CRESCENT CITY, Fla. — A family cattle ranch nestled between Lake George and Crescent Lake will remain free of development after a conservation easement was purchased, protecting just over 518 acres in Putnam County.
The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT), in coordination with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), facilitated the transaction. FDEP purchased the conservation easement for $1.18 million through the Florida Forever Program.
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The property, owned by the Hoffmeister family since 1968, sits approximately one mile outside of Crescent City and is surrounded on three sides by the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Lake George Conservation Area. It falls within the Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor, a 1.6-million-acre stretch of public and private land running 100 miles between the Ocala and Osceola National Forests.
The land supports a diverse array of wildlife, including deer, turkey, gopher tortoises, wading birds and a nesting pair of bald eagles.
Ecosystems on the property include oak hammocks, scrub habitat, natural and improved wetlands, and two unnamed tributaries flowing toward Lake George. Nearly half of the acreage is freshwater wetlands.
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The Hoffmeister family has operated the land as a working cattle ranch since its purchase, with portions leased to local cattlemen. Under the conservation easement, the family retains ownership and may continue using the property as they have for decades.
“This property is a beautiful place, and we wanted to keep it protected and free of development so future generations of our family could enjoy and appreciate the nature, wildlife and agriculture on the property,” said Bill Hoffmeister. “Placing a conservation easement on the property allows us to do our part to slow the growth of development in the O2O and protect the aquifer and the many fragile ecosystems found here.”
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Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT, called the acquisition a critical addition to the corridor.
“With the purchase of this conservation easement agreement, this land is protected forever and will never be rooftops,” DeFoor said. “A piece of old Florida has been saved forever.”
NFLT leads the O2O Wildlife Corridor Partnership, a coalition of organizations committed to protecting and connecting lands throughout the corridor.
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