Conservancy of Southwest Florida | |
---|---|
Type | Conservation organization, nature center |
Location | 495 Smith Preserve Way Naples, Florida |
Coordinates | 26°09′58″N81°47′17″W / 26.166°N 81.788°W |
Area | 21 acres (8.5 ha) |
Created | 1964 |
Website | www |
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is an organization located on 21 acres in Naples, Florida, and features the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center.
The Conservancy dates back to 1964 when a small group of concerned citizens in Naples succeeded in stopping the construction of a roadway through Rookery Bay. Ever since, the Conservancy has focused on protecting the water, land and wildlife of the Southwest Florida area through environmental policy, science, education and wildlife rehabilitation. [1]
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida focuses its efforts in five Southwest Florida counties: Collier, Charlotte, Lee, Hendry and Glades. [2]
The original Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center was built in 1981, and $24 million from a $38.8 million campaign completed in 2013 allowed for a "sustainable" renovation of the 21-acre Conservancy. [3]
Among the renovations are a new entrance, three new buildings and three renovated buildings, along with two filter marshes and four more acres of nature preserves. All of the new buildings were constructed with environmental impact as a main concern, abiding by LEED Standards and using geothermal energy for cooling.
The new Conservancy Nature Center now includes the von Arx Wildlife Hospital, Eaton Conservation Hall with the Jeannie Meg Smith Theater, the interactive Dalton Discovery Center with a 5,000 gallon patch-reef aquarium and touch tank.
The Ferguson Learning Lab features a Hall of Invasive Species to highlight the non-native wildlife species making a home in Southwest Florida. The Labs are used as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) institute to teach the next generation of environmental leaders. In 2014 the Little Explorer Play Zone opened to engage visitors 5 and younger.
The Bradley Nature Store and Welcome Center offers one of the area’s largest variety of nature-inspired books and all things related to the Southwest Florida water, land and wildlife.
In addition, there are filter marshes and nature preserves to explore, short walking trails, kayak rentals and the Allyn Family Dock and Lagoon with a fleet of electric tour boats of the Gordon River.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center is also designated as Site #69 on the Great Florida Birding Trail.
On April 11, 1964, a group of concerned citizens met to prevent a "Road to Nowhere" proposed to be built through Rookery Bay, a lush landscape of tropical lands and water, home to a variety of unique Southwest Florida wildlife. By the next year, over $300,000 was raised by locals in order to save and preserve Rookery Bay as a nature sanctuary, and so the Collier County Conservancy was formed.
Since then, Conservancy of Southwest Florida has grown from an advocacy and land preservation organization to an integrated organization including science and research, education and wildlife rehabilitation.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida plays an active role in protecting wild animals from harm, much of which is caused unintentionally by humans. New housing and business developments lead to loss of bird, reptile and mammal habitat as well as contamination of water and the local ecosystems.
Fishing hooks and lines entangle pelicans, and unsecured garbage poses a risk for hungry scavengers like raccoons and possums.
In 2013, the von Arx Wildlife Hospital officially opened, which helps care for injured, sick and orphaned wildlife and works to protect around 100 threatened or endangered species in Southwest Florida. Over 3,300 are treated at the Wildlife Hospital every year, with about half being released back into their native habitat when they have successfully recovered. [4]
The 5,000 square foot hospital is energy-efficient and contains separate wings for mammals, reptiles and birds. There is also a pediatric unit equipped with incubators for newborns. [5]
Conservancy environmental scientists monitor, collect, research and record important environmental data regarding the region’s water land and wildlife. [6]
The environmental policy team utilizes science-based data to support and protect the local ecosystems. Team members work to encourage lawmakers and the legislature to make informed and environmentally conscious decisions regarding what is best for our land, water and wildlife within the five counties covered by Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
The policy team makes sure that each county grows and develops within its limits, as designated by its Growth Management Plan and Future Land Use Map.
The team also brings up any proposed changes or discrepancies with community members, stakeholders, and other appropriate decision makers to ensure the natural features of Southwest Florida are protected forever – balancing economic vitality with environmental stewardship and protection.
A major focus of Conservancy initiatives is to educate the public on the natural world around them, how to lessen environmental impact, and how to protect the local waters and native wildlife inhabitants.
The Conservancy offers plenty of opportunities to learn - from talented naturalists, environmental speakers, tour boat captains and knowledgeable docents in the Dalton Discovery Center.
The Ferguson Learning Lab and Nature Center combination provides a place for kids to learn about the environment both indoors and out.
Summer camp is also available for children, and school groups are welcome for guided field trips.
The Conservancy education team provides outreach programs to the schools, reaching thousands of students each year.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2021, it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Bivens Arm is a body of water in Gainesville, Florida. Located west of U.S. Route 441 and south of Archer Road, it is a part of Paynes Prairie. Bivens Arm is a small shallow lake covering approximately 189 acres (76 ha) in southwest Gainesville. Bivens Arm is a unique environment, which supports a wide diversity of plant and animal life in an urban setting. Tumblin Creek, which is fed by small springs and seeps, drains into Bivens Arm and is the primary source of drainage into the lake. Bivens Arm overflows onto Paynes Prairie and eventually discharges to the aquifer via Alachua Sink.
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy is a research and learning facility located in northern Leon County, Florida, just off County Road 12 on the north side of Lake Iamonia. Tall Timbers researches the areas of fire ecology, resource management, forestry, game bird management, and vertebrate ecology.
Upper Newport Bay is a large coastal wetland in Newport Beach, California, and a major stopover for birds on the Pacific Flyway. Dozens of species, including endangered ones, can be observed here. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve represent approximately 1,000 acres (4 km2) of open space. Upper Newport Bay was purchased by the state in 1975 for its Fish and Wildlife Department's Ecological Reserve System. In 1985 the upper west bluffs and lands surrounding the bay became part of an Orange County regional park, which offers outdoor activities such as bird-watching, jogging, bicycling, hiking, and kayaking. The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, located at 2301 University Drive, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. An organization known as the Newport Bay Conservancy (NBC) provides volunteers to answer visitors' questions and guide them through the various activities.
Nanjemoy Creek is a 13.1-mile-long (21.1 km) tidal tributary of the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland, United States, located between Cedar Point Neck and Tayloe's Neck. Its watershed area is 73 square miles (190 km2), with 2% impervious surface in 1994.
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve protects 110,000 acres of coastal lands and waters at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, representing one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.
Elkhorn Slough is a 7-mile-long (11 km) tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. It is California's second largest estuary and the United States' first estuarine sanctuary. The community of Moss Landing and the Moss Landing Power Plant are located at the mouth of the slough on the bay.
Guy Morrell Bradley was an American game warden and deputy sheriff for Monroe County, Florida. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he relocated to Florida with his family when he was young. As a boy, he often served as guide to visiting fishermen and plume hunters, although he later denounced poaching after legislation was passed to protect the dwindling number of birds. In 1902, Bradley was hired by the American Ornithologists' Union, at the request of the Florida Audubon Society, to become one of the country's first game wardens.
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, commonly known as the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, is a nature center operated by the city of Boca Raton, Florida in conjunction with the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, and located at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. in Boca Raton. Gumbo Limbo sits on twenty acres of protected barrier island, the area between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. It is on land which is part of the beachfront-to-intracoastal Red Reef Park, though Gumbo Limbo does not have land directly on the beach. Its name comes from a popular name of the Bursera simaruba tree species, which is abundant in the park.
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1992 to protect some of the last remaining, least-disturbed bottomland hardwood forest tracts in the Lower Mississippi Valley. These wooded wetlands, oxbow lakes, brakes, sloughs, and bayous, are inhabited seasonally by over 150 species of migratory birds, including forest-breeding birds, water birds, and waterfowl. The 15,155-acre (61.33 km2) refuge is located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Vidalia, Louisiana. It is named for the state-designated scenic river which runs through its center.
Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area is a natural reserve in Olympia, Washington, protected under the Washington Natural Areas Program. Once an important processing facility for the logging industry, it has been designated as the Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape. Today the area is a renowned sanctuary for a variety of birds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, and a colony of bats, as well as serving as an important great blue heron rookery. A recent conservation program in the area between the State of Washington and the Nature Conservancy is the first of its kind in the country.
Ironsides Island is an uninhabited rocky island in the Saint Lawrence River, and part of the Thousand Islands region near Alexandria Bay, New York. It is in both Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. Most of the island lies in the town of Alexandria, in Jefferson County, while its northeasternmost corner lies in the town of Hammond, in St. Lawrence County. The island is located near Kring Point State Park.
The Cosumnes River Preserve is a nature preserve of over 51,000 acres (210 km2) located 20 miles (30 km) south of Sacramento, in the US state of California. The preserve protects a Central Valley remnant that once contained one of the largest expanses of oak tree savanna, riparian oak forest and wetland habitat in North America. Agricultural development has changed the landscape from groves of oaks and tule marshes to productive farmlands.
The Conservation Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. From 2008–2018, it has placed more than 500,000 acres under conservation management through a program whose goal is to purchase and permanently protect working forests. Since its founding in 1985, the organization has protected land and water in all 50 states, including parks, historic battlefields, and wild areas. The Fund works with community and government leaders, businesses, landowners, conservation nonprofits and other partners to integrate economic and environmental objectives.
The Texas City Prairie Preserve is a 2,300-acre (9.3 km2) nature preserve located on the shores of Moses Lake and Galveston Bay in Texas City, Texas in the United States, near Houston. The preserve was created in 1995 by the Nature Conservancy thanks to a $2.2 million donation of land by ExxonMobil. The primary goal in creating the preserve was to save the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken, though the preserve protects coastal prairie and supports a wide variety of wildlife.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) is a non-profit organization that is based on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southwestern Los Angeles County, California.
The Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 11,500-acre nature reserve near Kissimmee, Florida. It was created through an agreement between The Walt Disney Company, The Nature Conservancy, and the state of Florida. It is located fifteen miles south of Walt Disney World.
Hooks Island is an uninhabited, approximately 36-acre (15 ha) tidal salt marsh island in San Francisco Bay, in Palo Alto, California, United States. In the 2010s, it was observed to be a home for tens of near-endangered California clapper rails.