U.S. Department of Defense entities helped fund the conservation acquisition that cost nearly $758K.
The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has nailed another sizable land acquisition for conservation; this time it’s in Bradford County.
The wildlife and land preservation group inked a deal to purchase 79 acres in the North Florida county. The tract of property is just west of Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, barely a quarter mile from the Water Oak Creek Preserve, which NFLT acquired in late 2024.
The latest acquisition will also help expand the Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor.
“This is another conservation win for Florida and for our staff, who are leading the charge to protect the natural spaces within the O2O because it is now or never,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “We continue to preserve the last remaining natural spaces within the O2O, acre by acre. We appreciate the landowners’ willingness to sell us the property, and we will continue to work with other willing landowners to save these natural spaces.”
The 79-acre purchase, announced in an NFLT press release Thursday, was from Brian and Meghan Nicoletti. The $757,705 in funding for the purchase came from several sources, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program, as well as the U.S. Army Compatible Use Buffer program.
The Nicolettis bought the property four years ago in anticipation of building a home on the wild land. But after hearing about preservation efforts for the O2O, the couple decided to contact the NFLT to explore ways to preserve the property.
“Meghan and I would like to thank everyone involved in the process of preserving our forest property,” said Brian Nicoletti. “The NFLT folks will be excellent stewards so the people of the great state of Florida may rest assured that land will remain wild & free forever.”
Much of the preserved property is home to wetlands and cypress swamps, along with a mix of hammocks and pastureland.
The NFLT has had a busy 2025 with multiple land acquisitions, with a conservation deal in Putnam County being the most recent.
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