Sportsmen's land trust closes $1.4M deal

BRADENTON — The Sportsmen's National Land Trust, a nonprofit organization founded to conserve outdoor recreation sites statewide, finalized its first major land purchase, a 680-acre tract in Levy County.

The Bradenton-based land trust paid $1.4 million for the property, according to a release. The trust plans to set aside the unnamed parcel, next to the Goethe Wildlife Management Area, for outdoor recreation like camping, hunting and fishing.

The tract, about 100 miles north of Tampa, is home to Florida black bear, whitetail deer, bald eagles, turkey, squirrels and other wildlife common to Florida, says Jerry Marlar, a land trust board member and local accountant. David Wilcox, a Bradenton attorney who is president of the trust's board, adds that the land is ideally located because more than half the state lives within 2.5 hours of the property. The trust plans to deed the land to the state in a ceremony this fall.

“It's a great piece of land that truly represents the Florida outdoors, with a little bit of everything,” Wilcox says in the statement. “It's got the hardwood hammocks, the pine forests, the open palmetto areas, the uplands and lowlands ... everything that natural Florida has to offer.”

The funds for the purchase come from Florida residents who buy Sportsmen's National Land Trust-themed license plates. More than 56,000 Sportsmen's National Land Trust license plates, with a deer logo, have been sold or renewed since 2005, the release states. “This is Florida's outdoor spirit in action,” Wilcox says. “The generosity of Floridians who have purchased these tags has allowed us to acquire land that will help assure Florida's historical outdoor heritage in perpetuity.”

The land trust is currently looking at other conservation-based land acquisitions in Florida. For more about the trust go to http://www.snltflorida.org/.