Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery

Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery PCCC is a non-profit community cemetery that conserves land and reunites people with the Earth.

Prairie Creek conservation Cemetery is licensed by the state of Florida and certified at the highest level by the Green Burial Council. PCCC collaborates with Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT), a long-standing conservation organization in Gainesville, to manage, protect, and restore the land for all living things. By preventing the use of embalming fluids and vaults, those laid to rest here can return to and become one with the earth.

On May 8th, we hosted our second annual Memento Making event. Visitors gathered under the shade of the oak trees and cre...
05/26/2026

On May 8th, we hosted our second annual Memento Making event. Visitors gathered under the shade of the oak trees and created unique memorial decorations out of natural objects such as grapevines, cedar bows, palm fronds, magnolia leaves, and local flowers from @.

Our friends W***y the Losen and Karan Newman also came out to teach everyone how to weave "swamp roses" out of palm fronds. Thank you to everyone who participated, helped out, and enjoyed a morning making graveside mementos with our cemetery community.

As the seasons transition and years pass, a lot can change. Some things slower than others. Our benches are the true tes...
05/21/2026

As the seasons transition and years pass, a lot can change. Some things slower than others. Our benches are the true test of time, lasting through years of notable hurricanes and freezes to offer a place of rest for us to pause in presence and admire the beauty of PCCC.

Last year, a patron's son launched a bench-building project for his Eagle Scout project. He has been working hard at crafting PCCC-friendly benches with no metal that use a simple interlocking style with sturdy, naturally-treated cedar wood. Our staff surveyed the land for new bench spots, aiming for a more even spread across the landscape - along trails, within the land, all with beautiful vistas. Last weekend, the troop hiked into the cemetery and placed each unique bench in its new home.

Our hope is to make the cemetery more comfortable and accessible for all. We are so grateful to these boy scouts for their dedicated generosity and for creating something so meaningful for our visitors.

If you would like to help cover the cost of materials, please considering making a donation with a note here: https://www.prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org/support-pccc

Each year, our volunteers amaze and surprise us. Our Society of the Pick & Spade continues to grow in strength and size,...
05/04/2026

Each year, our volunteers amaze and surprise us. Our Society of the Pick & Spade continues to grow in strength and size, contributing over 2,000 hours in the last year! We are humbled by their generosity, kindness, and love for PCCC, as we could not do this work without them. As PCCC continues to expand, so do our needs for assistance with grave digging, pallbearing at burials, and land restoration, and our volunteers continue to selflessly respond to the call to action with a smile on their face.

Each volunteer is unique, offering new perspectives and skills that we are so grateful for. Some volunteers, like Cynthia, have offered over 100 hours in the past year to help with digs and burials. Others, such as Steve Bates, took the time to refurbish our burial carts. ...However you all show up, we can't thank you enough!

05/02/2026

As a conservation burial ground, one of the most common comments we hear is, “I didn’t even know this was possible.” We wish to thank the for helping bring this alternative, yet traditional, approach to burial into the mainstream through their recent coverage (see video below).

As a non profit conservation cemetery, our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of volunteers, donors, and people like you, sharing the work we do! You can learn more in the AP article, or at the link below: https://www.prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org/

As a conservation burial ground, one of the most common comments we hear is, "I didn't even know this was possible." We ...
05/02/2026

As a conservation burial ground, one of the most common comments we hear is, "I didn't even know this was possible." We wish to thank the AP and the Walton Family Foundation for helping bring this alternative, yet traditional, approach to burial into the mainstream through their recent coverage (see video below).

As a non profit conservation cemetery, our work wouldn't be possible without the support of volunteers, donors, and people like you, sharing the work we do! You can learn more in the AP article, or at the link below: https://www.prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org/

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here at PCCC, we appreciate our volunteers more than words can say. We simply could ...
04/22/2026

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here at PCCC, we appreciate our volunteers more than words can say. We simply could not carry out all the meaningful work we do for patrons without the generous time shared by our volunteer community.

We wanted a chance to highlight our three most frequent volunteers, who have collectively given over 250 hours of their time to our cemetery operations: Cynthia Etherington, Joseph Dickens, and Doug Waltonbaugh. These three are some of the most familiar faces you’ll see around our grounds.

Cynthia herself volunteered over 100 hours in the last year! Joe is also on our Board of Directors and knows all about the birds in our cemetery, we love having him at digs and burials. Aside from being a star digger and super-helper at burials, Doug loves coming out to help us with our burn piles. Thanks Cynthia, Joe, and Doug!

Feeling inspired? Come join our community of volunteers and spend some time in nature with us, we’d be happy to have you!
https://www.prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org/volunteer

Thank you to all of the friends, family, and volunteers who made today’s Woods Memorial Planting day a beautiful one! 
04/11/2026

Thank you to all of the friends, family, and volunteers who made today’s Woods Memorial Planting day a beautiful one! 

He took a short restat the head of the grave.The mound of dirtwas starting to fade.The sweat on his browrolled hot down ...
04/07/2026

He took a short rest
at the head of the grave.
The mound of dirt
was starting to fade.
The sweat on his brow
rolled hot down his face.
The sun overhead
told him it was getting late.
The grave needed tending.

There was still much to do.
Finish the fill, sprinkle the seed,
set the marker to.
The work never ends.
Though the dead are at rest.
The digger worked on.
He gave it his best.
Heavenly Gardens
never looked so good.
A tranquil cemetery
for the living to view.

The families would come
to pay their respects.
Bring flowers and tokens.
Pause to rest.
The digger would watch
as they moved through the grounds.
Talking and praying.
Making mumbling sounds.
He kept a safe distance
between the living and dead.
Continued his work.

He knew there was nothing to be said.

By Lawerence Mize, Sr.

During this month of Volunteer Appreciation we thank our entire "Society of the Pick & Spade" who have put their love and care into preparing graves for all those laid to rest here at PCCC. We are grateful for every shovel lifted, story told, and smile shared ... here's to you, our gravediggers and pallbearers! You make PCCC the special sanctuary it is.

Here's a snapshot of our 2025 at PCCC! We accomplished all this and more last year, thanks to our staff, donors, volunte...
01/28/2026

Here's a snapshot of our 2025 at PCCC! We accomplished all this and more last year, thanks to our staff, donors, volunteers, Sustainers, patrons, and PCCC community. There is so much to be grateful for, and even more to look forward to. Because of people like you making the natural burial choice, we can expand and conserve more precious Florida ecosystems, continue to offer economical burials, and maintain our beautiful cemetery grounds as a memorial for all those buried here.

Please join us in giving a big warm send-off to our retiring board members!2025 marked the final year of service for CBI...
01/13/2026

Please join us in giving a big warm send-off to our retiring board members!

2025 marked the final year of service for CBI’s president, Sam Welker, as well as two more integral board members, Buddy Irby and Doug Hornbeck, as they complete their terms on the board. Having served for 6, 6, and 10 years respectively, these three leaders have been at the helm during major growth phases for the organization—establishing pivotal policies and programs to fortify its future; ensuring ecological restoration and responsible land management; improving CBI’s overall governance and fiscal management; and consistently honoring the spirit of green burial practices and conservation.

Each of them leaves behind a unique legacy in upholding PCCC’s promise to offer affordable natural burials, including their launch of PCCC’s Sustainer Program six years ago, raising over $180,000 to date!

We are deeply grateful for their years of service and countless contributions, and they will be greatly missed. Stay tuned for an introduction to the 2026 CBI board president and new board members in our next newsletter! You can sign up here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/hHRQzRs/signup

Address

7204 SE County Road 234
Gainesville, FL
32641

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Sunday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+13523365910

Website

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