Conservancy? Is that a place where you study music? (No, that’s a conservatory!) Bay County Conservancy is a Panama City-based organization that formed in 1998 to take title to 30 acres of wetlands located in Panama City’s growing commercial area around 23rd Street. That 30 acres is now surrounded by intense business development like Walmart and Gulf Coast Hospital, and it provides a refreshing green space in the midst of traffic, a place where you can walk down a boardwalk to observe seasonal changes in a remnant swamp and maybe spot a colorful bird or butterfly. It is known as Audubon Nature Preserve, and it supports native wildlife as well as being a balm to the human spirit.
Over the years, Bay County Conservancy has acquired over more acres of land in preserves ranging from the 92-acre Tumble Creek Preserve in Washington County to the Mary Ola Miller Preserve in downtown Panama City, a “pocket park” that serves as a demonstration garden for native plants. In fact, the organization added “The Land Conservancy for Northwest Florida” as a subtitle to its name because it now owns preserves in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington Counties. As a non-profit corporation, BCC’s goal is to keep some portions of land unspoiled for nature so future generations can see what Florida used to look like.
You are invited to visit some of these preserves. You can find a list of them on the website baycountyconservancy.org, along with other information about the organization, plus an opportunity to join and/or volunteer. The president of BCC, Candis Harbison, welcomes your phone calls at (850) 381-7500.
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