Pictured: Myakka Headwaters Preserve in Manatee County, courtesy of the organization

The Jelks Family Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 grant to Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast for conservation of priority land in Manatee County. The grant will be held in Conservation Foundation’s revolving Land Fund. Established in 2017, the Land Fund is used to quicken the pace of land conservation when other public and private funding resources are unavailable.

Conservation Foundation Board of Trustees oversee the use of the Land Fund to conserve priority land based on staff’s recommendation of the property’s ranking against scientific criteria. Utilization of the Land Fund allows Conservation Foundation to act quickly in hot real estate markets when time is of the essence. “Land conservation is expensive and urgent,” says Christine P. Johnson, president of Conservation Foundation. “Our dedicated Land Fund allows us to respond to market demands and quicken the pace of conservation. We are incredibly grateful to the Jelks Family Foundation for strengthening our available resources and investing in our mission.”

The Jelks grant supports land conservation in the Myakka region of Manatee County. To date, Conservation Foundation has protected over 18,500 acres across 48 properties in five counties. Of those 18,500 acres, 1,794 are in Manatee County.

Pictured: Myakka Headwaters Preserve in Manatee County, courtesy of the organization