© Environment News Service (ENS) 2001
March 13, 2001

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 13, 2001 (ENS) - A swamp that is the source of drinking water for the city of Jacksonville and critical habitat for threatened Florida black bears was today approved for purchase by the state.

Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet put their stamp of approval on the acquisition of 57,379 acres of Pinhook Swamp in northeastern Florida from international forest products company Rayonier. The purchase price is almost $60 million.

The land, about 50 miles northwest of Jacksonville, links 438,000 acres of the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and 158,225 acres in the Osceola National Forest to create a wildlife corridor roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island.

The swamp has been viewed as the missing piece of the puzzle that left a gap between the Osceola National Forest, located to the south and the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to the north in Georgia. The area now forms one of the largest public wildlife corridors east of the Mississippi River.

It consists of wetlands and pine flatwoods that are critical habitat for Florida black bears, sandhill cranes, bobcats and red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Pinhook Swamp provides drinking water for northeast Florida and its wetlands are the headwaters to the Suwannee and St. Mary's rivers.

The acquisition, negotiated by the Nature Conservancy, results in the state having 100 percent title interest in 33,800 acres and 50 percent title interest in 23,579 acres. The St. Johns River Water Management District holds the other 50 percent title interest. Fourteen percent of the project remains to be acquired.

"This purchase is truly a gemstone for Florida," said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs. "It not only protects Jacksonville's primary drinking water source, but also safeguards the habitat of our wildlife, especially threatened species such as the black bear."

W. Lee Nutter, Rayonier chairman, president, and chief executive officer says the company was a good steward of the land. "Over the years, sound forestry practices have maintained the integrity of these unique lands and protected the water and wildlife from development. This agreement insures that these ecologically valuable properties will be forever preserved for the enjoyment of generations to come."

"The Nature Conservancy recognizes that economic opportunity and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they are inextricably linked. Much of today’s timber industry is committed to renewing and sustaining the natural resources involved in developing their products," said Robert Bendick, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Chapter.he U.S. Forest Service plans to own and manage almost 34,000 acres of the Rayonier tract. The Florida Division of Forestry under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will manage the rest.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection listed the primary management goals as work to:

Conserve and protect significant habitat for native, endangered and threatened species

Conserve, protect, manage or restore important ecosystems, landscapes and forests

Enhance or protect surface water, coastal, recreational, timber, fish and wildlife resources

Provide natural recreational areas

Satisfied with the deal brokered by his organization, Bendick said, "Purchases like this ensure that there will always be places where we can enjoy picnicking, canoeing and hiking in a wilderness that also provides critical habitat for globally imperiled species like the Florida black bear." Error: Unable to read footer file.