FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2003
CONTACT: Kathalyn Gaither, (850) 245-2112
State Secures “Gateway” To Northwest
Florida Greenway
--Box R Ranch purchase becomes final--
TALLAHASSEE – The State of Florida finalized
acquisition of nearly 7,600 acres in Franklin County, conserving
6,000 acres of waterfront property and securing the “gateway”
to the proposed Northwest Florida Greenway. Governor Jeb Bush
and the Florida Cabinet last month approved purchase of the Box
R Ranch as an addition to the St. Joe Timberlands Florida
Forever project.
“The Box R Ranch provides the gateway to the envisioned
Northwest Florida Greenway,” said Department of Environmental
Protection Secretary David B. Struhs. “This acquisition marks
the beginning of our efforts to conserve habitat while at the
same time reducing encroachment on military operations along
Florida’s Panhandle.”
In November, Florida signed an agreement with the Department
of Defense and The Nature Conservancy to conserve 100 miles of
open space from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to Eglin Air
Force Base that would help to safeguard critical military air
space while protecting ecologically sensitive lands from
development.
Located two miles west of Apalachicola, Box R Ranch is the
first parcel acquired in the proposed greenway. Containing
nearly 6,000 feet of frontage along the Intracoastal Waterway
and the Apalachicola River, the parcel provides habitat for many
threatened and endangered plant and animal species, including
the Florida black bear and bald eagle.
The acquisition protects a variety of ecologically sensitive,
natural communities, including estuarine tidal marshes and
floodplain swamps, and helps to safeguard the quality of water
critical to oyster harvesting -- a major source of income and
revenue for the local economy. The Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission will manage the property as part of the
Wildlife Management Area system.
The 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program established
by Governor Bush conserves environmentally sensitive land,
restores water resources and preserves cultural and historical
resources.
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Press Office
