The cutting of cypress will stop, and the private hunting leases will end, opening the door to public access on one of Florida’s finest properties, the 74,000-acre Babcock Ranch.

In the closing days and waning hours of this legislative session, cypress harvesting and private hunting leases were the two big sticking points that had sportsmen/conservationist and environmentalists working feverishly together to preserve the original agreement, which banned both.

But fortunately, the original agreement was preserved in the Senate by Senator Paula Dockery and Senator Mike Bennett.

“There are many to be thanked for saving Babcock Ranch for our children and grandchildren,” said Marion Hammer, legislative affairs director of the National Rifle Association in Florida and the United Sportsmen of Florida. “These include Governor Jeb Bush, Senate President Tom Lee, House Speaker Allan Bense, Colleen Castille (DEP), Ken Haddad (FWC), the folks at The Nature Conservancy, the Florida Wildlife Federation, and the many members of NRA and Unified Sportsmen of Florida who helped deliver the message of preservation, conservation and access to our natural resources.”