JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An anonymous donation of $100,000 allowed the North Florida Land Trust to buy 12 acres of land for $150,000 and expand Bogey Creek Preserve in North Jacksonville. The land was purchased from the McGehee family.
“The community has been very supportive of our efforts to preserve this beautiful piece of property which will expand the trails at Bogey Creek for everyone to enjoy,” Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT, said in a press release. “We are happy we will finally be able to purchase this land from the McGehees who have been trying to sell the land for preservation for many years. This anonymous donation actually exceeds what we still needed for this project and the remaining funds will go to our Amelia Forever Campaign.”
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The additional 12 acres, which adds to the 75 acres, contain forests and streams which will expand the public park’s trail system.
The preserve neighbors Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and protects nearly one mile of critical marsh front on Clapboard and Bogey Creeks, according to NFLT. Bogey Creek Preserve was acquired in 2017 through community donations and was opened to the public in 2019. NFLT will officially acquire the additional 12 acres in January.
This anonymous donation, donations from the community and a matching $10,000 donation from Timucuan Parks Foundation helped the nonprofit exceed the $150,000 purchase price. The additional funds will go to the Amelia Forever Campaign which was created to acquire the remaining natural spaces that exist on Amelia Island. More information about the campaign can be found at www.nflt.org/ameliaforever.