Another Part of "Old Florida" Preserved Forever!
Green Horizon Land Trust (GHLT) brokered a 1.3 million dollar deal that protects some of Florida's finest environmentally sensitive lands. GHLT purchased an option on the 913-acre Hesperides (Greek for Golden Apples) property from the Babson Florida Partnership. The option contract was assigned to Polk County for purchase under its environmental lands program for $1,291,800.
The Hesperides property is part of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem; Florida's ancient islands stretching for over 100 miles from near Clermont in Lake County to Venus in Highlands County. These ancient islands contain some of the most endangered plants in North America.
Green Horizon's botanist and board member, Nancy Bissett, conducted a plant survey on the property and found 13 species of plants listed as threatened or endangered. The site, located east of Lake Wales on Hwy. 60, is listed by the State of Florida in its highest category for protection under the Conservation and Recreational lands (CARL) program.
The Hesperides Preserve is a diverse landscape of scrub, sand hills, cutthroat seeps, bays and cypress domes. Green Horizon placed the Hesperides tract into permanent preservation. The tract will benefit from ecological management with prescribed fire. Much of the flatwoods soils supported cutthroat grass, which is under a shrub and pine layer. These areas have evidently not burned much in recent years, and part of the area was recently thinned for timber.
A small portion of the site on the north end was cleared and converted to improved pasture. Though this area no longer has the natural species mix, there were almost no exotics found. Extensive areas are still covered with cutthroat grass that is only found in Southern Polk and Northern Highlands Counties -- and no where else on Earth!
The eastern portions adjoining and north of the retirement community of Nalcrest were wetter flatwoods that slope down to cypress domes, and by swamps which cover the middle portion of the site. The swamp extends through an adjacent property all the way to Lake Walk-in-Water.
The property, prior to the purchase, was leased for hunting. Not surprising since it's home to deer, turkey, squirrels, and also to raccoons, possums, otters, alligators, bobcats, fox gopher tortoises, and regrettably, hogs, just to name a few. In addition, many species of birds can be found on the property due to its rich diversity of habitats. The true winners and beneficiaries of this purchase are not just the animals, but the people of Florida, who like their ancestors, will continue to enjoy the solitude and re-creation afforded them as a result of this preservation.
