Meet today or call/send email... important!

Friends,

Workshop starts at 4:3o, commission discussion for voting on the matter 6:30. Hawthorne City Hall. 6700 SE 221st Street, Hawthorne, FL 32640 Phone: 352.481.2432

While it will take you away from your families for a couple of hours, I implore of you, we must bring a show of support large enough so that any nay-sayers on the Hawthorne City Commission will get the picture and will support this proposed land acquisition. The calvary must mount and ride onto the field, or this highly worthy acquisition may very well die!

Our partner, the Putnam Land Conservancy fought tooth and nail to get FCT funding for this proposed acquisition of a sizeable chunk of the Little Orange Creek project. It is nothing short of critical, if you care about connecting the Ocala National Forest to the Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area, and ultimately to Goethe, a project spearheaded by the Conservation Trust for Florida. Further, these lands fall within one section of the wildlife corridor that links the Ocala NF to the Okeefenokee/Osceola complex, as well. Please see the attached maps to visualize these vital links.

If you are unable to attend, please consider sending the Commission an email, or call them up. http://hawthornefl.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/HawthorneFL_Commission/index http://hawthornefl.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/HawthorneFL_Commission/index> and (352)481-2432.

Of critical significance is the fact that preserving this area should increase the value of surrounding lands, including those in the City limits, and thus, should increase ad valorem tax revenue; a fundamentally vital issue for this particular city, more so than many, actually. For back up reading to substantiate this fact, please see the first four articles linked under “General Interest” here: http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/EPD/LandConservation/Pages/FilesReportsForms.aspxhttp://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/EPD/LandConservation/Pages/FilesReportsForms.aspx>

So, if you wish to be fully fluent regarding the issues at hand, you should call Rob Blount, PLC’s Executive Director, for more information: 386-336-5400 Or email him at robblount@mindspring.commailto:robblount@mindspring.com .

Please make this a priority!

Yours,

Brian A. Block Executive Director brian@conserveflorida.org mailto:brian@conserveflorida.org> (352) 466-1178 (Phone/Fax) (352) 258-2228