This week (week 12 if you are counting up or week 14 if you are counting down), we decided to dive into the archives once again and share parts of a feature from a past annual report that highlighted a good friend and partner of NFLT, Charlie Commander. This article has been updated as well as edited for clarity and length.
Charlie Commander grew up on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. Some of his earliest memories included his father taking him fishing or hunting, where he developed an admiration and respect for Northeast Florida’s flora and fauna. Charlie’s adult professional and personal endeavors were built upon this foundation. When he had an inkling to convert his land in Welaka—755 acres, 150 of which are lakes and the rest lush green rolling hills peaking at 100 feet—into a golf course, it was this early born love of the great outdoors that prevented him from going through with it. Instead, Charlie, who was a practicing real estate lawyer and outdoor enthusiast, decided to donate his land in Welaka as a perpetual easement to NFLT. This decision was guided by his desire to preserve the land for his children and grandchildren, all of whom adore the oasis in Welaka and the activities and peace of mind that can be found there. It was also guided by a desire to protect the treasured wildlife– bears, alligators, countless bird species, fish, and more–that needed protection in an area of the country experiencing rapid and historic population growth.
Charlie knew the Welaka area intimately. During his high school, college, and law school days, Charlie’s father owned a fishing camp just a few miles down the road from his property on the St. Johns River. On any given weekend when Charlie was alive, Charlie and his family (including his trusted canine companion, Dixie) could be found hunting, fishing, and spending quality time together on the land and the lake. What was to Charlie, and still is to his family, a special place is also a haven for wildlife. Over the years Charlie and his family have planted 30,000 longleaf pines on 300 acres, and they conduct controlled burns annually. “Longleaf pines are the best food and cover for both land animals and birds,” Charlie once noted. With the help of Tall Timbers–an organization that is recognized as a top center for the study of fire ecology and is also a leading land trust—and the Florida Department of Forestry, Charlie was able to conduct his own controlled burns safely. Charlie’s work with Tall Timbers in his real estate capacity is what led him to NFLT. With Tall Timbers, he helped craft new language for his easements while remaining in compliance with federal requirements. Several years later, some friends asked him to help NFLT with a different project, and he jumped at the chance. Charlie and those same friends worked to get more people involved with NFLT to acquire land for easements. Charlie once explained, “With three million people [having moved] to Florida between 2010 and 2020, someone must protect the wildlife and the wild areas, and I am just doing anything I can do to help this cause. Ensuring food, water, and proper cover for birds, deer, and other animals is essential.”
As part of easement law, Charlie’s family can never build on the land he conserved, but they can farm and plant on it. Of the 755 acres owned by his Welaka Woods LLC, Charlie carved out a 40-acre section of land on the lake in case his heirs ever want to build more cabins. The one existing cabin is made of all heart cypress and pine with big, sweeping windows. “The cabin fits in with the natural environment,” Charlie was proud to note. When he would describe the land and his cabin, his tone would shift. He would become more thoughtful and sentimental, his passion and love for his Florida oasis obvious. A sentiment Charlie once shared perfectly captures the impact of nature on one’s soul, “When I spend time [at my cabin], my attitude about the world changes.”
Charlie passed away in November 2023. He was a committed conservationist and avid outdoorsman, who found peace and fulfillment on two family farms and with his bird dogs. A prominent member of NFLT’s McQuilkin Society, Charlie’s contributions to conservation extended beyond land donation. He was a member of the initial Executive Committee of the Jacksonville Zoo when it was successfully privatized, he sat on the national board of the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, the local board of the Coastal Conservation Association, and the advisory board for the Northeast Florida Trust for Public Lands.
Charlie’s life serves as a testament to the impact one person can have on protecting and preserving our natural world. In honor of Charlie’s memory and lifelong efforts in support of conservation, on September 19 at the annual McQuilkin Society Social, NFLT announced the renaming of the Heritage Circle of our McQuilkin Society to the Charlie Commander Heritage Circle. Members of the Charlie Commander Heritage Circle have donated parcels of land valued at $10,000 or more to NFLT. NFLT also debuted a new award at the 2024 Annual Meeting, the Charlie Commander Conservation Award, which recognizes landowners like Charlie who are dedicated to conservation and protecting the North Florida Landscape.
Do you have a story about how NFLT has touched you, or was there an acquisition or specific impact we made that resonated with you? We would love to hear it! Please email our Communications Officer, Sarah Hande, at shande@nflt.org with anything you want to share. It is our followers, readers, members, and supporters who make all of this possible – it’s now or never!
