Conservationists alarmed by new land swap deal involving Guana River Management Area
Spanning nearly 10,000 acres, the Guana Wildlife Management Area is considered a gem by locals in St. Johns County.
'We have Maritime Hammocks, we've got gopher tortoises. There are over 80 bird species that Fish and Wildlife has said are species of greatest conservation need. It's a wonderful ecological treasure,' said Chris Farrell, the Northeast Florida Policy Associate for Audubon Florida.
It's why Farrell and other conservationists were floored when they caught wind of a proposed land trade that dropped late in the day Wednesday.
'Just like the state park proposal, this kind of came out last minute without a lot of public notice,' said Farrell.
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The trade would swap a 600-acre piece of land in the heart of the management area for just over 3,000 acres of land scattered throughout the Florida wildlife corridor.
'We don't want to have to trade conservation lands, one for the other. The idea is to build this portfolio over time,' said Farrell.
The other party in the proposed deal is The Upland LLC, which according to Sunbiz records seems to be associated with Contega Business Services, LLC.
We tried to reach the company to ask what its plans were for the Guana River land, but didn't hear back.
Farrell said, based on previous attempts to acquire lands in the area by other entities, the suspicion is the company may want to develop it for residential use.
'The few details we have mention wetlands protection with some easements, but kind of says maybe the uplands are gonna be developed,' said Farrell.
And while 600 acres may only make up a relatively small portion of the total management area, Farrell argued efforts to develop the land in question could pose serious issues for the maintenance and preservation of the Guana River Management Area as a whole, especially when it comes to prescribed burns.
'I just hope they learn from what happened with the state parks and they see the commitment that the people of Florida have to conservation,' said Farrell.
The Acquisition and Restoration Council will make its recommendation next Wednesday.
The proposal will then head for a final decision before the Governor and Cabinet on June 10th.
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