Our Foundation Board and staff is deeply saddened to share the passing of Rae Waddell, a visionary leader, mentor, and champion for Florida’s youth and wild places. During Women’s History Month, we pause not only to remember her life, but to recognize her as one of the many remarkable women whose leadership has shaped the future of conservation in our state.
At the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, one of the core pillars of our mission is simple and powerful: get kids back to nature. We believe every child deserves easy access to the outdoors and the joy of embarking on wild, muddy, salt-sprayed, sun-dappled adventures. For decades, Rae Waddell turned that belief into reality.
Rae began her journey with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 1991 as Director of the Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center. For 15 years, she worked directly with young people, many experiencing the outdoors for the very first time, instilling in them an understanding of Florida’s extraordinary natural diversity and a sense of responsibility to protect it.
In 2010 Rae became the founding Director of the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network (FYCCN). Under her leadership, FYCCN grew into a nationally recognized model for outdoor education, expanding to hundreds of public and private partners dedicated to connecting youth with nature.
Even after retiring a decade later, Rae returned to FWC to support the Finance and Budget team. No matter her role, she never lost her connection to FYCCN’s mission or the young people it serves. Her steady leadership, wisdom, and integrity strengthened the program and everyone around her.
Today the Foundation is proud to be Florida’s largest private funder of youth outdoor education. We work closely with FYCCN, now a consortium of 300+ partners, providing formative outdoor experiences to tens of thousands of children and teens each year. Through this partnership, we help provide summer camp scholarships, school field trip funding, outdoor gear and equipment, educational materials, and hands-on conservation programming.
Every fishing line cast, every first paddle stroke, every wide-eyed wildlife sighting traces back to a larger vision, one Rae helped shape from the beginning.
Because of her passion and leadership, thousands upon thousands of children have experienced the outdoors, discovered a love for nature, and gained a deeper understanding of conservation.
In 2019 the Foundation honored Rae with the prestigious Louise Ireland Humphrey Award, which recognizes outstanding lifetime service to conservation. The Award reflects the dedication and love of Florida’s natural resources that defined Rae’s career.
But Rae’s true award lives on in something far more enduring: the young people who learned under her guidance, the colleagues she mentored, and the programs that continue to thrive because of her vision.
As we remember Rae during Women’s History Month, we also recommit ourselves to the mission she helped build, ensuring that all youth, regardless of background, have meaningful access to nature and the opportunity to become the next generation of conservation leaders. Her life reminds us that when you open the outdoors to a child, you open the door to a lifetime of stewardship.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to support the Rae Waddell Pollinator Garden at the Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center and camper scholarships. You can support this project and help Rae’s legacy endure with a donation to our Getting Kids Back to Nature fund.
