Wakulla Springs Protection Zone
Cave divers explore one of the numerous sinks near Tallahassee, Florida. Photo by Andreas Hagberg.
Preserving Florida’s WONDROUS waters
The Wakulla Springs Protection Zone project was placed on the Florida Forever list in 1997. The total project area encompasses 7,811 acres, of which over 4,000 have already been acquired for protection.
In 2019, Conservation Florida played a critical role in protecting the 717-acre Wakulla Caves parcel, which is considered essential to the overall project’s success because of its key location between the Wakulla Springs State Park and the Apalachicola National Forest.
Conservation Florida is continuing to work with landowners inside the zone to protect additional parcels.
The Wakulla Springs Protection Zone will create a buffer of protected lands north of Wakulla Springs — Florida’s largest first magnitude spring and “one of the largest and deepest springs in the world,” according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In addition to protecting water quality and quantity at Wakulla Springs and the Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve to the south, land protected within the zone provides incredible opportunities for public recreational activities such as hiking, cave diving, camping, and hunting.