Protecting Wild Florida
Stay till the End for Free Downloads
Florida Friends this is the best way I can share resources for everyone so today I wanted to take a few moments to talk about an area in North Florida that is currently the subject of a questionable Land Swap.
ICYMI- The Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) quietly added a major land swap to its May 21 agenda: trading away 600 acres of critical wildlife habitat in Guana River Wildlife Management Area for scattered parcels across the state. (Full Details here)
This feels similar to the State Park situation we dealt with last year but this time it’s not a State Park it’s in North Florida in an area that is State Managed.
*Note: Yes we are potentially getting State Park Protections (it still needs to be signed by the Governor) that being said if this was in place it still would not help this situation.
Now if you aren’t familiar with Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve). Let’s get some back story!
The GTM Research Reserve is a located in North Florida and is a lovely conservation area that is “State Managed Conservation Land”. The focus on natural biodiversity and culture resources through research and monitoring to guide science-based stewardship and education strategies.
Here is a little snipped about the place from their site!
GTM Research Reserve protects 75,761 acres south of Jacksonville (Duval County) in St. Johns and Flagler counties on the northeast coast of Florida. It is one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. These protected areas provide habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife. A species list recently compiled for the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve indicated the presence of at least 44 mammal, 358 bird, 41 reptile, 21 amphibian, 303 fish and 580 plant species.
Source : https://floridadep.gov/rcp/nerr-gtm
Guana is a great place to visit to immerse your self in wild Florida. It’s also in an area that’s already really developed so it’s nice that there is a little bit of preserved land in a highly developed area for wildlife.
Those who work at Guana do such a great job at maintaining the land, protecting and preserving and in return we have a place full of wildlife. They also have great volunteers that contribute to their work, and overall it’s just a great place and it’s truly a gem in North Florida.
At Guana you can spot Gopher Tortoises, Gators, so many types of birds, butterflies, snakes, native plants and so much more. It’s truly a great place and if you’ve ever asked me for a recommendation for a place to visit in the area, I’ve probably recommended this to you!😂
Now about this Land Swap…
As of right now all we really know is that an LLC called The Uplands wants to do a land swap within the state for part of Guana.
The parts they want to swap for are scattered throughout the state and most would argue that they don’t seem to be equivalent trades, nor have the proper assessments been done to really lay out all of the info on this.
Read the Meeting Notes Here
Below is a map of the area, and the Black lined area is the land they want to take from Guana. If you press the meeting notes link you can see the parcel they want to exchange them for.
What does this LLC want to do with said land?
Thats what we really don’t know, according to all of the info that is available it appears to hint towards development.
Jax Today shared a great article with a bit more detail. We now know that….
In order for the state to deem the land in the wildlife management area no longer in need of conservation, an applicant must own land adjacent to the state’s land. Only one entity does: New Outpost LLC.
Source : Jax Today Article
Upon looking into this, you can find out that both LLC’s were registered by the same agent, but we still don’t know a ton of info. That being said this if you take a look at the Save Guana site, this name has come up before.
At that time Gate was involved but the are no associated with this, and the Gate Owners have made it clear that they oppose this.
Here is what they had to say -
Gate President John Peyton tells Jacksonville Today they have since sold the land and are “absolutely not involved” in the currently proposed land swap.
Gate founder Herbert Hill Peyton sold a chunk of the land that makes up Guana to the state in the 1980s. In a statement to Jacksonville Today, the elder Peyton said he opposes the plan.
“Guana State Park is the finest land in Northeast Florida and no portion should be sold, swapped or developed,” he said. “This land belongs to the people of Florida and should be preserved forever.”
Source : Jax Today Article
I will add that the *State Park* wordage is complicated because its not really a State Park though there is some slight confusion on this particular topic
It’s safe to say that any development in this area would not be great for numerous reasons.
One of those reasons being that it’s home to a lot of Endangered and Threatened Species.
It’s worth noting that The Arc Meeting Notes Seem to underplay the amount of species within the area compared to how they presented the other places, which seems intentional. Especially considering they only mention 2 species when on the actual FDEP site they’ve stated that….
These protected areas provide habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife. A species list recently compiled for the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve indicated the presence of at least 44 mammal, 358 bird, 41 reptile, 21 amphibian, 303 fish and 580 plant species.
Source : FDEP
Regardless of all of these facts right now we do know that the land they want would impact wildlife, a trail that is used by locals and visitors, an area that is accessible to the public for waterfowl hunting, fishing, paddling and wildlife viewing. Loosing this important area would not only be a loss to the community and wildlife but set a dangerous precedent for future “swaps”/
ARC is fast-tracking this deal with almost no public input, as well as having the meeting the same time another big meeting will be happening regarding the FWC Potential Bear hunt.
The ARC meeting will be in Tallahassee, and the Bear Hunt meeting is happening in Ocala all on Wednesday May 21st.
So what can YOU DO?
🛑 Tell ARC: No to the Guana land swap HERE
How? Audubon Florida has made it super easy to send a letter to the ARC Council on their site here! The Florida Wildlife Federation also has a letter to help get you started here.
Join the Protest! Saturday May 17th at 9am - Meeting at the Micklers Beach Parking Lot - Details Below
Need a Quick Sign? Use a Printable from the PDF below! I want to make showing up with a sign as easy as possible so feel free to download the below PDF and print and tape/glue it on to a piece of a cardboard box!
If you have any paint sticks might I suggest making your sign on one of those so it can double as a fan! With the predicted temps for tomorrow you’ve got to stay cool and safe!
Here is an example of one I made last year. * Please note : This is not the messaging for this event* we want to STOP THE SWAP
Hope this has been helpful and now let’s work together to protect Guana! If you want updates I can try and keep adding to this post as more info comes out!
~Sarah
To Everyone not in Florida - These sorts of things are happening all over the United States, even in regards to National Parks that you would *think* would be safe, so please find a local outlet of some sort near you that is paying attention to these things. In our case Audubon Florida was the first organization to notice the info that quietly came out around 6pm EST on Wednesday.