Lasting Protection For Perdido Bay, Endangered Plant

--State closes on Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie parcel--

PENSACOLA -- Perdido Bay and the rare white-top pitcher plant received further protection with the addition of 36 acres to the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie through a conservation easement, which allows the property owner to continue to use the land while protecting it from development. Acquired through the State’s premier land conservation program Florida Forever, the easement protects water quality along the Emerald Coast and safeguards Naval Air Station Pensacola from the threat of encroachment.

“With every acre conserved, we are protecting valuable natural resources and at the same time increasing security for an important military installation,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David B. Struhs.

Located west of Pensacola, Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie supports one of the largest strands of white-top pitcher plants in Florida. This rare and carnivorous plant is found only between the Apalachicola and Mississippi Rivers and is one of the last remnants of a landscape unique to the Northern Gulf Coast. The acquisition also protects 100 other rare plants and animals that depend on the unusual wet prairie habitat and preserves water quality in Perdido Bay and Big Lagoon.

The acquisition, valued at $96,000, brings state ownership of the prairie to 3,396 acres, nearly half of the Florida Forever project that lies adjacent to Naval Air Station Pensacola. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation and Parks will manage the property as part of the Tarklin Bayou Preserve State Park.

The 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program, established by Governor Jeb Bush, conserves environmentally sensitive land, restores water resources and preserves important cultural and historical resources.