Lee County Adds 310 Acres to Alva Scrub Preserve

Lee County added 309.69 acres to the Alva Scrub Preserve on Friday, July 6, 2012. The acquisition was funded by the Conservation 20/20 Program. The parcel is located south of State Road 80 (Pam Beach Boulevard) on Goggin Road in the Alva area in East Lee County. The property is adjacent to existing Alva Scrub along a portion of the southerly boundary. The Alva Scrub Preserve is a group of parcels that make up preserve corridor already managed by the Conservation 20/20 Program.

The subject property has three main native plant communities: freshwater forested wetlands (cypress), pine flatwoods and hardwood hammock. The plant communities are relatively intact, which will conserve the expenditure of restoration funds. The Hickey’s Creek Canal that runs along the property offers an opportunity for flow way restoration to provide floodplain protection on both sides of the canal. Wetlands would be rehydrated after restoration of Hickey's Creek Extension to improve water quality. The owners wanted $3,406,700 for the property, but the Division of County Lands, the County Office which negotiates land purchases for the County, was able to acquire the property for $1,749,749.

The Conservation 20/20 program buys environmentally important lands for preservation. It’s funded by a property tax, which was approved by referendum in 1996. It is 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Since the first purchase in 1997, the County’s Conservation 20/20 program has made 115 land purchases and the land inventory now stands at 24,781 acres.

Location of acquired property