Two Florida organizations have partnered to protect more than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat, as part of an effort to accelerate conservation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Conservation Florida and the MDS Land Conservation Foundation announced this week that they worked together to conserve two donated two properties in Marion and Volusia counties as part of a new long-term partnership. The properties are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, an 18-million-acre network of interconnected and protected lands spanning the state.
The corridor connects critical habitats to provide such benefits as protecting threatened species like the Florida panther, safeguarding Florida’s water resources and bolstering the state’s resilience against climate change. While about 10 million acres within the corridor have been conserved, another 8 million acres remain unprotected.
Florida’s growth is putting development pressure on those lands, as more than 1,000 new residents move to the state each day. The loss of wild lands led Michael and Deborah Sciarrino to found the MDS Foundation in 2022.
“Our family has decided to make a long-term commitment to conserving as much of the Florida Wildlife Corridor as we are able,” Michael Sciarrino said in a news release. “We view this as a more than 20-year endeavor to protect Florida’s large tracts of land in perpetuity.”
By partnering with the foundation, Conservation Florida can identify key tracts of land needing protection and rapidly conserve them. These lands are protected through their acquisition by the foundation and the use of conservation easements.
Conservation Florida, as an accredited land conservancy, then holds the conservation easements. The legal agreements prevent the land from being developed.
“Conservation Florida is profoundly grateful for this partnership with the MDS Land Conservation Foundation,” Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen said in a news release. “Their backing and generous support are instrumental in advancing our mission to conserve water, wildlife, wild places, and conserve a functional Florida Wildlife Corridor faster than ever before. The MDS Land Conservation Foundation’s support will leave a lasting mark on Florida — forever.”
The newly protected properties have both been identified as key parts of the corridor.
Millpond Swamp includes more than 1,847 acres in Marion County. The property is adjacent to the Mill Creek Florida Forever boundary and helps connect surrounding conservation areas, such as the Orange Creek Restoration Area and Lochloosa Slough Preserve. The habitat provides water resource protection for the Ocklawaha watersheds and the Mill Creek-Rodman Reservoir water basin, acting as an aquifer recharge zone and offering floodplain protection.
Patriots Lake spans 582 acres in Volusia County that was once at risk for development. It is home to wildlife species such as Florida black bear and plant species such as the hooded pitcher plant. The land includes aquifer recharge areas, floodplains and portions of watersheds of the St. Johns River, Deep Creek and the Halifax River.
Banner image of Patriots Lake property courtesy of Conservation Florida. The Invading Sea is managed by the FAU Center for Environmental Studies, which helped produce a report in April on the climate benefits of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. To learn more about the corridor, watch the video below.
