Cottage Hill Forest Makes Final Cut Of State Lands That Could Be Sold

December 1, 2013

The number of potential parcels remaining in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s effort to sell state-owned property to help fund future land-conservation efforts is down to 77 as the public comment period has come to an end. Four land areas in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are still on the list.

http://www.northescambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/foresaleforest.jpgIn Escambia County, the state may look to sell the Cottage Hill State Forest and 3.4 acres of the Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park. In Santa Rosa County, and 4.8 acres of the Blackwater Heritage State Trail and the  20 acre Gillis Road Track could be put on the market.

The money from any sales will be combined with $20 million that lawmakers included in the budget for the purchase of land to protect springs, water quality, water quantity or to serve as buffers for military bases. It is unknown how much the state would generate from the parcels that remain under consideration. No estimate may be made until the final list is set.

The Legislature approved the state land-sale program with the hope of raising $50 million. The list initially had 169 sites that combined for roughly 5,300 acres. Before the first parcel is offered to the public, the DEP must make the sites available to other state agencies and universities, and then to local governments.

In North Escambia, the Cottage Hill State Forest is located in the Cottage Hill Community north of Cantonment. The forest has no public road frontage, but is in the area bounded by McKenzie Road, Chavers Road, Williams Ditch Road and Highway 95A.  About 24 acres of the site is uplands, while 4.7 acres is flood plain and wetlands.

University of Florida/IFAS Extension Dean Nick Place made a three-part final recommendation in July for Escambia County 4-H. Following the sale of the Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union, Place was tasked with deciding a future location or locations for the 4-H program. His proposal included the Cottage Hill State Forest for environmental and horticultural sciences, outdoor education, forestry and other 4-H activities.  [Read more...] According to a task force report, the state was willing to deed the property to Escambia County at no cost, while the state would continue to maintain fire breaks on the property.

Pictured: The Cottage Hill State Forest as shown on a Florida DEP map.

Comments

6 Responses to “Cottage Hill Forest Makes Final Cut Of State Lands That Could Be Sold”

  1. Just me on December 2nd, 2013 9:42 am

    AMEN @ Molino jim

  2. rob on December 2nd, 2013 8:00 am

    @jeff

    It has been listed on google maps for sometime, long before 4h consideration

    The reason a lot of people dont know its there, is because there is no road frontage and nothing in there to do

    Its not somewhere you can really get to

  3. Jeff on December 1st, 2013 9:17 pm

    The 4-H is getting hosed just like anyone who isn’t a scarecrow knew they would.

    I had never heard of “Cottage Hill State Forest” before it popped up masquerading as a potential location for 4-H.

    29 +/- acres does not make a “forest.”

  4. deborah daugherty dixiebug on December 1st, 2013 7:14 pm

    I agree with fisherman,,,he told it
    like it is…..

  5. molino jim on December 1st, 2013 3:27 pm

    @Fishermann–you don’t know the half of it. Some of the members of the committee that helped pick the the sites never had kids in 4-H or know any thing about the programs. They were only concerned that the Bell property be sold. I’m with you that it is a shame of how this went down. One thing that came out is that the young 4-H member learned to not trust committees that are controlled by and/or set up by the government and the local big shot business “leaders”.

  6. perdido fishermann on December 1st, 2013 1:59 pm

    i feel like the kids 4-H program is getting a raw deal with the cottage hill property, it’s junk land compared to what they had, greed won out like usual.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News