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Alachua County adopts 10‑year management plan for Loch Loosa Slough Preserve and agrees to work with FWC on new wildlife management area
Summary
The county approved a 10‑year management plan for the 6,200‑acre Loch Loosa Slough Preserve, including prescribed fire, restoration of planted pine to longleaf, and a planned wildlife management area coordinated with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that would allow limited quota hunts and year‑round non‑hunting recreation.
Alachua County commissioners approved a 10‑year management plan for the county’s largest conservation parcel, the Loch Loosa Slough Preserve, and authorized a chair letter indicating willingness to establish a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The preserve, more than 6,200 acres acquired by the Alachua County Forever program between 2019 and 2024, includes more than 1,500 acres of wetlands and a 2.5‑mile stretch of the Wakulla Slough. County staff told commissioners the site includes roughly 3,200 acres that were formerly pine plantation and will be managed over decades to restore longleaf pine habitat. The plan emphasizes prescribed fire, invasive plant control, feral hog management and protection of documented state‑listed plants and animals including the wood stork, gopher tortoise and southern fox squirrel.
As part of the plan, county staff recommended partnering with FWC to designate about 5,300 acres as a WMA. The proposal would reserve a 2,200‑acre southern portion of the preserve for year‑round non‑hunting recreation (hiking, biking and equestrian use), while opening roughly 3,000 acres to managed quota hunting for about 51 weekend days between September and April under FWC’s quota permit system. The county also proposed setting aside several smaller parcels for multi‑year small‑group hunting license agreements in return for caretaker services such as road work and debris removal.
Staff said the WMA proposal is intended to balance public access for hiking and equestrian uses with local hunting traditions and to allow the county to staff and maintain the preserve efficiently. The FWC would administer hunter selection and permits for quota hunts; Alachua County would retain land‑management authority and could restrict species or seasons (county policy says black bear hunting is not allowed on county preserves).
Commissioners asked about invasive plants, hog control, and connectivity with adjacent conservation lands and state forest. Commissioner Alfred asked for clarification that snakes would not be legally targeted; FWC and county staff said the WMA rules and enforcement would prohibit killing snakes and would list all allowed species in the brochure and rules.
The board approved the plan and authorized a letter to FWC indicating the county’s intent to pursue establishment of the WMA. Staff will continue development of the WMA rules with FWC; pending final FWC commissioner approvals the WMA would become effective July 1, 2026, and applications for quota hunts would open May 15, 2026.
Ending: County staff will proceed with habitat restoration and prescribed fire work while pursuing the WMA designation with FWC; the plan aims to protect wetlands and wildlife while providing both hunt and non‑hunt recreation on different portions of the preserve.
