North Florida Land Trust sells huge tract of property to Feds for preservation

The outlined area is the 2,500 acres acquired by the National Park Service along the Nassau River. Photo via North Florida Land Trust.

The National Park Service purchased a large tract of land from the North Florida Land Trust that will be turned into a federal preservation area along the Nassau River.

The North Florida Land Trust Monday completed the sale of the 2,521 acres of marshland that runs along the Nassau River. The property is within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and will become protected land under the National Park Service.

The land was originally bought by the North Florida Land Trust from the Theodore Carey estate and runs about 11 miles along the Nassau River from Interstate 95 east to the Nassau Sound at the Atlantic Ocean. The original purchase was made in 2015 for $750,000. The National Park Service acquired the land for the same amount Monday.

Another 400 acres that was donated to the North Florida Land Trust in 2013 was given to the National  Park Service as part of the purchase deal.

“Timucuan Preserve is pleased to acquire, through the assistance of the North Florida Land Trust, approximately 2,500 acres of critical coastal salt marsh habitat that supports important shrimp, oysters, crabs and fish communities,” said Chris Hughes, superintendent for the National Park Service.

“By becoming part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, these parcels under federal protection will continue to provide important ecological functions and recreational opportunities to the citizens of North Florida and the larger visiting public,” Hughes said.

Jim McCarthy, president of the North Florida Land Trust, said the organization is pleased to sell the property to the National Park Service so it will remain protected.

 “At the time [in 2015], it was the largest single land purchase in our history,” McCarthy said. “We are glad we were able to preserve it and… are thrilled that this land is now a part of our national parks system.”