Mission & Vision
The mission of the Red Hills Community Cemetery (RHCC) is to provide its members with the services and setting for natural burial, while conserving, restoring, and stewarding the Cemetery’s ecosystem for future generations.
The RHCC aspires to sustain a conservation cemetery in Florida’s Big Bend region that preserves and enhances biodiversity and fosters meaningful connections among people, nature, and the cycles of life and death.
About the RHCC
The Red Hills Community Cemetery, Inc. (RHCC) nonprofit was developed by like-minded individuals in the big bend regions with the shared commitment of creating a natural burial ground in the big bend region. Through the shared efforts of many volunteers and of the financial commitment of our foundational members, the RHCC has now purchased land and is in the process of preparing the land for burial. The RHCC is on track to be available for burials by December 2027, and memberships are available now.
The members of RHCC share a common interest in natural burial and environmental stewardship. The membership fees of the founding 100 members provided the funds to purchase the 40-acre property, which is bounded by State Forest, Lake Talquin, and a steephead ravine. This rich woodland of native pines and majestic hardwoods, will be the region’s first exclusively natural burial cemetery offering both full body and cremated remains burial sites.
History of the Organization
The seeds for the Red Hills Community Cemetery were sown when a representative from the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery spoke to a group of Leon County residents about the green burial movement. The group was inspired, and formed a non-profit organization to develop a plan for a natural burial cemetery in the Big Bend.
Interest grew in the larger community, and more than 100 members joined the RHCC, providing the funds necessary to secure a site and beginning development costs for the cemetery. While there was initial intention to locate the cemetery at the Hickory Preserve off of Miccosukee Rd., that land became unavailable, and the RHCC sought an alternate location. An extensive search across the Big Bend lead to the purchase of the current home to the RHCC. Soil sampling and topographical analysis have shown that this location is ideally suited for natural burial, with appropriate high-water tables and soil types.
History of the Land
Prior to purchase by RHCC in March 2026, the RHCC property was two adjacent parcels owned by the Pitts Special Needs Family Trust and Marilyn Johnson Carroll. The RHCC property is bordered on the southwest corner by a steephead ravine that appears to have never been cleared. A steephead is a vital, rare, and biodiverse ecosystem primarily found in Northwest Florida. Steepheads create a cool microclimate that protects species left over from the last ice age. Much of the rest of the property was cleared prior to 1937 and was never replanted, allowing both slash and loblolly to volunteer in the area, with a large square cleared again between 1966 and 1970 but not replanted. The gradual, uneven volunteer tree encroachment has continued since then. Despite the removal decades ago of old growth forest, the soil has been left intact since it was never replanted, allowing the seed bank to persist underground. With proper restoration, many of the cleared species are likely to return. An initial plant survey documented 82 plant species, with numerous trees on the property likely hundreds of years old.
Next Phase
The RHCC is now actively preparing the land the land for access and burial, and developing the administrative and policy infrastructure necessary to become operational as a Community Cemetery. On track for the goal of beginning operations by the end of 2027 at the latest, securing your membership now both supports the mission of this important organization, while also handling your final internment planning.
Natural Burial
Curious about what a natural burial looks like? These examples of natural burial in Florida and in other areas demonstrate the beauty and simplicity that a conservation cemetery can provide. Note that while natural burial cemeteries typically follow consistent commitment to preservation of the land, they can vary in approaches, landscapes, resources, as well as burial policies and practices. As the RHCC community is built, additional images that are specifically representative of RHCC natural burial and land. The Green Burial Council provides additional helpful resources for planning a ‘green’ natural burial.
Click on the photo to see in full size with caption.
