Our Foundation was the proud sponsor of this week’s Corridor Connect, a statewide summit uniting landowners, scientists, developers, and conservationists around one shared mission: permanently connecting, protecting, and restoring the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Over the course of the event, one theme rang especially clear. Collaboration isn’t just helpful in conservation, it’s essential.
From workshops on wildlife crossings to panels on sustainable agriculture and community-driven land protection, it was inspiring to see how many different sectors are working together to keep Florida wild. Our staff returned energized by the big ideas and grounded partnerships that make real progress possible.
Highlights included a panel discussion led by this year’s Chris Janson Creativity in Conservation Award winner Travis Thompson, featuring one of our Conservation Ambassadors, Brandon Thompson, who talked about watching the world wake up and the importance of experiencing wild Florida and the connection to protecting it.
Two of our board members, Joshua Kellam of Garcia Companies and Robert Spottswood Jr. of the Spottswood Companies, were also in attendance, proudly representing their organizations as they presented awards to distinguished community leaders during the inaugural Sabal Awards ceremony.
At the heart of these conversations was the Florida Wildlife Corridor itself: 18 million acres of public and private land, 54% of which is already conserved. But nearly half remains unprotected, much of it working ranches and timberlands critical to both our state’s economy and its ecological future. This is our window of opportunity, and it will take all of us, nonprofits, agencies, private landowners, and everyday Floridians, to get the job done. We were especially thrilled to celebrate a major step forward with a $1 million gift from Disney to support the Corridor’s ongoing protection and restoration.
Together, we’re helping ensure a connected landscape for wildlife, clean water, and future generations. We’re proud to be part of this movement and even prouder to support the people making it happen.
