Faced with the need to provide more housing for our growing population, land and water protections often get neglected. When we fail to protect our water and recharge areas, we jeopardize our communities and destroy the natural world for future generations. It is refreshing to read about initiatives at work to protect the lands that recharge our waters.
Recently Alachua County through its partnerships with Alachua County Forever , Wild Spaces and Public Places, the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), closed on a conservation easement along Mill Creek and the Santa Fe River. We applaud the foresight these groups display to protect our rivers and springs from the hungry jaws of development.
Read the original article here at Conservation Easement Protects Water Quality in Mill Creek and Santa Fe River.
OSFR President Joanne Tremblay
joanne.tremblay@oursantaferiver.org
“Giving Our River A Voice”
Conservation Easement Protects Water Quality in Mill Creek and Santa Fe River
Published on 3/5/2024
Last updated: 3/5/2024 3:30 PM
The Rembert family, a local family with six generations of history in Alachua and Gainesville, recently expanded their legacy of commitment to the area by partnering with Alachua County to better protect water quality in the Santa Fe River. Alachua County Forever, the county’s environmental land acquisition program, closed on purchasing a conservation easement on Jan. 18, 2024 from Davis Rembert and his family, protecting 614 acres of land.
The Rembert property is located in Alachua, within the Springs Priority Focus Area for Columbia, Hornsby and Treehouse Springs. This special property protects almost 3 miles of Bad Dog Branch, part of the creek system that feeds into Mill Creek Sink. Dye trace studies have confirmed the hydrologic connection between Mill Creek Sink and Hornsby Spring, a designated Outstanding Florida Spring on the Santa Fe River. Protection of the Santa Fe River is one of the highest priorities for the Alachua County Forever Program.
The sale of this conservation easement is the latest in a long history of investments in the local community’s future on the part of Davis Rembert. Through this easement, the property has been protected from future development while providing for the continuation of agricultural activities, including hay, row crops, and timber production. In addition, over 200 acres of the property have been designated as “preservation zones,” providing even greater protection for the rare habitats, plants, and wildlife that utilize the land and waters.
When asked why he chose to protect his land this way, Davis shared this vision by saying, “Our family was fortunate to purchase this beautiful property, and we are excited to protect it in perpetuity with the Alachua County Forever program. This agreement protects this special place’s beauty, hydrology, and diversity. This brings great joy to our family, knowing future generations will enjoy the land and its many attributes.”
Protection of the property was made possible through the commitment of the Rembert family, support from county citizens and leadership, and partnership with the Suwannee River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Funding for this conservation land purchase was provided by the voter-approved Wild Spaces and Public Places sales tax and a $1-million grant from the Suwannee River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through the Springs Protection Program.
The Rembert conservation easement is the first Alachua County Forever conservation land acquisition of 2024, following county voters’ re-authorization of the Wild Spaces and Public Places initiative in November 2022. Through ongoing citizen support and partnerships, the program has worked with willing landowners to protect 34,277 acres since its inception in 2000.
Learn more about Alachua County Forever.
For more information, contact Land Conservation and Management Program Manager Andi Christman at 352-264-6803 or achristman@alachuacounty.us.
