(future site plan shown below)

 

About Bogey Creek Landing
On March 3, 2006, the North Florida Land Trust acquired Bogey Creek Landing (hightlighted in red), its second property within the Timucuan Trail State and National Parks area. The 6.7 acre parcel of uplands is bordered by estuarine salt marsh, Bogey Branch and other upland properties. Bogey Creek Landing consists almost entirely of maritime hammock, a natural community of live oak, pignut hickory and southern magnolia. Maritime hammock is extremely important to migrating songbirds along the Atlantic flyway and is increasingly threatened and fragmented across Florida by development.

 

Estuarine salt marshes, among the most productive habitats on earth, are extremely sensitive to pollution and disruption from construction. In light of the rapid growth of metropolitan Jacksonville, the Bogey Creek Landing acquisition provides the opportunity to protect critical upland natural communities while, at the same time, support the water quality and flood protection functions they provide.

 

Bogey Creek Landing has deepwater access to Bogey Branch, a tidally-influenced tributary to Clapboard Creek which flows to the St. Johns River. The location of Bogey Creek Landing is especially critical in that it is within the Pumpkin Hill Creek Florida Forever project and is adjacent to parcels within The Nature Conservancy's Machaba Balu Preserve. The map on the right shows the cooperative effort between agencies to acquire and protect forever this sensitive ecosystem.

 

This protection effort was made possible with the generous cooperation of Rob Spencer and the Spencer family, the land's previous owners, and The Nature Conservancy. The North Florida Land Trust's purchase of Bogey Creek Landing opens the way to protect an equally critical adjacent 67-acre property (highlighted in blue) in the future.

 

 

HISTORY OF BUGTUSSLE AND McGEHEE PROPERTIES

The Spencer family purchased Bugtussle in 1952. Bob Spencer was a mining engineer who had come to Florida as an employee of the DuPont Corporation. DuPont was developing a titanium mine between Jacksonville and Starke and also prospecting for titanium ore throughout northeast Florida. Bob retired in 1969 and built homes for his two sisters-in-law (Laura Young and Ruth Banks, who were retired teachers) and his mother. Bugtussle has been the Spencer family compound for 57 years. Five children, nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and innumerable relatives and friends have enjoyed the natural beauty and tranquility of Bugtussle over four generations.

Old Homestead, c. 1952

Top, clocikwise from left, Suzy, Bob, Rob, Lolly, John, Tom c. 1953

John, Tom and Fish c. 1952

 

 

The McGehee's

Jim McGehee fell in love with the area, purchasing land in Pumpkin Hill 15 years ago. After marrying his wife Shirley, they both retired from the Army Corps of Engineers and now travel throughout the south performing living history at major reinactments. The McGehee's own the 15 acres just east of the Spencer tract that meets Sheffield Road. Their desire to conserve this piece of Old Florida brought them to North Florida Land Trust and they have been working ever since to conserve the land.

 

 

 

 

Florida Communities Trust Grant Submitted in 2010 for Acquisition in 2012 - Site Plans for property