Sunderman parcel described as rare strong candidate for county purchase

Staff characterized the Sunderman property as an unusually intact and high-quality conservation candidate, reporting a site-visit score of 38 out of 48 and recommending the parcel be prioritized for acquisition consideration.

Wendy Pogue said the parcel contains xeric scrub, remnant longleaf pine, and marsh systems and that the combination of size (more than 500 acres) and adjacency to an existing preserve makes it particularly valuable. She described the property’s soils and genetic diversity for native plant species as a resource for future restoration and seed collection.

Consultant Bill Ray told the committee he had rarely seen comparable xeric scrub in Lake County: "This piece is unique... I haven't seen that and it's right there," he said, and encouraged committee members to visit. Committee members who toured Sunderman described walking dry wetlands during the drought and seeing high species diversity despite dry conditions.

Because of the property’s high ecological score and contiguity with existing conserved lands, several committee members voted to move appraisal authorization forward for Sunderman in the committee’s final motion.