Holopaw Ranch part of Florida Wildlife Corridor

The Florida Cabinet has approved funding for the permanent conservation of 21,063 acres across five properties within and adjacent to the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Holopaw Ranch in northeast Osceola County makes up over 4,000 acres of it.

The properties were funded through the Florida Forever program at Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Three of the five properties are to be protected by conservation easements, where the land will continue to be privately owned and managed.

“These approvals mark a crucial moment in permanently protecting and creating a landscape corridor, providing safe habitat for wide-ranging and sensitive species,” said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “We want to thank Governor DeSantis and the Cabinet for the continued support of the Florida Forever program and the Florida Wildlife Corridor.”

Big Bend Swamp is home to many native bird species such as the bald eagle and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. It is also a working cattle ranch, named Holopaw Ranch, with expanses of palmetto prairies, pine flatwoods, and cypress swamps. The property is approved for protection through conservation easement, protecting and maintaining a link of natural lands between the Bull Creek and Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. The waters of Bull Creek wind through the forest, with a cormorant perched on a fallen tree.