One family is doing their part to keep the spirit of "Old Florida" alive forever.
Michael, Daria, Tyler, and Alex Boles announced their donation of the 113-acre Boles West Run ranch to a preservation trust in a press release.
This land, situated between Hastings and East Palatka, is purportedly valued at over $3 million. The donation is being made in cooperation with The St. Johns River Water Management District.
"Protecting lands like West Run Ranch is critical to sustaining water resources, wildlife habitat, and the natural systems that define Florida," commented Mike Register, Executive Director of St. Johns River Water Management District, in the release.
The family expressed two main aims for the land's conservation. One is to bring the native bobwhite quail population back to prominence.
While the species was once a fixture of the ranch's surrounding area, the population in Florida is down 70% from its levels in 1980, per the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. The family intends to nurture a quail habitat on the property and facilitate their spread to nearby areas.
Another key goal is to work with wetlands conservation specialists Ducks Unlimited to take important action on West Run Cracker Creek. That initiative includes removing invasive plants via water impoundments. The upshot will be a more habitable ecosystem for ducks and all types of wetland species.
For the family, they revealed their focus was on helping in the way that they could in an area that they could help revitalize.
"Our goal is not to save the world, but to make a difference in the land and surroundings we pass by every day," they explained.
That sort of spirit is behind conservation moves both big and small. On the larger side, the Cox Family teamed with Ducks Unlimited on a 4,400-acre easement of South Carolina land.
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Every bit of conservation helps, from more modest but still sizable donations of land to simple acts like giving to efforts in the community.
Loss of habitat and the decline of wildlife are primarily driven by land use for agriculture and human development. The demise of bobwhite quail in Florida is just one example of what can be lost when habitats disappear.
Protecting habitats not only helps safeguard animals, but it also improves water quality and creates greater resilience against the changing climate.
The Boles family's initiative to sustain their local ecosystem serves as an inspiring example for others to take similar actions in their communities, even if on a smaller scale.
"We hope future generations will have the opportunity to see at least a portion of the beauty of 'Old Florida,'" the family's statement concluded.
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