SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County has acquired a conservation easement for 656 acres on Longino Ranch, Inc. property through its Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP). This adds to the 41,000 acres Sarasota County has preserved over the past 24 years under the ESLPP. IMG_8229

The property is located at 26111 Turpentine Still Road, Sidell, off State Road 72. The property is in the eastern part of unincorporated Sarasota County and is within the Eastern Ranchlands Protection Priority Site, an ESLPP protection priority site that was adopted by the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners in 1998.

This marks the third conservation easement acquired on Longino Ranch, Inc. property, following purchases in 2002 and 2010. Together, these easements protect 8,060 acres, ensuring the land remains in its natural state and is managed for conservation purposes by current and future owners.

The conservation easement purchases remove the development rights from the properties and require that the property owners, both current and future, maintain the properties in their natural state and manage the natural resources for conservation purposes.

"This purchase guarantees the land's preservation is properly cared for, even if the property were to be owned by someone else in the future" said Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler. "We take pride in keeping land natural and safeguarded."

The land has been used for cattle grazing by ranchers and will protect greenspace and native wildlife for years to come. The land connects to the Florida Wildlife Corridor, further increasing the number of protected lands across the state of Florida. The property is not open to the public.

The land consists of pine flatwoods, mixed hardwood forest, shrub and brushland, bottomland forest, wet prairie, depression marsh, improved pasture and cropland. Various plant species are on the property as well, such as longleaf pine, slash pine, live oak, Chapman’s oak, sweetbay magnolia, southern red cedar, giant airplant, chalky blue stem and more.

Animal species on the property include white-tailed deer, bobcat, gopher tortoise, burrowing owl, eastern indigo snake, Sherman’s fox squirrel, eastern meadowlark, sandhill crane and Florida wood stork.

"Protecting beautiful, native wildlife and plants is a top priority, and this easement ensures they are protected and have a home," said Rissler.

The ESLPP, a voter-approved and taxpayer-funded initiative since 2000, continues to play a vital role in land conservation throughout Sarasota County.

Sarasota County encourages residents and visitors to participate in these efforts by nominating land for protection. A video explaining the program can be viewed here.

Interested individuals can get more information and complete a land nomination form by visiting SarasotaCountyParks.com/LandAcquisitions.