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Dear <<First name>>,

The holidays are here and a generous donor has committed to match every dollar you give! This will DOUBLE your impact for the Florida Wildlife Corridor's efforts to connect and protect wild places in Florida and the species they support.

Corridor Caters to Cats and Other Critters

The Florida panther is one of the state’s most special but imperiled mammal species, with a total population around 160-180. These majestic animals require lots of room to roam to find food and mates – up to 200 square miles for a male panther of breeding age. Loss and fragmentation of habitat, as well as collisions with automobiles, are the primary reasons for their decline. However, connecting protected areas with privately-owned lands within the Florida Wildlife Corridor is a key to their survival and expansion.

The recent discovery of a female panther north of the Caloosahatchee River in Charlotte County gives biologists and wildlife lovers hope for their future! The Caloosahatchee River, along the northern boundary of the Everglades, has long been viewed as a geographic barrier for movement of the females, with no known sightings of females north of the river since 1973.

Yes, we’re excited about the news, too! Photo by Lowry Park Zoo

“This appears to be the milestone we’ve hoped for. We have been working with landowners to secure wildlife corridors to help panthers travel from south Florida, cross the river and reach this important panther habitat,” said Larry Williams, state ecological services supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “While we do not know if this female used these tracts of land, we do know that securing lands that facilitate the natural expansion of the panther population are critical to achieving full recovery."

If fully connected and protected, the Florida Wildlife Corridor would provide habitat for species such as the Florida panther and Florida black bear. When small populations are isolated, this can lead to inbreeding and an overall decline in their health and long-term success. Adequate habitat, as well as safe wildlife crossings over or under roads and highways, are hallmarks of the Corridor.

You Can Support Panther Habitat!

Over the next few years, our organization will focus on protecting the most critical linkage areas within the Corridor, for the benefit of wildlife populations and humans. You can help support these efforts and the wildlife you love by making a year-end donation today. And through the generosity of a $30,000 gift from The Dreaming through The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, every dollar that you donate will be matched, DOUBLING your impact!

From all of us at the Florida Wildlife Corridor, we wish you a healthy, happy and WILD holiday season!

Sincerely,

Lindsay Cross
Executive Director

Donate Now!

Upcoming Events

Dec 8th 5-9pm
Wild Nights
Holiday Shopping at Carlton Ward Gallery
A portion of the proceeds benefit Florida Wildlife Corridor
Tampa, FL

Dec 13th 2pm
Your Everglades and Clean Water
with Mallory Lykes Dimmitt
Presentation
Palm Beach, FL

Jan 7th 10:30-11:45am
Growing Green
Conference Panel
Everglades Coalition Conference
(Jan 5-8)
Fort Myers, FL

Feb 10th
Linear Land Conservation Presentation
Public Interest Environmental Conference
(Feb 9-11)
Gainesville, FL

Partner Progress

Oil Spill Monies to Improve Oyster Habitat in Big Bend Region

Kendall Shoelles, 3rd generation oysterman from Apalachicola, depends on healthy and abundant oyster populations. Photo by Carlton Ward, Jr.

More than $100 million has been awarded to 25 restoration projects in Florida from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. This fund, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supports high priority restoration and conservation needs using plea agreement monies from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

One of the recently-funded projects includes oyster habitat recovery in the Big Bend region. This project will restore a degraded chain of oyster reefs in the Big Bend area to promote resilience and ecological benefit to a 50,000- acre coastal landscape comprised of vast salt marshes, seagrass beds and coastal forests that collectively host numerous fish and wildlife species of conservation and economic importance.

Aquaculture is a critical economic driver in many coastal towns in Florida, especially within the Big Bend and Apalachicola region in the northeastern Panhandle. In the 2015 “Glades to Gulf” Expedition, the Expedition team spent a day on the water with third-generation oysterman, Kendall Shoelles, and learned the importance of having clean and abundant freshwater in rivers that feed into the Gulf to support oyster populations. Connecting, protecting and restoring critical areas within the Florida Wildlife Corridor not only preserves habitat for aquatic life, but the rural economies and cultural heritage that depend on these species.

This $8.3 million grant was awarded to University of Florida, Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences. Partners include the Suwannee River Water Management District, Cedar Key Oysterman’s Association and Cedar Key Aquaculture Association.

More info about this and other projects is available HERE.

DONATE NOW

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Florida Wildlife Corridor
PO Box 1802
Tampa, FL 36601

Interested in becoming a volunteer or an intern for the Florida Wildlife Corridor? Please email us at floridawildlifecorridor@gmail.com for more information.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.

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