Timucuan Parks Foundation (TPF) is pleased to announce two awards it was recently presented by two organizations. The Florida Planning and Zoning Association’s (FPZA) First Coast Chapter presented its environmental/natural resources award to the 7 Creeks Recreation Area partners and the City of Jacksonville’s Keep Jacksonville Beautiful presented TPF’s Trail Team with its organization award.
The FPZA Award was presented to representatives of the City of Jacksonville and TPF on behalf of the 7 Creeks partnership to celebrate its community achievement at the First Coast Chapter’s Annual Banquet. The 7 Creeks partners include TPF, the City of Jacksonville, Florida State Parks, National Park Service, North Florida Land Trust and Visit Jacksonville. The partnership established 7 Creeks Recreation Area in 2020 to highlight and promote the 6,600 acres of preserved public lands that are home to seven connected wilderness parks and preserves surrounded by seven creeks. The 7 Creeks Area is linked by more than 30 miles of trails and waterways and includes Betz-Tiger Point Preserve, Bogey Creek Preserve, Cedar Point Preserve, Cedar Point (NPS), Jim Wingate Preserve, Pescatello Island and Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park. Each year, the partners come together to celebrate the area at the 7 Creeks Fest, which will be held for the third time on March 9, 2024. For more information on the 7 Creeks Recreation Area, including the 7 Creeks Fest, visit https://www.timucuanparks.org/7-creeks-jax/.
TPF’s Trail Team received the 2023 Keep Jacksonville Beautiful organization award. In 2022, TPF coordinated more than 700 volunteers who contributed 2,000+ hours on maintenance and cleanup projects at Jacksonville’s national, state, and city preservation parks. TPF nominated the Trail Team, which is made up of about 25 dedicated volunteers who travel all over the county and work nearly every week on litter removal, trail maintenance, invasive plant removals, planting native plants and trees, and creating Living Shorelines that help stabilize coastal areas and protect important cultural resources. For more information on how to volunteer with TPF or to be part of the Trail Team, visit https://www.timucuanparks.org/volunteer/.