40 cabins, a club house, two restaurants, a marina, and a clay shooting range.
Thanks to Conservation Florida, and a friend of wild Florida who wishes to remain anonymous, these plans have been halted. The property has been purchased by a philanthropist who intends to work with Conservation Florida to protect it using a conservation easement to restrict development rights in perpetuity.
This region is brimming with life and is home to roughly 38 federally-listed species and 161 state-listed threatened and endangered species. Our current work in this region will protect thousands of acres of family-run ranches and wild landscapes, which will provide significant habitat for Florida panthers and many other critical species like the grasshopper sparrow. Read more.
Conservation Florida and its partners launched the H2O: Headwaters to Okeechobee watershed protection initiative in November. This vital and vibrant landscape spans Orange, Osceola, Lake, Highlands, Glades, St. Lucie, Martin, and Polk counties.
This area contains historic cattle ranches, sweeping vistas, and critical ecosystems. Because it forms the headwaters of the Greater Everglades, its protection is vital for the future of Florida’s freshwater supply.
The purchase is a temporary measure that allows Conservation Florida and its partners in the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape and H2O: Headwaters to Okeechobee initiative time to seek funding to acquire a conservation easement on the land to ensure its permanent protection.
“We are grateful not only to the incredibly generous conservation buyer, but to our many partners in the region and to our advisory board member Carlton Ward, Jr. who helped connect us with the buyer,” said Traci Deen, Conservation Florida’s executive director and CEO. “This is a great example of how our conservation community is creatively working together to save Florida’s iconic natural habitats for future generations.”
The protection of Eagle Haven will provide many benefits to the public including the protection of Florida’s biodiversity at the species, natural community, and landscape levels. It has long been a high priority conservation area for Florida's rarest species.
“As we near the end of an especially challenging year, this news fills me with hope. By working together, we can protect enough of the missing links in the Florida Wildlife Corridor to save the green heart of our great state — for the benefit of water, wildlife and all Floridians,” said Carlton Ward Jr., founder of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and a Conservation Florida advisory board member.
Its protection also benefits tourism and recreation in the region.
Brad Weihrauch, president of the Kissimmee River Valley Sportsman Association, said, “Eagle Haven, formerly known as Lost Oak and Shady Oaks, is a critical component in The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and The Everglades Headwater National Wildlife Refuge. The protection of this valuable piece of Old Florida is pivotal to the quality of water that flows south to the beautiful Florida Everglades and out to our coastal estuaries. The partnering efforts and commitment to save Lost Oak shows the level of dedication that this area of the state needs and deserves.”
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!
