Florida wildlife officials have agreed to swap 60 acres of conservation land in exchange for 1,550 acres of neighboring conservation land easements to make way for a toll road. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will receive $23.9 million to manage the new lands and $1.25 million for improvements and amenities at the Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area in Osceola County.
“While it is never simple to consider releasing conservation land, I am proud of the major conservation gains we’ve secured in exchange,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.
The Central Florida Expressway Authority is planning a 9-mile tollway through the forest.
Jointly owned by orange and Osceola counties, the 1,689-acre Split Oak Forest WEA is managed to conserve gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus).
Article by The Wildlife Society
