4,184 acres of pristine pine forest, wetlands and orange groves that straddle the Palm Beach and Martin County border have been ranked top priority by the DEP’s Acquisition and Restoration Council. Members of the Loxahatchee River Coalition and the Jupiter Farms Environmental Council have worked for two years to get the Cypress Creek project noticed. With the acquisition of the land, the Loxahatchee River, which suffers from saltwater intrusion, will receive more fresh water. A reservoir or a stormwater treatment area could be built on the orange groves to clean and store the water to ensure proper water flows to the river in the dry seasons. It also will stop any development along the river’s banks while securing continual natural habitat for miles around the river. Restoration of Jones Creek, which runs into the river, is a major project of the preservation initiative, along with canal improvements in Jupiter Farms.