| Lee County and the State of Florida partnered to purchase a portion of the former Babcock Ranch; now a 73,236 acre preserve in Lee and Charlotte Counties. Lee County purchased and holds title to all of the Babcock Ranch Preserve within Lee County. On June 30, 2009 the Lee County portion of the preserve was renamed Bob Janes Preserve by the Board of County Commissioners in order to honor and recognize all of the hard work Commissioner Janes put into the acquisition of this preserve. Although owned by different entities, the entire preserve will be managed holistically as one preserve. The stewardship of the preserve is guided by the Conceptual Management Plan. Unlike typical Conservation 20/20 preserves, a certain amount of intensive agriculture (row cropping) will continue on the preserve for a time in order to continue generating revenue for stewardship of the whole preserve.
Since the preserve will be maintained as a working ranch and will include farming, ranching and silviculture, recreational opportunities must be carefully selected so they do not interfere with ranch activities. Future recreational opportunities may include hiking, bird watching, hunting, nature study, and camping. These activities will be phased in over time. Currently, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a contractor developing a Conceptual Recreational Plan.
The preserve will be managed by Babcock Ranch LLC, a private corporation, for the first 5-10 years. Afterwards, the preserve will be managed by the Babcock Ranch Inc., a not-for-profit corporation established by the Babcock Ranch Preserve Act.
To view future recreational plans:
Final Babcock Ranch Preserve Recreation Master Plan |
