Florida

Providing access to land for all: The accredited North Florida Land Trust paid tribute to MaVynee Betsch, an environmental advocate known as “The Beach Lady” for her efforts to protect Amelia Island’s American Beach. Betsch dedicated the last 25 years of her life to preserving American Beach and the Little NaNa Dune system, an important habitat for gopher tortoises and migrating birds. To honor Betsch’s legacy, NFLT purchased three parcels of land in the Little NaNa Dune system on what would have been her 86th birthday

Ensuring clean drinking water: The accredited Alachua Conservation Trust created the Surface to Springs RCPP Project, which focuses on the Suwannee and Santa Fe watersheds. ACT and its partners work with private property owners to: protect working farms, timberlands and natural areas through private land protection efforts; provide increased technical assistance to landowners while focusing on protecting the region’s springs and aquifer; and connect landowners with the tools and resources to move forward with the best management, enhancement, and restoration strategies for the region.

Protecting land for future generations: The accredited conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast manages the Bay Preserve at Osprey on Florida’s Little Sarasota Bay. The location is a true community park shared by many, from picnickers to kayakers, fishermen to rowing teams, and from children playing in the “nature playground” to adults playing bocce ball. The preserve includes the Burrows-Matson House, a historic home named for its prior owners, both of whom conserved their land for future generations.