Turkey Creek Preserve - Misplaced Pages

Turkey Creek Preserve is a 375-acre preserve located in the Turkey Creek community of Alachua County, Florida.

Geography

Turkey Creek Preserve is located at 6300 NW 93rd Ave, west of Northwest 59th Terrace and north of Northwest 93rd Avenue in Alachua County, Florida. It borders San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park. The preserve harbors nearly a mile of its namesake Turkey Creek's waters. Two miles away is Four Creeks Preserve, which opened to the public in 2019, and houses the Turkey, Blues, Possum, and Hogtown Creeks. Turkey Creek Forest is also the name of a residential area that lies north of Four Creeks Preserve.

Trails

The preserve contains 5 miles of marked trails, open to hikers. Additionally, off-road bicycling and equestrian use is allowed on select trails. The preserve has trailheads at Northwest 93rd Avenue and Northwest 59th Terrace.

History

For much of the 20th century, the Cellon family owned the area, using it as pasture. Nearby Cellon Oak Park in Gainesville is named after the family. The land was once set to be used for housing for the Turkey Creek community, of which there are around 2,200 residents, as of 2021.

Using a combination of Wild Spaces Public Places funds and a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Communities Trust, Alachua County purchased the preserve from the Gainesville Investment Group for $4 million in 2009. A management plan for the preserve was approved in 2012. The preserve underwent over a decade of restoration; trash and exotic plants were removed, while native plants were introduced to replaced them. Timber harvesting of planted slash pine was a central step of the preserve's development process, which also saw a wild hog population controlled. A parking lot was also added to the area. The preserve was officially opened in 2021, in Alachua's Turkey Creek community.

Notes

According to The Gainesville Sun, "Wild Spaces Public Places is the twice voter-approved half-cent sales tax collected to acquire and improve environmentally sensitive lands and to create, improve and maintain parks and recreational facilities", and is in place through the end of 2024.

References

^ Mavrakis, Emily (March 1, 2021). "Five miles of trails open at Turkey Creek Preserve, Alachua County's latest conservation". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
^ Syed, Camille (March 1, 2021). "Alachua County officials cut ribbon on Turkey Creek Preserve". WCJB. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
^ Parkinson, Kala (February 18, 2021). "Turkey Creek Preserve Opens After A Decade, Providing Parking Unlike Nearby Four Creeks Preserve". WUFT. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
^ Needles, Nicole (September 30, 2019). "Nature Preserve Shared By Alachua County And Gainesville Opens To The Public". WUFT. Retrieved January 31, 2024.

External links

Turkey Creek Preserve - Brochure

v t e Greater Gainesville, Florida Area
Alachua County Gainesville Gilchrist County
Government and infrastructure	Alachua County Public Schools Gainesville Police Department Mayor of Gainesville University of Florida Police Department headquarters UF Health Shands Hospital
Cityscape and cultural centers	A. Quinn Jones House Alachua County Library District Boulware Springs Water Works Civic Media Center Dove World Outreach Center Haile Plantation Hawthorne Historical Museum and Cultural Center National Register of Historic Places listings Northeast Gainesville Residential District Plaza of the Americas Pleasant Street Historic District Shady Grove Primitive Baptist Church Southeast Gainesville Residential District The Hub Thomas Center University Auditorium University of Florida buildings University of Florida Campus Historic District
Colleges and universities	City College Florida Gateway College Santa Fe College University of Florida
Parks and recreation	Bivens Arm Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park Dudley Farm Historic State Park Fred Cone Park Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail Haile Homestead Ichetucknee Springs State Park Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Lake Alice Lake Santa Fe Lake Wauburg Lochloosa Lake Lubee Bat Conservancy Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park Morningside Nature Center Newnans Lake Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Turkey Creek Preserve
Attractions and festivals	34th Street Wall Alfred A. McKethan Stadium Archer Historical Society Museum Baughman Center Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Butler Plaza Cade Museum Century Tower Constans Theatre Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville Raceway Gator Growl Gator Trails Hippodrome State Theatre J. Wayne Reitz Union James G. Pressly Stadium Kika Silva Pla Planetarium Matheson History Museum Matheson House Micanopy Historical Society Museum Mildred's Big City Food O'Connell Center Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art Satchel's Pizza The Fest The Oaks Mall
Transportation	Amtrak Thruway Gainesville Regional Airport Gainesville Regional Transit System Helyx Bridge Old Gainesville Depot

29°44′46″N 82°24′54″W / 29.746°N 82.415°W / 29.746; -82.415

Categories: