Environmental Conservancy of North Port closes on purchase of two lots in the city

Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
One of two gopher tortoise burrows located on a quarter-acre lot on Munsing Terrace in North Port. The Environmental Conservancy of North Port recently closed on purchase of the property, which will be preserved as gopher tortoise habitat.
One of two gopher tortoise burrows located on a quarter-acre lot on Munsing Terrace in North Port. The Environmental Conservancy of North Port recently closed on purchase of the property, which will be preserved as gopher tortoise habitat.

NORTH PORT – Bolstered by several big donations in May, the Environmental Conservancy of North Port closed on the purchase of two lots that will preserve gopher tortoise habitat in the city.

The nonprofit – which buys and preserves land in both Sarasota and Charlotte counties – was behind in its fundraising efforts until published reports raised awareness outside of the city and prompted three large donations from residents in northern Sarasota County, said Barbara Lockhart, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors.

In all, the conservancy received lump-sum donations of $10,000 to buy a lot on Maximo Road in the Cranberry Fields neighborhood for $13,500 and $10,000 from a different benefactor along with a separate $6,000 donation targeted at the purchase of a lot on Munising Terrace in the Skyview neighborhood for $16,500.

All three of the donors told Lockhart they were unhappy with the way development has been occurring near them and wanted to help preservation efforts in North Port.

“This was their passion or their concern,” Lockhart said. “They see what’s happening down here with the development and everything being clear-cut.

“It started there and now everything is coming south.”

In addition, Lockhart said she has learned of other interested donors ready for the next time the conservancy buys land for preservation.

This quarter-acre lot on Munsing Terrace in North Port is home to two gopher tortoises. It is one of two lots currently purchased by the Environmental Conservancy of North Port.
This quarter-acre lot on Munsing Terrace in North Port is home to two gopher tortoises. It is one of two lots currently purchased by the Environmental Conservancy of North Port.

21 properties and counting

Since it was formed in 2020, the Environmental Conservancy of North Port has preserved  21 parcels for animal habitat, at first was primarily targeting areas in the city limits for the endangered Florida Scrub-Jay.

Fourteen of those lots are in North Port, six in the Harbour Heights area of Charlotte County – north of the Peace River and east of Interstate 75 – and one in Port Charlotte.

Three of the lots were donated to the conservancy, while contributions paid for the rest.

Related: Conservancy buys two lots in North Port as habitat for scrub jays and gopher tortoises

Money raised in Charlotte County is only spent on land in Charlotte.

Most of the land purchased in North Port has been in the neighborhoods suitable for scrub-jays but the Maximo Road purchase marked a broadening in philosophy.

This burrow, located on a lot recently purchased by the Environmental Conservancy of North Port off of Maximo Road in the Cranberry Fields neighborhood, is home to one gopher tortoise.
This burrow, located on a lot recently purchased by the Environmental Conservancy of North Port off of Maximo Road in the Cranberry Fields neighborhood, is home to one gopher tortoise.

"With this purchase on Maximo Road we have finally stepped outside of that neighborhood and gone to a completely different neighborhood on the other side of town,” Lockhart said. “Ultimately we would like to have lots in all of the city’s neighborhoods."

Lockhart said the idea had been to protect the privacy of neighbors, especially since the preserved lots were meant for wildlife habitat and not public recreation areas, though an occasional guided tour has been offered.

Now, Lockhart said, the goal is to note on the nonprofit’s website, https://www.ecnorthport.com, exactly where the preserved land is. For now there’s only a page with a PDF list but eventually there should be hyperlinks to the exact locations.

“We decided that being as open as possible could be beneficial,” she said.

A perfect streak

To date, the Environmental Conservancy of North Port has only hosted successful fundraisers for its targeted parcels, while raising roughly $100,000, using bingo-style fundraisers, silent auctions, concerts and social media appeals to and more recently concerts to raise funds.

That streak has remained intact even as prices for individual lots have more than tripled.

Board members have also brainstormed ways to raise the profile of the effort – including newsletters, displays at the local libraries, information tables at public events and networking at events sponsored by the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to land acquisition, the conservancy must ensure it has money for liability insurance and to pay annual property taxes – at least until it can navigate a state process so the preserves can be exempt.

“What we’re doing is very unusual compared to larger entities that get large pieces of land,” Lockhart said. “We’re still trying to figure out the formula – especially with the economy and after the hurricane, we don’t want to ask too often.

"However the truth is our environment and neighborhood land is being wiped out.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Environmental Conservancy of North Port buys lots for gopher tortoises