North Florida Land Trust has received a donation of land in Southeast St. Johns County

The 4-acre property is in the Matanzas Inlet Beach neighborhood near the Summer Haven community

Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 24, 2025 – North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has received a donation of 4 acres of land in southeast St. Johns County, south of the Matanzas Inlet. The land was given to NFLT by St. Johns Wildlife Care, Inc., who reached out to the nonprofit land conservation organization to offer the land for conservation. The property is in a tidally influenced salt marsh and is surrounded by homes in the Matanzas Inlet Beach subdivision and is just west of the coastal Summer Haven neighborhood.

“This land is in an area that is very attractive to developers, but thankfully the property owners realized the value in keeping this land in its natural state,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “We appreciate that they reached out to us to take ownership and preserve this land because it is now or never. This is a real win for community conservation.”

This 4-acre property is densely populated with a variety of vegetation including black mangrove, southern red cedar, oak, Indian blanket flower, sabal palm, and many other plant species. Keeping this property in its natural state in perpetuity helps create a refuge for wildlife to allow them to thrive.

The conservation value of the property fits within NFLT’s Salt Marsh and Climate Resilience Priority Preservation Area with a focus on protecting salt marshes and coastal habitats that provide vital benefits to the community. Protecting this land will assist with climate resilience and can help provide hurricane effects buffering, prevent flooding, and reduce storm surge.

NFLT will own and manage the land in accordance with NFLT’s conservation mission. NFLT plans to add signage surrounding the property and will conduct ongoing cleanup, which could include future volunteer events as tides and people may bring in debris.

About North Florida Land Trust

North Florida Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life by protecting North Florida's irreplaceable natural environment. Founded in 1999, NFLT has preserved tens of thousands of acres of land through the donation or purchase of land as well as conservation easements. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with willing landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visit nflt.org.