D Ranch Preserve

D Ranch preserve is Conservation Florida’s very own piece of wild florida

 Thanks to a generous donation, Conservation Florida owns and permanently protects 476 acres in Osteen, within the City of Deltona, bordering the Lake Monroe Conservation Area.  

D Ranch Preserve, formerly known as D Ranch, served as a ranch and cow/calf operation for decades and is now a place of refuge for wildlife. Conservation Florida is in the process of enhancing and restoring the habitats for wildlife use.

The property is located on the corner of Reed Ellis Road and SR-415 and is across the street from Beck Ranch Park and borders the 7,487-acre Lake Monroe Conservation Area, which is managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District. In addition to buffering public conservation lands and adding a significant amount of upland and wetland habitat types to this conservation corridor, D Ranch Preserve also further protects the Lake Monroe watershed. 

The Preserve contains a mixture of several habitats such as critical Florida scrub habitat, scrubby flatwoods, mesic flatwoods, and depression marsh.

Many Florida species require these special habitats for their survival. Several plant and animal species documented and likely to occur on the property include eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, Florida mouse, wood stork, Florida black bear, pine lily, sky blue lupine and Florida scrub roseling. The Preserve is teeming with life from butterflies to bald eagles flying overhead, its abundance of biodiversity is a joy to behold.  

Though not currently open to the public, Conservation Florida has hosted several public events on the property. Team Conservation Florida enjoys welcoming visitors to the preserve for Wild Walks, Bioblitzes and other various events throughout the year.

Photos by Lloyd Wilkinson.

Click here to see if there are any upcoming events being held on the property. In the future, Conservation Florida plans to open D Ranch Preserve in its full glory as a public preserve. 

Support D Ranch Preserve

Join us in our efforts to support the conservation and exploration of wild Florida land. Please consider making a donation to fund Conservation Florida and its stewardship of D Ranch Preserve as a refuge for wildlife and people for years to come!