Conservation Florida Secures Time to Protect Lake Marion Preserve Thanks to a Conservation Buyer
A friend of Florida, who wishes to remain anonymous, worked with Conservation Florida to outbid a developer and purchase 700+ acres on Lake Marion in Polk County.
Haines City, Fla. (July 27, 2021) – Conservation Florida, a dynamic driver of statewide land conservation and partner in the protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, announced today the temporary protection of Lake Marion Preserve. The group plans to permanently protect the land with Polk County, US Fish and Wildlife, and other partners.
“Working with a conservation buyer allowed us to move quickly to get this high-priority property off the market,” said Adam Bass, Conservation Florida’s director of conservation. “There were competing bids from developers, but now we have time to pull together funding for its permanent protection.”
The significance of its location cannot be overstated. Lake Marion Preserve falls within the boundaries of Conservation Florida’s Headwaters to Okeechobee (H2O) Initiative and within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. It is also within the Avon Park Air Force Range’s Sentinel Landscape and adjacent to other protected land.
Once permanently protected, it will expand on current conservation lands within the Florida Wildlife Corridor that cover more than 3,000 acres from Catfish Creek Preserve to Lake Wales Ridge State Forest.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a geographic boundary based on decades of scientific research. But it is more than lines on a map. It is a statewide vision for Florida’s conservation lands that addresses the need for landscape-scale conservation approaches, and specifically corridors, to save land critical to the survival of Florida species.
Lake Marion Preserve contains federally listed and state listed flora and fauna species including a rare habitat known as Rosemary Scrub. As habitat management is undertaken on the Preserve, the area is anticipated to increase its’ listed species utilization.
Rosemary scrub habitat, also called rosemary bald, is a relatively open landscape characterized by large Florida Rosemary shrubs (Ceratiola ericoides). While it is locally common in Highlands County and a few other regions of Florida, Florida Rosemary is still under threat from habitat destruction and degradation. The threatened sand skink is found primarily in the rosemary scrub habitat of Central Florida. Photo by Adam Bass.
Due to the overgrown habitat conditions, no Florida Scrub-Jays are currently within the Preserve; however, the adjacent managed public land supports several family groups. The Scrub-Jay Recovery Team identified this property as important to the future of the Florida Scrub-Jay because it contains habitat needed by the birds to increase the number of family groups in the area. With proper management the preserve is anticipated to provide additional habitat not just for Florida Scrub-Jays but for a suite of species.
The Florida Scrub Jay is the only bird species endemic to Florida, meaning its found nowhere else in the world. It inhabits sand pine and xeric oak scrub, and scrubby flatwoods. It is listed as a threatened species because of loss, fragmentation, and degradation of scrub habitats throughout Florida, due primarily to urbanization, agriculture, and fire suppression. Prescribed burning is an essential element to conserving the Florida Scrub-Jay. Photo by Adam Bass.
“The bigger the population, the better for the species, said Todd Mecklenborg, the Service’s species lead recovery biologist for the Florida Scrub-Jay. As a member of the Florida Scrub-Jay Recovery Team, I believe this property will increase the carrying capacity for the Lake Wales Ridge genetic unit, which means a more resilient and robust population of Florida Scrub-Jays in the area.”
Sand skinks are another threatened species that would benefit from protection and restoration of the habitat at Lake Marion Preserve. “Sand skinks are endemic to xeric habitats found along Central Florida sand ridges, and remnants of ancient coastal dunes created during events when sea levels rose and fell. These habitats include rosemary scrub, scrubby flatwoods, sand pine and oak scrubs, and turkey oak ridge,” according to the Florida Natural Areas Inventory. The Florida sand skink is found only in seven Central Florida counties: Osceola, Polk, Lake, Highlands, Putnam, Orange, and Marion.
With over 400 acres of xeric scrub habitat and over 3 miles of shoreline on Lake Marion, it is critical that partners find the funding to repay the conservation buyer and bring the ownership of the property into public hands.
Conservation Florida and its partners have secured partial funding and are working to sort out the details of ownership and management of the land, but eventually, the partners envision the land as a public park with the addition of a conservation easement held by Conservation Florida
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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!
About Polk County
Polk County is a leading contributor to the state’s economy and politics. While citrus, cattle, agriculture and the phosphate industry still play vital roles in the local economy, an increased focus on the quickly expanding high-tech I-4 corridor has taken hold. The county’s location between both the Tampa and Orlando metropolitan areas has aided in the development and growth of the area. Residents and visitors alike are drawn to the unique character of the county’s numerous heritage sites and cultural venues, tourism attractions, stunning natural landscapes, and many outdoor activities, making Polk the heart of Central Florida.
About USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the premier government agency dedicated to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats. We are the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of these important natural resources for the American public.
The Service's origins date back to 1871 when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease in the nation’s food fishes and recommend ways to reverse that decline. (More on our history below.) Today, we are a diverse and largely decentralized organization, employing about 8,000 dedicated professionals working out of facilities across the country, including a headquarters office in Falls Church, Virginia, and eight regional offices representing the 12 Unified Interior Regions.