CLERMONT, Fla. — In Lake County, B.B. Brown’s Gardens is home to the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail.
It’s a Clermont nature preserve that was hand-built by Cathy and Bruce Brown in the 90s, transforming acres of dead orange trees into a habitat for some of Florida’s most threatened species.
The Florida scrub-jay is a threatened bird that depends on sandhill and scrub habitat to survive. Experts said only 15% of the state’s scrub habitat is left, which is why the Browns and thousands of volunteers have dedicated their time to help protect scrub species.
After decades-long careers as television writers and producers, the Browns were considering other career ventures. They bought a rundown orange grove property in Lake County with the goal of transforming it into a plant nursery.
“We sat on the edge of the front porch and just kind of let our feet hang, and looked at each other and said, ‘You know, honey, I think our life is about to change,’” Cathy Brown said.
A year into owning B.B. Brown’s Gardens, Cathy spotted a Florida scrub-jay.
“I thought, 'Oh my gosh, there’s got to be something that we can do to help this little bird,'” she said. “And that’s what got us going on it.”
The Browns paused their nursery plans and dedicated their time to restoring the property’s scrub habitat. What was once acres of dead orange trees is now a sanctuary for Florida’s scrub species.
“I never, never thought that that’s what we’d be doing,” Bruce said. “We could start all over again and try it again today, and say, ‘What would we do?’ We’d never probably never pull up on this business, but I’m glad that we did.”
Creating and maintaining the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail is a feat the Browns said couldn’t be accomplished without the help of volunteers.
“There’s no way we could do this without volunteers,” Cathy said. “No way. Thousands and thousands and thousands of hours, and thousands of volunteers over the years.”
Every fourth Saturday of the month is a volunteer day at the trail. Scouts from Girl Scout Troop 4786 and Boy Scout Troop 786 of Montverde are recurring volunteers who help maintain the trail during April’s volunteer day.
From scouts to gardeners, the thousands of volunteers that have helped maintain the trail have a common goal — to protect scrub animals and their habitat.
“All the effort that it takes is actually pretty worth it later on,” Samantha Angulo Gainza, of Troop 4786, said about volunteering.
The volunteers are also helping more than just the Florida scrub-jay. The habitat is also home to 98 gopher tortoises, which are threatened in Florida.
“We have one of the largest populations of gopher tortoises in the state of Florida,” Cathy said. “They just have come on their own.”
The Browns were also asked by wildlife officials to house a rehabilitating gopher tortoise too injured to be released in the wild. They’ve been taking care of her for the past 15 years, and she’s been recovering along the way.
The tortoise is one of the hundreds of animals and species that live on the nature preserve. None of it would have been made possible if the Browns didn’t spot a scrub-jay all those years ago — and if volunteers didn’t join in to help.
“I just love to see the progress,” Cathy said. “I love to see everyone come together and work in the community.”
As the day’s work wrapped up, the Browns said they were filled with gratitude.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “It’s just wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. We really appreciate everything.”
The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail is free and open to the public Saturday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about the trail and gardens, visit the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail website.
Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2025 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.