Comfort of tradition.
Harmony in nature.
About Us
Every family who chooses the natural burial of a loved one at Heartwood Preserve Cemetery is an integral part of protecting this special environment. Contact us today to discuss your needs.
Conservation Sanctuary
Heartwood Preserve is a natural cemetery within a 41-acre conservation sanctuary located in the New Port Richey, Florida area.
We preserve natural habitats at the preserve, including the longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands. Burials do not take place in the wetland areas.
Protection For The Future
As Florida’s conservation cemetery, Heartwood Preserve operates under two levels of protection. The first is the assurance of being a modern-day cemetery, with all of the updated legislation that protects our property from becoming “lost” to developers. We will always be a cemetery.
But what if Heartwood’s future owners aren’t looking to build condos and instead look to build mausoleums and niches or cut down trees to create more burial grounds? This is where our second level of protection comes into play: the conservation easement.
What is a conservation easement?
Limiting the type or amount of development and use on a property protects its conservation value. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement allowing a landowner to protect their property from future, unwanted development, or damaging land uses while retaining ownership of the land.
Who is responsible for monitoring the easement?
The Tampa Bay Conservancy (TBC) is an accredited non-profit land trust that will hold the easement in perpetuity. Their responsibilities will include visiting Heartwood regularly to ensure that the conservation guidelines and limitations set in the easement are upheld.
In order for the Tampa Bay Conservancy to afford the ability to monitor the easement and hold future owners and operators accountable, Heartwood Preserve is donating an “endowment fund” alongside the easement.
All of our fundraising efforts benefit this endowment fund and go directly to the Tampa Bay Conservancy, which will monitor our land forever.
Please consider donating to our conservation fund.
Conservation Burial Alliance
We are a founding member of the CBA, and our Executive Director, Laura Starkey, serves on the Board of Directors, having helped in the formation of this important organization.
The Conservation Burial Alliance is a collaboration of conservation burial grounds and invested allies that fosters the conservation and sustainable management of land with natural burial for the benefit of people and the planet.
Visit the alliance’s website for more conservation burial information, make connections, participate in educational webinars and discuss topics in an open forum with like-minded individuals.
Land & Family
The History of a Land and Family… Intertwined
Heartwood Preserve is located on a wooded piece of land that was once a part of a historic cattle ranch owned by the Starkey family since 1937. Jay B Starkey, Sr. and his partners cleared hundreds of acres of woods in the 1930’s and 40’s to create pastureland for cattle. However, they also left large sections of the 16,000 acres untouched with majestic stands of longleaf pines, cypress and oaks. Included within that pristine area are the 41 acres that now comprise the Heartwood Preserve.
Jay B. Starkey, Sr.’s vision was that a sizable tract of Florida wilderness be kept free of development for future generations to enjoy.
Beginning in the 1970s, Jay and his family transferred much of the land to the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) to become a permanent wilderness preserve. This land now forms the core of the 18,000-acre Starkey Wilderness Preserve.
Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park
The Jay B Starkey Wilderness Park, which makes up half of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, borders Heartwood Preserve to the north. It is one of the most beloved and popular public wilderness parks in the Tampa Bay Region, with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, picnic and camping facilities, and an environmental education center set amid a vast and diverse mosaic of ecosystems. Heartwood Preserve’s location abutting the Starkey Wilderness Preserve helps to expand the many benefits of uninterrupted natural areas.
What's in a name?
Heartwood is a great metaphor for the lasting impact people have after their lives have ended; the memory of loved ones becomes a core of lasting strength and resilience for the living.
‘Heartwood’ refers to the core of the longleaf pine — the centerpiece species of the Preserve. When a longleaf pine is mature, the heart of the trunk is a dense, resin-saturated channel of dormant wood, running from the deep central taproot at its base, to the boughs of the branches high at the top of the tree. This rich orange-colored center is protected from fire by outer layers of softer, living wood and the characteristic chunky bark. Longleaf pines often remain standing for many years after they die, providing homes for a variety of wildlife. When a mature longleaf falls, this central core, or “heartwood”, makes excellent fire kindling. Other common names for it are lighter wood, fatwood, or pine kindling.
This old-growth wood is also highly valued as lumber. Unlike younger and faster-growing pine species, it is strong and dense along with being termite- and decay-resistant. Enduring and timeless, heartwood pine is among the most treasured of woods.
Partners & Affiliations
At Heartwood Preserve, we value sharing ideas and gaining new insights through ties to peers within the burial services and conservation communities. Below are profiles of suggested organizations:
Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS)
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Dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of Florida’s native plants and the natural communities that support them.
Tampa Bay Conservancy
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A land conservation organization devoted to protecting the region’s natural, agricultural and scenic heritage.
West Pasco Audubon Society
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This local chapter of Audubon Florida, offers regular programs and field trips at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, our conservation neighbor to the north side of the Preserve. We have also hosted bird outings and talks.
Audubon Florida
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An interactive network of conservationists that works to bring people together to appreciate, enjoy, and protect birds and nature.
Nature Coast Chapter of FNPS
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Celebrates the native plants of Pasco County, Florida, and hosts a variety of fun field trips, plant sales, and informative meetings in nearby Land O’Lakes.
Green Burial Council
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An independent, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainable death care and the use of burial as a new means of protecting natural areas. The GBC has developed the first standards and eco-certification program for burial grounds, funeral homes and burial products.
Florida Wildflower Foundation
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Protects, connects and expands native wildflower habitats through education, planting, conservation and research. We have enjoyed supporting this organization and have hosted their field trips in 2017 and 2019.
Conservation Burial Alliance
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A dedicated group of owners, operators, advocates, and partners working together to support the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of conservation land that incorporates natural burial cemeteries.
Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park
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Offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational activities including: birdwatching, camping, fishing, hiking, horse riding, bicycling and skating in a wilderness-type setting. The north side of Heartwood Preserve borders this magnificent public treasure.
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
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Located near Gainesville, Florida, it is the state’s first conservation cemetery. Operated by Conservation Burial Inc., Prairie Creek follows the certification standards of the Green Burial Council. The cemetery property, including all burial areas, is maintained as conservation land. Proceeds of burials are used to purchase and conserve land for future generations.
Photography
Much of the beautiful photography you see on our website and print materials comes from local photographers. We have been honored to engage these talented artists to captures images of Heartwood. Please contact us before using any images or video found on this website.
Andrea Ragan (A Ragan Photography)
Samantha VanTassel