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OUTDOOR SPACES >> BLUES CREEK RAVINE PRESERVE
ONE WITH NATURE
Off the Beaten Path Blues Creek Ravine Preserve W R I T T E N B Y H AY L I Z U C C O L A
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mong the towering spruce pines, red maples and river birch; fragrant blooms of southern magnolias, berry-adorned holly, and canopies of water oak, is a 160-acre preserve that’s home to red-feathered songbirds, barred owls, and deer as well as threatened plant species (such as the delicate crane-fly orchid and southern lady fern). Though the flora and fauna offer plenty of a sight to see, the focal point of these natural surroundings is the sun-soaked Blues Creek ravine that cuts through the lush landscape. A rarity to behold, this relatively undisturbed piece of North Florida terrain known as the Blues Creek Ravine Preserve recently opened to the public under the protection of the Alachua Conservation 124 |
OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
MARCH/APRIL 2021
Trust in partnership with the Florida Communities Trust. “Our mission, you know, is to protect environmentally sensitive lands and in some cases also historical properties [and] places for outdoor recreation throughout North Central Florida,” said Tom Kay, who is the executive director of the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT). The ACT, which was founded in 1988, has grown from preserving areas strictly in Alachua County to protecting natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources in 16 counties throughout North Central Florida, with the Blues Creek Ravine Preserve being the newest addition (well, sort of). Although the land was originally conserved in 2002, a multi-phased acquisition and lengthy process of overcoming access issues meant the space didn’t officially open to the