Home |Booth I|Booth II|Billingsley|Lex Thompson |Copeland Sink |Wood Sink |Fred George Basin

Saving and preserving the headwaters of the St. Marks River has been a priority since Blueprint’s inception.  The river is designated by the state of Florida as an Outstanding Florida Water meaning it has remained in a mostly pristine condition.  This is the highest designation a waterbody in Florida can receive.  With encroaching development, preserving the purity of the river became a major objective and acquiring the lands that contain the source of the river became the solution.  The river emerges from the aquifer just north of the Capitola Road and Baum Road intersection.

To date, Blueprint has provided funds to protect 1,079.62 acres of the St. Marks headwaters through either fee simple acquisition or the placement of a conservation easement.  The ability to protect and maintain these properties was made possible through successful coordination between government and organizations including Leon County, Florida Communities Trust, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Northwest Florida Water Management District, 1000 Friends of Florida, the Sierra Club, and Tall Timbers. 

755 contiguous acres of the St. Mark’s headwaters have been purchased fee simple in partnership with Florida Communities Trust (FCT).  Blueprint was awarded a total of $3.3 million to acquire three adjacent properties by FCT (see the Table below).  These properties include Copeland Sink, Booth I, and Booth II.  After acquiring the properties, Blueprint turned over ownership and management to Leon County Parks & Recreation.  Leon County has plans to convert the three properties into a passive park, with trails and greenways when budgets permit.        

The following table illuminates grants that Blueprint has used towards completion of environmentally oriented projects. 

325 acres of the St. Mark’s headwaters have been protected through conservation easements in partnership with the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD).  These properties include Lex Thompson and Billingsley.

Blueprint also worked with The Nature Conservancy to protect 1,063 acres to the south, including Wood Sink, within the St. Marks Headwaters.

Copeland Sink

Copeland Sink, directly east of Baum Road north of Capitola Road, was indentified by the Sensitive Lands Working Group as a Priority 1 preservation project and acquired in 2005.  The sinkhole is one of several that form the geologically complex headwaters of the St. Marks River.  The sinkhole is fully hydrologically functional but has experienced a degree of habitat degradation due to uncontrolled access adjacent to the sinkhole and its tributary streams.  The wetlands immediately surrounding the sink remain mostly intact, but much of the 168.13 acre parcel has been negatively impacted by silvicultural operations.  Native vegetation will be planted to restore the landscape and facilitate better water filtration.  This parcel supports a variety of wading birds, amphibians, and reptiles.  Notably, the little blue heron, tricolored heron, White Ibis, and wood stork inhabit the tract.  Protection of this sinkhole and the associated buffer will contribute to keeping the St. Marks a pristine river system.

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Booth I

The Booth I property is located immediately west of Copeland Sink, across Baum Road in eastern Leon County.  The first trace of the St. Marks River occurs on this property and the acquisition and subsequent management has assured that water entering the river system remains of good quality.  The 2004 acquisition eliminated any chance of future development or agricultural use which could have introduced pollutants into the St. Marks River and the Floridian Aquifer.  The 426 acre parcel contains intact bottomland forests, freshwater marshes, seepage streams, and active sinkholes.  The upland and wetland areas are in excellent condition.  Notably, gopher tortoises, wood storks, Sherman’s fox squirrels, and wiregrass inhabit the property.  The County manages the site and will provide resource-based outdoor recreation such as hiking and wildlife observation as funding becomes available. Florida Communities Trust funded 75% of the purchase price.

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Booth II

Blueprint 2000, along with Florida Communities Trust grant money awarded to Blueprint 2000 in late 2005, purchased the Booth II property in the headwaters of the St. Marks River.  The 161 acre Booth II property is located adjacent to the Booth I property.  The parcel acts as a buffer between encroaching residential development and the headwaters of the St. Marks River found in Booth I.  The preservation of the site’s floodplains, wetlands, and karst features will help ensure the pristine character of the St. Mark’s River and Floridian Aquifer.  It, combined with the Booth I and Copeland Sink properties, forms the St. Marks Headwaters Greenway and will be managed by Leon County Parks and Recreation.

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Lex Thompson Property

The Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) has served as a beneficial partner since 2003 and has co-funded two conservation easements within the St. Marks Watershed.  The conservation easement on the 132.62 acre Lex Thompson Property will protect sensitive wetlands and prevent the harvesting of mature trees near the St. Mark’s headwaters.  The conservation easement was acquired in early 2006 and is in the name of the NWFWMD

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Billingsley Property

Through the Blueprint 2000 and NWFWMD partnership and with assistance from The Conservation Fund another conservation easement was secured on the Billingsley Property in March 2009. The Billingsley Property consists of 192 acres located in the St. Marks Basin (Black Creek) near the intersection of Miccosukee Road and McCracken Road.  The conservation easement will protect another Priority 1 parcel.  The cost of the conservation easement was $880,000 and was shared equally between NWFWMD and Blueprint 2000.

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Wood Sink

As one of Blueprint’s partners in the Headwaters area, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased 1,063 acres in the St. Marks headwaters, which included Wood Sink.  This property, located south of Capitola Road and north of US 27 was ranked Priority 1 and 2 by the Sensitive Lands Working Group.  Blueprint was prepared to purchase Wood Sink and 200 surrounding acres from The Nature Conservancy, but it was agreed that The Division of State Lands would purchase the 1,063 acre tract from TNC and have the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manage the site.  Wood Sink is now incorporated into the St. Marks River wildlife corridor.  This acquisition epitomizes what can be accomplished when government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private parties collaborate in the pursuit of a common goal: the protection of the headwaters of the St. Marks River.

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