ELAMP acquires land in ecological corridor

Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources is pleased to announce its Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP) purchased a total of 73 acres of land for conservation this month.  Over a span of five days in March, 2017, ELAMP closed on two properties:

• On March 9, 2017, Pasco County acquired approximately 60 acres of land in North Central Pasco County next to the Masaryktown Canal and the Black Property (another recently acquired ELAMP project).  The land, positioned in the Starkey to Crossbar Ecological Corridor, was owned by the Martinez Living Trust and was nominated for acquisition.

• On March 13, 2017, Pasco County acquired 13 acres of land in North Central Pasco County at the western tip of Mahoney Drive in the Shady Acres Homeowners Association in Spring Hill.  The property is next to another ELAMP property, Jumping Gulley Preserve, and was nominated by the landowner Cathleen Schmitt.

The Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP) was created in July, 2004 to purchase environmentally-sensitive lands throughout the County.  ELAMP ensures those lands protect the natural community, connect natural tracts of land, conserve native plant and animal populations, enhance recreational opportunities and expand environmental education.

Funding is provided through a portion of the Penny for Pasco surtax.

To learn more about Pasco County’s ELAMP, including a list of properties on the acquisition list, click here: http://bit.ly/2ntczaM.