Progress at Conservation Florida’s D Ranch Preserve
Once a historic cattle ranch, D Ranch Preserve is now a haven for wildlife. Thanks to a generous donation, Conservation Florida owns the 476-acre preserve in Volusia County. Learn more about D Ranch Preserve here.
Management Plan Complete
Forever is a mighty long time! That’s why land conservancies like Conservation Florida make management plans for properties that we are responsible for protecting in perpetuity. Making sure our preserves are appropriately taken care of is known as stewardship and “includes working to maintain or improve the ecological processes and functions of the landscape,” according to the Land Trust Alliance.
Conservation Florida’s land protection team developed a plan to restore native habitat at D Ranch Preserve while allowing for limited public use of the land.
The management plan ensures that permitted activities are compatible with the conservation goals, stewardship policies, and mission of Conservation Florida as required for national accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission. The plan outlines the ways in which Conservation Florida will restore D Ranch to its natural state and eventually open it up to the public for hiking, horseback riding, and academic research.
Lillian Dinkins, Conservation Florida’s land protection fellow, helped catalog species, and assess the habitats in need of restoration. Over 60 species of native plants have been documented at D Ranch, including rare pine lilies and orchids. Conservation Florida is restoring critical Florida scrub habitat and scrubby flatwoods for the benefit of many Florida species such as Florida Scrub Jays, sand skinks, eastern indigo snakes, wood storks, and burrowing owls.
Restoration Underway
Work has begun to prepare the land for a controlled burn, which will help the native plant communities on the property thrive. In addition, our team is working to remove invasive species, plant native plants, and create trails.
The property served as a cow/calf operation for decades and protects the Lake Monroe Watershed. Its protection created a connected corridor of conservation lands that will protect wildlife habitat and water feeding into both Lake Monroe and the St. John’s River!
Get Involved
D Ranch Preserve is not open to the public, but we regularly host guided tours and public events on the property. From logging biodiversity at our annual bioblitz to leading bird watching hikes and volunteer clean-up events with partnering organizations, we invite you to join us at D Ranch Preserve soon.
Sign up for our email news alerts to receive invitations to special events and to be notified of volunteer opportunities at the preserve.
