John M. Bethea State Forest is a 37,736-acre state forest in Sanderson, Florida, in northern Baker County near the Florida/Georgia border. It provides a
wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
between the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offic ...
and the
Osceola National Forest
Osceola National Forest is a National Forest located in northeast Florida.
Osceola National Forest was created by President Herbert Hoover's proclamation on July 10, 1931. It is named in honor of the noted Seminole warrior, Osceola.
The fore ...
. The area was acquired by the
State of Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
in 2001, and was named after a member of the forestry department who served between 1970 and 1987.John M. Bethea State Forest Florida Forest Service