Horse Farms Forever is honored to present the Acorn Conservation Award to the Drake family.
The award is given to an individual that has made a significant contribution to the preservation of land or horse farms in Marion County. The Drake family has conserved 5,800-acres of the Drake Ranch with a conservation easement, which makes it one of the largest holdings of privately conserved land in Marion County.
The Drake Ranch is a historic ranch that has been passed down through four generations of the Drake family. The Drakes are one of the first pioneering families to settle in Florida in the 1870s. Now over 125 years later, they are also one of the first families to protect their land with a conservation easement in Marion County.
SEE THE DRAKE RANCH
In 2002, two of the Drake brothers with a deep love of Florida’s wilderness and wildlife, Trusten (Trusty) Polk Drake, III & George MacKay (K) Drake, Sr. preserved 5,800 acres of the ranch by placing it in a conservation easement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The fourth generation of the Drake family now owns and manages the historic Drake Ranch as a partnership. The legacy of two brothers, Trusty and George (K), have now passed the Drake Ranch to their six children. Trusty and his wife Charline had three children, Lisa Drake Lancaster, Robert Polk Drake, and Laura Drake McDonald. George (K) and his first wife Martha Durlene had three children, Ann Louise Drake, Trusten Holland Drake, and George MacKay Drake, Jr.
Ranch Photos Courtesy of: Mark Emery
Protecting the legacy of the Drake Ranch was a decision made by the Drake brothers, and it has been whole heartedly embraced by the large extended Drake family, who take great pride in knowing that their family’s ranch will forever be protected.
“The family has a long tradition of responsible stewardship of the land,” said Ann Louise Drake. “We all grew up at the ranch and it’s just such a big part of our family.
The ranch holds significant conservation value as it protects 6.5 miles on the east side of the scenic Withlacoochee River and is part of the Gum Slough that encompasses 23,777 acres. Pristine uplands and primeval wetlands help protect the water quality of the river and provide wildlife habitat.
The ranch is also a critical connection in the statewide Florida Wildlife Corridor as it helps connect nearby conservation lands including the Halpata Tastanaki Nature Preserve, Ross Prairie Wildlife Management Area, and the Goethe State Forest.
For the Drake family, the protection of the Drake Ranch was about much more than protecting the unique land and wilderness areas, it was also about protecting a lasting family legacy and a piece of Florida’s history.
Lisa Drake Lancaster, David Lancaster, Lee Anne Drake, Bob Drake, Bartow McDonald, Laura Drake McDonald, Charline Drake Front and Center: Trusty Drake
Trusten Holland Drake and George MacKay Drake, Jr.
George MacKay (K) Drake, Sr. and Trusten (Trusty) Polk Drake, III
Ann Louise Drake
Please join us as we honor the Drake Family for their stewardship and conservation of the Drake Ranch, one of the irreplaceable crown jewels in Marion County.
