Alachua conservation trust act is working on eight projects to permanently protect, manage and restore habitat for the federally threatened eastern indigo snake EIS these projects are located in the…

Alachua conservation trust act is working on eight projects to permanently protect, manage and restore habitat for the federally threatened eastern indigo snake EIS these projects are located in the suwannee and ocala EIS focal areas, as identified by the u s fish and wildlife service as primary regions for EIS species recovery the properties total 4,933 acres ranging in individual sizes from 30 acres to 3,058 acres and contain suitable and or readily restorable EIS habitat the properties are owned by private landowners who want to either sell their land for conservation purposes, or install conservation easements the conservation easement landowners are willing to continue or initiate land management practices for habitat improvements that will benefit EIS and other imperiled species currently, the properties are in various stages of fee or conservation easement acquisition this EIS project centers on expanding protected habitat in regions targeted for species recovery each of the eight properties is adjacent to or near existing protected lands that are in public ownership, or privately owned and protected by conservation easement for each property, act is working with willing sellers for permanent protection, as well as a strategy for long term habitat management our goal is to protect 4,933 acres, including 4,286 acres of suitable EIS habitat EIS habitat based on nrcs gopher tortoise habitat suitability model based on soils and landscape permanent protection of these properties in the suwannee EIS focal area will yield a 10 increase in conservation area although a much smaller total size, the three properties in the ocala EIS focal area are adjacent to or surrounded by conservation lands and are strategically important for natural landscape integrity and connectivity in addition, act has five land protection projects that will directly contribute to the protection of suwannee alligator snapping turtle sast habitat by protecting lands in the suwannee river watersheds the sast is endemic to the suwannee river system in north florida and parts of georgia the sast protection strategy presented here is twofold act facilitates protection of critical land habitat adjacent to the suwannee river and major tributaries to protect the ecology of critical wetlands secondly, protection of these lands for conservation precludes land uses that exacerbate water consumption and pollution, as these are primary threats to sast populations uplands surrounding rivers and streams are particularly vulnerable this project will preclude land use intensification as well as protect critical wetland habitat