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Land trust outlines funding and partnership options for Clay County conservation program
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Summary
Representatives from North Florida Land Trust told a Clay County committee that state and federal programs including FDACS's Rural and Family Lands, FDEP, USDA RCPP and local partners like Camp Blanding can be layered to stretch county conservation dollars; staff said the county will draft stewardship rules and align application timelines as the nomination period runs through Jan. 23.
Representatives from North Florida Land Trust and Putnam Land Conservancy outlined partnership and funding options to Clay County officials and asked the committee to provide direction on allowable uses and acquisition priorities for the county's new conservation program.
Kim Hall, conservation transaction manager for North Florida Land Trust, said the Ocala-to-Osceola wildlife corridor (referred to in the presentation as the "020" corridor) covers roughly 100 miles and about 1,600,000 acres and presents a concentrated funding opportunity for counties within the corridor. "It is a 100 mile corridor that has, 1,600,000 acres within it," Hall said, and she encouraged Clay County to use partner match to increase the county's leverage for acquisitions.
Hall identified program and funding partners that could be combined with county resources, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), USDA programs such as RCPP (Regional Conservation Partnership Program), and federal tools like ACUB and REPI where applicable. She said some federal and program matches can cover a substantial share of easement costs; for example, RCPP could cover about 50% in certain arrangements.
Staff announced that the FDACS Rural and Family Lands application window was open (it began the prior day) and runs through Jan. 23; staff said the committee's website will host a link and that a fillable nomination form and paper option are available. Staff also said an interactive parcel map is in development and expected to be available for the January meeting so members can review parcel reports and practice ranking properties.
Committee members asked how Clay County's internal purchase-list process would coordinate with FDACS timelines. Hall recommended checking whether a parcel is already on FDACS's list and said coordinating cycles and bringing partner match can raise a parcel's priority for state programs. She also noted a possible future C2C-type program in which the county could take the lead with USDA backing and promised a follow-up presentation when details are available.
The committee discussed what types of uses to allow on county-owned conservation properties. Staff proposed a default set of passive-recreation uses (hiking, limited horseback riding, off-road mountain biking in appropriate areas, picnicking and limited recreational fishing) and recommended handling higher-intensity uses or exceptions through a case-by-case special-use authorization or permit process. "We're talking about uses that are passive recreation only," staff said, noting that group camping and intensive facility-based recreation are typically handled by Parks & Recreation rather than the conservation program.
Speakers flagged a few specific policy issues: one attendee warned that FDACS's Rural and Family Lands easements are agricultural in nature and could allow timber conversion to pasture, so staff should check property suitability before relying on that program; others asked whether the county would be willing to allow another agency to manage a parcel (for example via a WMA) if public access were guaranteed. The committee and staff discussed partnering with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for hunting and wildlife management on larger parcels and noted that a Wildlife Management Area generally requires substantial acreage to be practical.
Committee members also raised drone use, liability and enforcement questions. Staff noted FAA rules and that most hobby operators do not meet FAA Part 107 requirements; the committee discussed restricting recreational drone use while allowing limited drone operations for management or research under permits.
Staff said stewardship plans will define allowed uses for any county-owned property acquired through the program, that conservation easements generally do not create public access rights unless negotiated with willing sellers, and that many detailed decisions (leasing, in-kind agreements for grazing, special-use permits) will require interdepartmental coordination and legal review.
The committee approved last week's minutes by voice early in the meeting. No members of the public spoke during the public comment period. Staff said they will return with more details and a draft of county language and stewardship rules for the committee and that they will notify members when the interactive map is live.
The meeting adjourned with holiday greetings.
