Friday, June 14, 2002

Preservation Path: State May Buy Price's Scrub for Conservation

Ledwith Prairie is a piece of land conservationists hope to acquire that would be helpful in creating a corridor between Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Goethe State Forest. STEVEN McALPIN/Special to The Sun

Within the boundaries of a largely unspoiled tract of nearly 1,000 acres along Interstate 75 southwest of Micanopy, the ancient habitats range from flat, sandy scrub to steep terrain reminiscent of the foothills of North Carolina.

And through the middle of this diverse ecological expanse called Price's Scrub runs an artifact of cultural history – a remnant of a deep-rutted stagecoach route that ran from Ocala to Micanopy in the 19th century.

On Thursday, two dozen representatives of local and state land conservation groups drove and hiked over portions of the 952-acre Price's Scrub, which is proposed to be purchased as part of Florida's network of greenways and trails.

A purchase contract has been negotiated for $1.97 million, and later this month the Florida Cabinet will consider approving the project as part of the state's land acquisitions program.

"We feel good about its prospects," said Jena Brooks, director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Greenways and Trails. "It's beautiful. The overall plan to connect to Goethe (State Forest) is a dream we hope to participate in, and this would be an ideal first step."

Her office will make the presentation to Gov. Jeb Bush and his Cabinet. Brooks and several members of her staff drove from Tallahassee Thursday to tour Price's Scrub and several other nearby properties local conservation groups have identified as high priorities for preservation.

The tour was organized by the Micanopy-based Conservation Trust for Florida, and participants included representatives from Alachua County Forever, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and other state parks and preserves.

Supporters hope Price's Scrub in northwest Marion County will be the first in a series of dots that someday will connect the 18,000 acres of Paynes Prairie to the 50,000-acre Goethe State Forest 30 miles to the west.

"This large piece of intact, old-Florida landscape has the ability to connect to other pieces and create a larger network of native ecology," said Gary Meffe, executive director of the Conservation Trust for Florida. "Price's Scrub will help maintain that old-Florida heritage."

Mike Campbell, board president of Conservation Trust for Florida, used aerial and other maps to show the proposed connections. On the Alachua County side of the map, the 4,500-acre Ledwith Prairie and several other properties within the Levy Project now are under negotiation in the county's land acquisition program.

Michael Campbell, president of the board of directors of Conservation Trust for Florida, uses an aerial map Thursday to show conservationists and interested landowners property under contract for purchase. STEVEN McALPIN/Special to The Sun

"One of the things about all this is the supportiveness of neighboring landowners," Campbell said. "What's important about Price's Scrub is the number of properties in close proximity that are under or someday will be under ecological management."

Linda Duever is one of Price's Scrub's neighbors and is well versed in its native charms. A conservation consultant, she led participants up and down the ravines of the northern half of the property and across the sunbaked pine flatwoods in the southern scrub region, pointing out some of the plant life, sinkhole ponds and other natural features.

"This has been about 10 or 15 years in the works," Duever said. "We've always seen Price's Scrub as the key project to start with.

"From an ecological viewpoint, it's one of the few large parcels that was never plowed or significantly disturbed," she said. "From a recreation standpoint, it's an excellent site for hiking trails and equestrian trails.

"And from a regional landscape protection viewpoint, Price's Scrub forms the keystone parcel of the Northwest Marion Greenway," Duever said. "In a series of conservation projects, we're looking at connecting Paynes Prairie and Goethe forest."

If purchase of Price's Scrub is approved, it likely will be next year before it is opened to the public. But Duever said it already may be serving a public function.

"As much as anything, this project is giving people faith and enthusiasm that we can acquire land for greenways and trails, and that citizens can make progress," she said. "It's a beginning."

Bob Arndorfer can be reached at 374-5042 or .