20 acres at mouth of Tippecanoe Bay added to park
The State of Florida has bought 20 acres to expand Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast has announced.
The land is located at the mouth of Tippecanoe Bay, on Sam Knight Creek, which is a tributary of Charlotte Harbor, a news release explains. “Charlotte Harbor is an estuary of national significance and one of Florida’s most productive estuaries, providing a safe space for fish such as tarpon, snook, and redfish to breed and grow,” the release points out.
A regional not-for-profit land trust, the Conservation Foundation had purchased the 20 acres at a deed tax auction held on Dec. 12, 2023, the release notes. “Though located within the boundaries of Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park,” the property was privately owned “and could have been developed at any time,” the release notes. This type of property — privately owned but located within the boundaries of a publicly owned, protected area —” is known as an inholding,” the release explains.
The Conservation Foundation completed the 2023 purchase using its dedicated Nora Patterson Land Fund, which was established “to quicken the pace of land conservation here in Southwest Florida,” the release adds. “The organization’s Board of Trustees oversees the use of these funds to conserve priority land when other public and/or private funding is not available,” the release points out.
“We are grateful to the State of Florida for purchasing these 20 acres,” Christine P. Johnson, president of the Conservation Foundation, said in the release. “Thanks to our Nora Patterson Land Fund and all those who have contributed to it over the years, we were prepared to purchase this unique property as soon as it became available,” she continued. “Now, as an addition to the park, it will not only benefit local wildlife and waters,” Johnson added, “it will also expand opportunities for our community to enjoy the great outdoors for generations to come.”
“Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park is Florida’s third-largest state park,” the release notes. “It protects more than 100 miles of shoreline along Charlotte Harbor in Charlotte and Lee counties and consists primarily of mangrove forests, marshes, scrub habitats, and pine flatwoods,” the release says. The newly added 20 acres comprise mangroves, wetlands, and a small upland area, it adds.
Visit floridastateparks.org to learn more about the park. “To make a gift to the Nora Patterson Land Fund and protect the future of Southwest Florida’s land and water, please visit conservationfoundation.com/landfund,” the release says.