State officials this week approved the $1.5 million purchase of a conservation easement limiting future development at a private ranch adjacent to Highlands Hammock State Park in Highlands County.
The 354-acre property owned by the Miller family is part of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Florida Forever project intended to protect land within this area of Florida that contains the largest concentration of rare and endangered species within the continental United States.
According to the report supporting the purchase by the Florida Cabinet sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund, the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Florida Forever project consists of 67,167 acres, 37,600 acres of which have been acquired or are under agreement to be acquired.
The property also lies within a wildlife corridor that is part of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network.
This section of the state’s system of wildlife corridors provides for the movement of wide-ranging species such as the Florida panther and Florida black bear.
The easement will also create a buffer around a section of the state park’s northern boundary to prevent further development encroachment.
Farther south the Trustees also agreed to pursue an option to purchase a conservation easement from Lykes Bros., Inc. on 6,864 acres within the Fisheating Creek Ecosystem in Glades County for $10.6 million.
This is an important area for the protection of the Florida panther. It also contains an important pre-migration roosting area for Swallow-tailed Kites, which form large flocks in late summer before heading for their wintering grounds in South America. Many of these iconic birds also nest in the area.