JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida Land Trust has received a donation of 388 acres of land in Clay County along Black Creek and Doctors Lake.
South Doctors Lake Ltd. gave the property, which has high conservation value, to the land conservation organization. The property is in Fleming Island and Middleburg and is adjacent to the nonprofit’s Black Creek Preservation Priority Area.
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“We are grateful to the realtor for reaching out to us to offer the donation of this land, which is a floodplain forest that contributes to water quality preservation and stands as a buffer against increased flooding,” NFLT President Jim McCarthy said. “The preservation of this parcel of land is vital to the health of Black Creek.”
Black Creek is a tributary to the St. Johns River and is remarkable, both for its wide and healthy swamps, as well as the steep bluffs and ravines towering above its banks. It is also home to the Black Creek crayfish, a state-designated threatened species endemic to the area.
During their assessment of the land, the NFLT team found an abundance of trash and debris from recent storms and recreational boaters. NFLT hopes to hold a trash cleanup in the future to help maintain the health of the creek.
McCarthy said preserving this land is not only good for Black Creek and Doctors Lake, but it will also have economic benefits by acting as a natural buffer against flooding. NFLT’s Preservation Portfolio identified the most valuable 112,346 acres of land in Northeast Florida which provide significant ecosystem services, which are defined as services provided by the natural environment that would otherwise cost money.
The Black Creek Preservation Priority Area consists of 5,000 acres in critical need of preservation.