Learn About A Natural, ‘Green’ Burial At Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery

When Amy Morrow’s mom passed away a few months ago, she says it was the darkest time in her life.

In the midst of her pain, Amy found peace and beauty at Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery.

Located on 41 acres of serene, old Florida woods bordering the 18,000-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Trinity, just a short drive west of Wesley Chapel, the body of Amy’s mom, Lisa Weir, was laid to rest in a natural, “green” burial.

“It was the worst point in my entire life,” says Amy, “but Laura and Diana were amazing, and the site itself is just glorious.”

Laura Starkey is the founder and executive director of Heartwood Preserve, and Diana Sayegh is the manager.

Laura grew up on the land that is now Heartwood Preserve and the adjoining wilderness preserve, back when it was all part of her family’s expansive cattle ranch.

Heartwood Preserve was Laura’s idea. One of just a few conservation cemeteries in the entire state of Florida, Heartwood Preserve provides environmentally-friendly options for people looking for a more natural burial.

“Not only are we are providing a natural burial option for those who don’t want all the fancy bells and whistles of a modern burial with an expensive casket and vault,” Laura explains, “but we’re also really contributing to the permanent conservation of this ecosystem. We are both literally and figuratively becoming part of this land.”

Amy says it was the perfect option for her “hippie” mom. She says her mom didn’t have many requests for her funeral, except that she wanted those who attended to wear bright colors, and she wanted Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” to be played while her body was carried.

Heartwood Preserve was happy to accommodate her requests.

“If green burial were a person, it would be my mother,” says Amy. “If Heartwood Preserve were a person, it would be my mother. It felt so peaceful and right to place my mother at Heartwood Preserve.”

Saving Florida’s Land
First and foremost, the cemetery is about conserving the precious longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands ecosystems of the preserve.

“We invite people to come and take a walk or a hike and get some fresh air,” Diana says. “You can park for free, use our picnic benches, and experience nature. There are woodpeckers, owls and butterflies, and we have free events, such as silent meditation walks, yoga and even frog-listening events. This place is gorgeous, and we want the community to experience it.”

Laura explains that using the land as a conservation cemetery is a tool that will allow it to be preserved forever.

“Land conservation is kind of tricky,” she says. “Sometimes, you think you just buy the land and hold on to it, but you have to manage it and maintain it, including controlled burns, managing invasive species and different things you have to do to keep it healthy and protected. I am always looking for tools to do that. Sometimes land may become a state or county park, but there are other ways to do that, too.”

She explains that there are layers of protection in place to ensure that Heartwood Preserve will always remain a natural burial preserve, with no above-ground burials, such as in a mausoleum, and a lower density than a traditional cemetery. In addition, when someone purchases a space at Heartwood Preserve, a portion of that fee goes to permanently protecting that ecosystem.

Heartwood Preserve doesn’t allow embalming or vaults, neither of which are required by law. “The full body can be placed into the ground, wrapped in a shroud or buried in a biodegradable, natural casket,” Diana explains. “We also allow cremated remains to be buried directly in the ground or in a biodegradable urn, but we don’t scatter ashes.”

2nd Birthday Celebration!
On Saturday, November 3, Heartwood Preserve celebrated the two-year anniversary of its opening with an Open House celebration, featuring family-friendly crafts, games and, of course, a birthday cake.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for brand-new Welcome Center that will soon be built.

The Welcome Center will be the new permanent home for Heartwood’s offices, which have been housed in a temporary mobile office trailer for the past two years. Laura says the building will be energy-efficient and will include offices, bathrooms, a reception area and a meeting room where families may hold celebrations of life or other small-to-medium sized gatherings.

Since opening in 2016, Heartwood Preserve has held 16 burials, including six full-body burials and 10 cremation burials.

The number of people pre-planning for a burial at Heartwood Preserve continues to grow. Diana says Heartwood Preserve allows for such pre-planning, which sets it apart from other conservation cemeteries in Florida.

“Like making a will, pre-planning for your cremation or burial is a gift to your family,” says Diana. “Your family is not left with the burden of the cost or the decision making. They have peace of mind for when that time comes.”

Amy Morrow is grateful that her mom did just that at Heartwood Preserve. “I’ve been to a lot of funerals,” Amy says. “Death is a hard thing, but for me, this was so much more relaxed and easier to deal with.”

Amy says burial at Heartwood Preserve goes along with many trends today of people trying to live more natural lives.

“Going directly back into Mother Earth is appealing to a lot of people,” she says. “I know it is to me.”

Laura and Diana encourage anyone who is interested to call to arrange a private tour of Heartwood Preserve. While visitors are always welcome, they can give you personal attention if an appointment is made in advance.

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery is located at 4100 Starkey Blvd. The gates are open Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Sun.

For more information or to schedule an in-person appointment to discuss burial at Heartwood Preserve, call (727) 376-5111, or visit HeartwoodPreserve.com.

SPOTLIGHT ON…Heartwood Preserve Cemetery

In the old Florida woods where she grew up, in what is now the Trinity area of New Port Richey (just a short drive west of Wesley Chapel), Laura Starkey has set 41 acres of land aside as the Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery, adjacent to the 18,000-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve.

On Nov. 4, Heartwood Preserve celebrated its one-year anniversary in business with refreshments and cake, an artist providing temporary henna tattoos and activities for the family.

In the year since it opened — as the first conservation cemetery in the Tampa Bay region, and one of just a handful in the state — Heartwood Preserve has offered environmentally-friendly options for people looking for a more natural burial.

“The word ‘Conservation’ in our name means that not only are we are providing a natural burial option for those who don’t want all the fancy bells and whistles of a modern burial with an expensive casket and vault, but we’re also really contributing to the permanent conservation of this ecosystem,” explains Laura, who is the cemetery’s founder and executive director. “We are both literally and figuratively becoming part of this land.”

Laura and Heartwood Preserve manager Diana Sayegh explain that, first and foremost, the cemetery is about conserving the precious longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands ecosystems of the preserve.

“We invite people to come and take a walk, hike and get some fresh air,” Diana says. “You can park for free, use our picnic benches, and experience nature. There are woodpeckers, owls and butterflies, and we have free events, such as silent meditation walks, yoga and even frog-listening events. This place is gorgeous, and we want the community to experience it.”

Diana says the fact that Heartwood Preserve allows pre-planning sets it apart from other conservation cemeteries.

“Like making a will, pre-planning for your cremation or burial is a gift to your family,” says Diana. “Your family is not left with the burden of the cost or the decision making. They have peace of mind for when that time comes.”

She continues, “It is a cemetery, and it’s sad, but it’s not typical. It’s natural and beautiful and serene and peaceful.”

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery is located at 4100 Starkey Blvd. Visitors are always welcome when the gates are open — Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Sun. Events that are open to the public, including yoga, educational activities and more, are listed on the events page of Heartwood Preserve’s website at HeartwoodPreserve.com. For more info, call (727) 376-5111.

Consider Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery For A Natural Burial

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery in the Trinity area of New Port Richey provides a unique form of burial in natural setting for your final resting place.

Laura Starkey grew up running through the old Florida woods that made up her family’s expansive cattle ranch, much of which is now the 18,000-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve in the Trinity area of New Port Richey, just a short drive west of Wesley Chapel.

Now, her passion is conserving the land she loves, and connecting people to it.

To that end, she has created Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery, the first conservation cemetery in the Tampa Bay region. It opened this past fall, set on 41 acres of the original Starkey Ranch bordering the wilderness preserve, and Laura is the cemetery’s founder and executive director.

One of just a few conservation cemeteries in the entire state of Florida, Heartwood Preserve provides environmentally-friendly options for people looking for a more natural burial.

“The word ‘conservation’ in our name means that not only are we are providing a natural burial option for those who don’t want all the fancy bells and whistles of a modern burial with an expensive casket and vault, but we’re also really contributing to the permanent conservation of this ecosystem,” Laura explains. “We are both literally and figuratively becoming part of this land.”

Laura and Heartwood Preserve manager Diana Sayegh explain that first and foremost, the cemetery is about conserving the precious longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands ecosystems of the preserve.

“We invite people to come and take a walk, hike and get some fresh air,” Diana says. “You can park for free, use our picnic benches, and experience nature. There are woodpeckers, owls and butterflies, and we have free events, such as silent meditation walks, yoga and even frog-listening events. This place is gorgeous, and we want the community to experience it.” 

Laura explains that using the land as a conservation cemetery is a tool that will allow it to be preserved forever.

“Land conservation is kind of tricky,” she says. “Sometimes, you think you just buy the land and hold on to it, but you have to manage it and maintain it, including controlled burns, managing invasive species and different things you have to do to keep it healthy and protected. I am always looking for tools to do that. Sometimes land may become a state or county park, but there are other ways to do that, too.”

She explains that there are layers of protection in place to ensure that Heartwood Preserve will always remain a natural burial preserve, with no above-ground burials, such as in a mausoleum, and a lower density than a traditional cemetery. In addition, when someone purchases a space at Heartwood Preserve, a portion of that fee goes to permanently protecting that ecosystem.

She says that what started out as an intellectual idea for her has morphed all the way into a spiritual experience.

“A conservation cemetery is a practical tool to help pay for protecting the land, but on a community and spiritual level, it’s an opportunity for the community to be connected to the land in a really deep way” she says. “What a beautiful thing to say your final wish — your final resting place — will protect the land.”

Diana says the fact that Heartwood Preserve allows pre-planning sets it apart from other conservation cemeteries.

“Like making a will, pre-planning for your cremation or burial is a gift to your family,” says Diana. “Your family is not left with the burden of the cost or the decision making. They have peace of mind for when that time comes.”

She continues, “It is a cemetery, and it’s sad, but it’s not typical. It’s natural and beautiful and serene and peaceful.”

Heartwood Preserve doesn’t allow embalming or vaults, neither of which are required by law. “The full body can be placed into the ground, wrapped in a shroud or buried in a biodegradable, natural casket,” Diana explains. “We also allow cremated remains to be buried directly in the ground or in a biodegradable urn, but we don’t scatter ashes.”

Diana, who worked in a traditional funeral home for many years before joining Heartwood Preserve, says she had to learn about so-called “green burial” and, she says, “it was a big wakeup call for me.”

She says she now considers it her personal mission to educate people that other options are available to them.

“In my old job, I used to tell people, ‘This is what has to happen, and this is how much you have to pay.’ But, I’ve learned that you don’t have to be embalmed or purchase an expensive casket.”

Not For Everyone?

Diana says that Heartwood Preserve welcomes all faith and religions, but she understands that natural burial is not a good fit for everyone.

“It’s okay if you want a more traditional burial. I respect that,” Diana says. “But, we want people to know this is another option.”

Don Zegel’s son, Gregory, passed away when he was just 21. That was nearly five years ago and his son was cremated, but Don says that ever since, “I’ve been looking for something meaningful to do with his ashes.”

When he and his wife, Gay Wasik, were biking through the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Gay had what Don says was a “magical” experience. When she returned home, she began researching the preserve and came across information about Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery.

Don says he looked at the Heartwood Preserve website and it really struck a chord with him. “I love the woods, I love old Florida, and I love nature,” he says.

“I was ready right then, but Diana told me I needed to come out and be sure that’s what I wanted for my son’s burial,” Donald explains. “I visited, and I fell in love with the feel of the place and with their philosophy. When I walked the property with Diana, I didn’t want to leave.”

He says the feeling of peace and comfort that he felt extended to the burial service that was held at the preserve. “It was a small family thing, and Laura and Diana were both there,” Don says, “It felt like they were welcoming us into their family, like they had this land and were allowing us to be a part of it.”

That’s exactly what Laura hopes people will feel if they choose Heartwood Preserve for their loved ones’ burials, or even their own.

“We’re growing a family here,” Laura says. “It’s so moving to me, because that’s what makes me so happy to come to work. We’re just getting started, but it really feels like we’re doing the right thing.”

Don says, “Now, when we think of Greg, Heartwood Preserve is where we take our minds. It’s been such an affirming experience. After five years of being in mourning one hundred percent of the time, I have started to go through some real healing.”

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery is located at 4100 Starkey Blvd. Visitors are always welcome when the gates are open, Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Sun.

For more information, call (727) 376-5111, or visit HeartwoodPreserve.com.