Where We are Now

Immediately after the building burned a Building Restoration Planning Committee was formed comprised of faculty, staff, architects and planners. The committee was charged with learning from users in the last few years the answer to three critical questions for planning a new building.

  1. 1. What did you like about the building?
  2. 2. What were the deficiencies in the building?
  3. 3. What additions should be made if it is possible rebuild?


Building upon this information from users and inspiration from the outpouring of support from alumni and community and the overwhelming enthusiasm to create a new learning facility that will serve future generations, the Planning Committee set about to evolve a building concept reflecting the enhance need. In the meantime a Development Committee was formed to begin planning strategies for raising the money for the replacement building. As the building lost was built by donors and volunteers this building must follow a similar path.

Site Preperation

Whitehurst and Sons has finished the site prep for the ACMF Learning Center. They hauled off all of the debris, pushed over the fire-killed trees, removed all the trash, leveled the site, brought in Archer Gold sand to build up the site, installed silt fences to protect Lake Mize and sowed a cover crop. If you see Bill Whitehurst or Devin, please thank them for the wonderful job they did as a donation to help move the project forward. The site will now sit as is while we continue with the fund raising.

Feb 2012

Thanks to the Plum Creek Foundation, the first stakeholder to make a major gift toward restoration of the Austin Cary Memorial Forest Learning Center. Officials from Plum Creek, the largest forestland owner in the USA and Florida and long-time SFRC cooperator met with UF/IFAS leaders on the prepared site for the new building to present this gift. Pictured from left to right are Greg Galein (SFRC '78), Plum Creek Senior Planning Manager; Jack Payne, UF/IFAS Senior Vice-President for Agriculture and Natural Resources; Todd Powell, Plum Creek Director of Real Estate; Tim White, UF/SFRC Director; Jon Rasleigh, Plum Creek Senior Manager, Coastal Resources Unit; with the check for $75,000 toward the $1.5 million goal.

plum creek donation

March 2012

Heart Pine Flooring

Ralph Jowett (left) and Leonard Wood in front of 4,000 sq ft of heart pine flooring that they donated.

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