The Volusia Forever advisory committee voted Aug. 29 to find a 23-acre parcel known as Turnbull Bay eligible for conservation-easement consideration but deferred any ranking or final recommendation until the property owner’s representative can participate.

Tim Telfer, Volusia Forever program staff, told the committee that Turnbull Bay was scored 6 out of 21 on the program’s ranking matrix and that the program’s minimum eligibility score is 7. "This is a conservation easement. The property is called Turnbull Bay. Staff scored it 6 out of 21. The minimal eligibility is 7 out of 21," Telfer said. Committee members asked for more information and confirmed that staff had attempted to notify the owner’s representative; staff later said the representative had not attended, so the item will return to the next meeting.

Motion and vote: A committee member moved to find Turnbull Bay eligible and a second was recorded. The motion passed; committee discussion noted one member opposed the eligibility finding. The committee then deferred the item to the next meeting for ranking when a property representative can attend.

Why it matters: Turnbull Bay sits adjacent to the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve and committee members described the preserve as a high-priority conservation area. Member Derek Lamontagne said the parcel’s proximity to the preserve and its potential to add to an incomplete preserve boundary justified further consideration, despite the current score.

Wetland question: Committee member Suzanne Scribe asked why staff had marked the property as not containing high-functioning wetlands. Hunter Falmer, chief of land management, said mosquito ditching within the mangrove areas reduced the assessment to a lower wetland-function category. "The reason for this is the mosquito ditching that's in the mangroves, and that, by our assessment and other staff, that removes the high functioning, you know, wetland category right here," Falmer said.

Staff updates and other business: Tim Telfer and other staff gave a series of project updates: Triple T Ranch (agricultural easement) is under negotiation; the McMillan property near the west side of Lake Ashby has a verbal commitment from the St. Johns River Water Management District; Double Eagle (agricultural easement) is working toward a Sept. 11 closing with partnership from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and the Talmadge project is moving toward fee-simple acquisition document drafts. Telfer also described boundary-amendment work for the Volusia Conservation Corridor and an upcoming presentation to the Acquisition and Restoration Council on Oct. 12 for the Tomoka Farms Road parcel.

Grant award: Nick Dunham, resource stewardship director, reported that the county received a Florida Communities Trust grant for $247,000 as a partial reimbursement for the Dahl acquisition; Dunham said the award will be presented to county council for approval and the funds will become available for future Volusia Forever purchases.

Committee questions covered recreational uses, hunting and management plans for Volusia Forever lands. Dunham said recreational rules are property-specific and plans are written to protect conservation values; hunting on wildlife-management areas follows Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules.

Ending: Because the property owner’s representative for Turnbull Bay was not present, staff will re-notice the parcel for the next meeting and return with any additional owner-provided material. The meeting adjourned shortly after the staff updates.