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Check out this new presentation from Tom Hoctor! The focus is on how restoration of the Ocklawaha River basin can be used strengthen a critical link in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Corridor, and the wildlife and habitats of the Ocklawaha River Basin. ![]()
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UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Florida Native Plant Society Free the Ocklawaha
The Great Florida Riverway Florida Native Plant Month Series, Ocklawaha Restoration and the Corridor
www.youtube.com
We'll start off with a quick introduction by FNPS's Policy and Legislation Chair Eugene Kelly then into the main presentation on how partial restoration stre...
The Center for Landscape Conservation Planning is the foremost entity within Florida engaged in applied research on landscape conservation and land use including an emphasis on protecting Florida’s biodiversity and ecosystem services. As the third most populous state in the nation with growth of approximately 1,000 new residents per day, protecting Florida’s remaining rural and natural lands while planning for resilient and smart growth has never been more important. Center staff are actively working to address these issues through applied research projects and engagement with state, local, and federal agencies, mentoring our next generation of conservation science Ph.D. students, and providing guidance and learning opportunities for Masters and undergraduate students at the University of Florida.![]()
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This post is a reminder that Center staff and students are almost completely reliant on outside funding to achieve our mission, including supporting specific projects focused on conservation planning and providing student research and learning opportunities. Outside funds are critical as the University of Florida provides only a small portion of the financial support needed to conduct Center research and education and support Center staff. We hope you will share information about the Center with your network, and consider making a tax deductible donation during the year. We are also looking for donors interested in long term funding for the Center, including to establish an endowment that ensures in perpetuity support for our essential work to protect the state’s wildlife corridors, ecological connectivity, climate resiliency, and green infrastructure. Please feel free to reach out to Center staff for more information about our mission and work. UF College of Design, Construction and Planning UF Research University of Florida Foundation![]()
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Support - Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
conservation.dcp.ufl.edu
There are a variety of ways to support the work conducted by the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning. Financial contributions are one important method, and can be made through the University of...
Our new Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida has a position available for a post-doctoral associate focused on building coastal community resilience with nature-based shoreline solutions. Please share if you know of anyone who is interested. This position will also compliment work that we are doing in the Center and with the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience focused on similar topics within Port St Joe, Cedar Key, Jacksonville, and elsewhere. UF College of Design, Construction and Planning ![]()
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explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/523232/postdoctoral-researcher
University of Florida - Details - Postdoctoral Researcher
explore.jobs.ufl.edu
Apply now Job no: 523232 Work type: Post Doc Associate Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL) Categories: Architecture/Construction/Planning, Research/Scientific/Grants Department:15040000 - DCP-LAND...
The Florida Conservation Group worked assiduously with the Carlton family, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to protect one of the jewels in the Peace River watershed in southwest Florida, Horse Creek Ranch, which was approved yesterday by the Florida Cabinet for permanent protection through a conservation easement. The ranch includes over 4,000 acres of intact wetlands, over 16,000 acres of high quality wildlife habitat, and is essential for protecting Horse Creek, Peace River, and Charlotte Harbor."This conservation easement will result in the permanent protection of over 12 miles of frontage of Horse Creek, the most significant tributary of the Peace River, which is the drinking water supply to over a million people in southwest Florida."![]()
floridaconserve.org/2022/08/23/horse-creek-ranch-conservation-easement-protecting-the-peace-river...![]()
Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership - CHNEP Jim Strickland Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership - CHNEP Wildpath Audubon Florida UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
Our Port St Joe project is being featured in the August 2022 Virtual Environmental Film Festival! All films are available all day from August 12-21, 2022, for the duration of the festival. Kudos to Alyson Larson and Jeff Carney for their efforts to put this together! Florida Environmental Film Festival UF College of Design, Construction and PlanningFlorida Institute for Built Environment Resilience Check it out here! mailchi.mp/a59d00e54af4/the-august-2022-virtual-film-festival?e=6a29e88f59
The August 2022 Virtual film festival!
mailchi.mp
Our online film festival will showcase films from local and international filmmakers, all of whom address environmental issues that could impact Florida and the rest of the world. All films are av...
This is short notice - but if you have time please join us for the film premiere and webinar of In Times of Crisis: Stories from the Gulf of Mexico at 1 pm ET today! Jeff Carney will be presenting a film funded by the National Academies on our partnership with the City of Port St Joe titled, "After Michael: Memory and Reinvention in Port St Joe". We hope you can make it! @ufexplore @ufdcp : www.eventbrite.com/e/in-times-of-crisis-stories-from-the-gulf-of-mexico-tickets-327552958717
The 2022 Urban Landscape Summit is now available to view online, including a presentation about the Center's Climate Wise Landscape Initiative and work to survey students and educators about climate change education, a project and Initiative which have been created in partnership with Dr. Gail Hansen of UF Environmental Horticulture and Dr. Belinda Nettles. More information about the project will be available soon at this site: dcp.ufl.edu/landscapechange/ and you can view the presentation at the following link. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences UF College of Design, Construction and Planning UF Research www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6pafVEKAR8&list=PLqH2HUQ07DzLAiyRoEWMTHgTITnd9NTrz&index=14&t=122s
A Climate-Wise Landscape and Urban Green Infrastructure Initiative
www.youtube.com
The 2022 Urban Landscape Summit features research and Extension from the University of Florida. This final round of the faculty lightning rounds discusses la...
The book "Landscape Architecture for Sea Level Rise" was just published, with Editors Galen Newman and Zixu Qiao. We were included as coauthors of a chapter related to resiliency planning in Port St Joe, Florida, with lead author Jeff Carney from the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, Cleary Larkin of the UF Historic Preservation Program, UF Department of Landscape Architecture faculty member Yi Luo, and Bill O'Dell from the UF Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing. Incoming UF Department of Landscape Architecture Chair Jules Bruck is a coauthor of a chapter as well. Hope you will check it out! Galen and his team created a fantastic website that describes the publication: laforsealevelrise.com/ UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Texas A&M College of Architecture
Book – Landscape Architecture for Sea Level Rise
laforsealevelrise.com
This book assesses and illustrates innovative and practical world-wide measures for combating sea level rise from the profession of landscape architecture.
This interview with Tom Hoctor accompanies an article by UF Research about the DeLuca Property, a recent donation to the University of Florida with significance both as a landscape-scale site for conservation and agriculture sustainability research. The property is also critical for the protection of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network/Florida Wildlife Corridor. Florida Conservation Group Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning
twitter.com
“Celebrate #EarthDay🌎In 27,000-acre Preserve, Scientists Begin ‘Age of Discovery’, "an essential piece of the @FL_WildCorridor" says Tom Hoctor, Director of the Center for Landscape Conservat...
We're excited to announce that our Center Director, Tom Hoctor received the Herb Kale Award from the Florida Chapter of the Wildlife Society during the Chapter's annual spring meeting this past week. Tom joins Dr. Larry Harris, Dr. David Maehr, Dr. Reed Noss and other past recipients in receiving this award that recognizes biologists who have made important contributions both to wildlife conservation science and policy in Florida. We're honored that he has been selected. Congratulations Tom Hoctor! UF College of Design, Construction and Planning
On this Gator Giving Day for the University of Florida and UF College of Design, Construction and Planning, we hope you will consider supporting the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning with a gift. The Center works with a variety of partners including the National Wildlife Refuge Association, 1000 Friends of Florida, Florida Conservation Group, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and others to conduct state, regional, and urban green infrastructure and conservation planning in Florida. Center staff are primarily funded by projects and donations to conduct this work, and your support is valuable. As a follower of our page, we appreciate your interest in our work. Options to support the Center can be found here: www.uff.ufl.edu/give-now/?fund_id=019513
Give Now - University of Florida Advancement
www.uff.ufl.edu
The UF Foundation thanks you for your generosity and kindness. Please take a moment to share the fund you chose with your friends.
SWFWMD buys Southworth Tract -- 589 acres in Hernando County
www.wmnf.org
SWFWMD has approved the purchase of 589 acres of land within the Weekiwachee Preserve, Southworth Tract, for about $4.6 million.
We wanted to share this link to a new book by Gail Hansen, one of our UF College of Design, Construction and Planning grads and a colleague in UF Environmental Horticulture and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, as well as a former professor in our Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Joseli Macedo. We hope you will check it out! ![]()
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upf.com/book.asp?id=9781683402527
Florida's ranchlands provide essential habitat, wildlife corridors, and significant opportunities to protect and restore our water resources. Ranches are being lost to rapid development and conversion to intensive agricultural uses, but if we act fast we still have the chance to protect this traditional way of life and the ecological benefits it provides. Florida Conservation Group
fortmyers.floridaweekly.com
IT ALL BEGAN THAT WINTER DAY in 1521 when Ponce de León came ashore near Charlotte Harbor on Southwest Florida's coast, looking to create a permanent settlement. It was his second voyage to the l
This is a second article by Mary Wozniak from the Fort Myers Florida Weekly on the recent Florida Wildlife Corridor legislation and importance of land protection within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN). Florida Conservation Group Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Blackbeard's Ranch UF College of Design, Construction and Planning
Critical CORRIDOR | Fort Myers Florida Weekly
fortmyers.floridaweekly.com
THERE'S A GLIMMER OF hope in the land. The glimmer is about the land itself and what seems to be a new willingness to save the wildlife and water that drive our quality of life and balance it wit
This is the second of two articles by Mary Wozniak from the Fort Myers Florida Weekly on the Florida Wildlife Corridor and Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) discussing opportunities for landscape-scale conservation across Florida and conservation partnerships with ranching, timber, and agricultural landowners. Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Florida Conservation Group Blackbeard's Ranch
Ranchers say most owners support corridor: 'It's our livelihood' | Fort Myers Florida Weekly
fortmyers.floridaweekly.com
Florida has 47,400 farms and ranches covering 9.7 million acres of land that provide a large and stable economic base, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' 2020
A journal article on the Center's work as part of our Urban Green Infrastructure Initiative focused on climate change education in post-secondary landscape and horticultural programs was published today with coauthors Belinda Nettles and Gail Hansen. This is also part of a broader effort at creating a Climate-Wise Landscape Initiative in Florida and the United States (dcp.ufl.edu/landscapechange/). Thanks to the staff of Landscape Research Group for helping publish this and to the California Landscape Architectural Student Scholarship Fund (CLASS Fund) for making this research possible. UF College of Design, Construction and Planning UF Environmental Horticulture www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01426397.2021.1958307
Landscape Change – CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION FOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
dcp.ufl.edu
Introduction Climate Information Projects and Plans Strategies Contact Us Climate News: Miami Beach Infrastructure Climate News: Florida Climate Book Climate News: Climate-Wise Landscaping Book
An op-ed by our Center Director, Tom Hoctor, discussing the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and Wildlife Corridor was published in the Tampa Bay Times today. Tom talks about the significance of the legislation, but also the importance of continued funding for land conservation in the state including the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, incentives to protect habitat and restore watersheds, and federal land conservation funding and partnerships. Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning
Florida Wildlife Corridor legislation represents progress — and points to next steps | Column
www.tampabay.com
But there are approximately 8 million acres within the Florida Wildlife Corridor that have yet to be protected.
This was an interesting and useful article on rain gardens in the The New York Times. We are in Nantucket, Massachusetts this week working with the UF Historic Preservation Program and the Preservation Institute Nantucket to share information about the use of rain gardens and other nature-based strategies as important tools to mitigate climate change impacts and increase the resiliency of historic communities.
The Do-It-Yourself Rain Garden
ad.doubleclick.net
So you spent the holiday weekend indoors, watching rainwater pool in your yard — or worse still, in the basement? Here’s how to fix that.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was signed into law this week, after receiving unanimous bi-partisan support in the Florida House and Senate. Along with the passage of the Act, the following is a link to a feature on the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and Florida Wildlife Corridor in the The New Yorker that describes the importance of the Corridor and efforts by many reach this milestone. Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
Florida’s Remarkable New Wildlife Corridor from the Panhandle to the Keys
www.newyorker.com
The state has created a national model for how to safeguard threatened species for generations.
The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning finished the 2021 Update of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network was completed last week working with Florida Natural Areas Inventory, our Technical Advisory Group, and other partners.![]()
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The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) is part of the legislatively adopted Florida Greenways Plan administered by the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The FEGN guides Florida’s ecological greenway conservation efforts, and promotes public awareness of the need for a statewide ecological greenways network. It is also used as the primary data layer to inform the Florida Forever and other state and regional land acquisition programs regarding the location of the most important conservation corridors and large, intact landscapes in the state. The FEGN identifies areas of opportunity for protecting a statewide network of ecological hubs and linkages designed to maintain large landscape-scale ecological functions including critical species habitat and ecosystem services throughout the state. ![]()
FEGN Priorities 1, 2, and 3 are the most important for protecting a connected statewide network of public and private conservation lands, and in April 2021, the Florida Legislature unanimously passed legislation making FEGN P1-P3 the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and made protection of these wildlife and landscape conservation priorities a high priority as part of a strategic plan for Florida’s future. ![]()
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To accomplish this goal, we need robust state, federal, and local conservation land protection program including Florida Forever, Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, and Natural Resources Conservation Service easements and incentives. We work closely with the Florida Conservation Group and other partners to ensure that the FEGN and other best available science is used to guide Florida conservation planning, and to advocate for land conservation funding that is essential for implementing the FEGN and other landscape-scale conservation projects.![]()
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In addition, with help from partners, we expect to continue to work on the FEGN over the next year with goals including:![]()
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--Identify strategic Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program project priorities most important for closing gaps in protection in the FEGN.![]()
--Continue development of Strategic Prioritization with FNAI.![]()
--Develop a Supporting Landscape Analysis to identify additional landscape-scale conservation priority areas.![]()
--Develop an FEGN 2021 GIS database.![]()
--Conduct additional updates to the Critical Lands and Waters Identification Project with FNAI and release a CLIP 5.0 database.![]()
--Compare with the upcoming new Florida 2070 model and a planned Protection Opportunities model. The new Florida 2070 scenarios project is another ongoing research effort by the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning with 1000 Friends of Florida, the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, and the University of Florida GeoPlan Center.![]()
--Additional consideration of ecological connectivity across state borders (into Georgia and Alabama).The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) is part of the legislatively adopted Florida Greenways Plan administered by the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The FEGN guides Florida’s ecological greenway conservation efforts, and promotes public awareness of the need for a statewide ecological greenways network. It is also used as the primary data layer to inform the Florida Forever and other state and regional land acquisition programs regarding the location of the most important conservation corridors and large, intact landscapes in the state. The FEGN identifies areas of opportunity for protecting a statewide network of ecological hubs and linkages designed to maintain large landscape-scale ecological functions including critical species habitat and ecosystem services throughout the state. ![]()
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FEGN Priorities 1, 2, and 3 are the most important for protecting a connected statewide network of public and private conservation lands, and in April 2021, the Florida Legislature unanimously passed legislation making FEGN P1-P3 the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and made protection of these wildlife and landscape conservation priorities a high priority as part of a strategic plan for Florida’s future. To accomplish this goal, we need robust state, federal, and local conservation land protection program including Florida Forever, Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, and Natural Resources Conservation Service easements and incentives. The Florida Conservation Group works with many partners including the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning to identify the most important conservation priority areas and advocates for the many programs needed to protect them.
Very good news today with the recognition and possible funding for the Florida Wildlife Corridor by the Florida Legislature!🙌Florida Legislature Recognizes the Florida Wildlife Corridor🙌![]()
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👏Today, we celebrate the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, with bipartisan support. We applaud the Florida legislature’s leadership and their commitment to conserving Florida’s land and water resources.![]()
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This historic milestone was made possible thanks to the support of a broad coalition of partners from the agricultural, environmental and scientific communities over the past decade. ![]()
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If signed by the Governor, the legislation will take effect on July 1, 2021.![]()
blog.nationalgeographic.org/2021/04/27/florida-legislature-recognizes-the-florida-wildlife-corridor/
The Florida legislature is in the midst of identifying budget priorities for the coming year, including for the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) land acquisition programs. Although the Florida Forever program may be refunded, the RFLPP program may again receive zero dollars, even though there is $15 million in matching federal funding that would become available if state funding was provided. Please consider contacting your legislators to support the maximum possible funding for both of these programs and a minimum of $15 million for the the RFLPP. The following post by the Florida Conservation Group provides more information, as well as contact information for legislators.
floridaconserve.org
Florida’s Ranches Play a Significant Role in Combatting the Threats from the Warming Climate Apr 16, 2021 | Conservation ArticlesPublished in The Invading Sea by Jim Strickland, March 3, 2021 Go to ...
Tom's work with students in our UF College of Design, Construction and Planning landscape architecture program, working with Margaret Spontak and Free the Ocklawaha was featured again - this time on our College website! You can find out more and see the students' work here: dcp.ufl.edu/news/freetheocklawaha/
Hoctor & Students Work to Free the Ocklawaha River
dcp.ufl.edu
For 50 years, UF faculty and students have been helping to free it by applying science and design with advocates for the river.
I'm excited to say that our landscape performance evaluation of Depot Park, led by Professor Yi Luo and graduate student Kanglin Chen in the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning, was just released online in the latest issue of Landscape Research by the Landscape Research Group. This project was completed with generous support from the Landscape Architecture Foundation and is summarized here in the LAF Landscape Performance Series: www.landscapeperformance.org/depot-park. For those who have access, the full article is also available through Taylor & Francis online.
www.landscapeperformance.org
Depot Park is a 32-acre urban park adjacent to downtown Gainesville, Florida. Formerly an industrial brownfield, the site was polluted with coal tar and arsenic. Following over 20 years of site remedi...
One of our partners, Jim Strickland, recently published this op-ed regarding the important role of Florida ranchlands for protecting Florida's wildlife, water, and ecological corridors while also helping to address climate change. The article references the threat that population growth and land use conversion places on ranchlands and rural landscapes. We're working now with 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Conservation Group and others on a project to look at specifically at these impacts as an update to work originally completed by UF College of Design, Construction and Planning professors Dr. Paul Zwick and Peggy Carr called the Florida 2070 project (1000friendsofflorida.org/florida2070/).
www.theinvadingsea.com
By Jim Strickland, Florida rancher I consider myself blessed to live and work as a rancher in Florida. As a caretaker of the land, I have both the privilege and the obligation to protect the habitat a...
This new blog post by the Florida Conservation Group shows the extent of timber and ranchlands within Florida, the ecological and historic basis for their current distribution, and their ecological importance.floridaconserve.org/2021/03/05/floridas-ranchlands-and-timberlands-our-working-landscapes/![]()
The remaining wild and rural lands of Florida are dominated by working ranches and timberlands, which provide habitat for our wildlife and clean our water while also supporting our agricultural economy.
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) in the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning posted a news story this month highlighting an article by URP faculty member Dr. Chris Silver, and describing a partnership between the Center and URP faculty member Dr. Kathryn Frank to include green infrastructure as a core topic in a set of jointly taught courses. The courses include tours of world class green infrastructure projects in City of Gainesville, FL - Government and Alachua County including the Sweetwater Wetlands Park and Depot Park, and assistance from staff from the Alachua Conservation Trust to tour ACT property and the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery. The courses are also conducted in partnership with Dr. Michael Kung and the UF Masters in Sustainable Design program. We hope you will check the article out below!![]()
dcp.ufl.edu/urp/green-infrastructure-in-planning-curricula/
Green Infrastructure in Planning Curricula – Department of Urban and Regional Planning
dcp.ufl.edu
Green Infrastructure in Planning CurriculaURP’s Dr. Christopher Silver and scholars from the United Kingdom make the case for planning programs to teach about green infrastructure (GI) to advance su...
This is another blog post by our partner Julie Morris of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, with contributions by Tom and other partners that highlights the work on new conservation lands in south-central Florida and the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge & Conservation Area to help one of the most endangered birds in the United States.
Florida Grasshopper Sparrow - There is hope. — The National Wildlife Refuge Association
www.refugeassociation.org
The National Wildlife Refuge Association and its partners are advancing critical conservation efforts by working to protect habitat for the Florida grasshopper sparrow. Our land conservation projects...
This post on the Land and Water Conservation Fund blog written by Julie Morris of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and Center staff highlights the importance of obtaining federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money for four essential conservation acquisitions in the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. Make sure your Congressional representatives know how important LWCF funding is for achieving Florida's wildlife, water, and outdoor recreation conservation goals.
Saving the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge — The Land and Water Conservation Fund
lwcfcoalition.org
From Orlando south to Lake Okeechobee lies the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge, a region that plays an essential role in protecting and restoring water resources and contains more endem...
The Alachua Conservation Trust is hiring an agricultural conservation specialist to help landowners with technical assistance related to NRCS environmental quality and agricultural easement programs. You can check out the announcement here: www.instagram.com/p/CLezm27BRvV/?igshid=1bfe57fjmppsa
In honor of Gator Nation Giving Day, we are writing to thank everyone who has supported the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning in the past, and to share a reminder that the Center and staff are primarily funded by grants and donations to accomplish the Center's goal of research, planning and education to support strategic landscape-scale conservation and green infrastructure protection. Although we continue to seek long term projects, cooperative agreements, and endowments to provide long-term sustainable support for the Center, small donations are also very helpful and can be easily made at the following link: ![]()
www.uff.ufl.edu/give-now/?fund_id=019513. Center staff partner with many conservation organizations including the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Florida Conservation Group, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and 1000 Friends of Florida as well as regional, state and federal agencies to advance conservation goals across the state. We work to provide the science foundation for making strategic conservation decisions in a state with limited planning and funding resources. We also work with Ph.D., Masters and undergraduate students in the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning to conduct research and address important planning issues as part of their education as sustainable designers. An example is the recent project and Landscape Architecture studio course that we shared, which was featured in the The Gainesville Sun and focused on restoration of the Ocklawaha River Free the Ocklawaha. We encourage you to visit conservation.dcp.ufl.edu/ for more information, and consider supporting this important work.
Home - Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
conservation.dcp.ufl.edu
Center for Landscape Conservation Planning University of Florida College of Design, Construction & Planning PO Box 115704 Gainesville, FL 32611 Phone: 352-294-1485 Email: conservation@dcp.ufl.edu Face...
This article in the The Gainesville Sun talks about the Ocklawaha River restoration initiative, and also mentions work by UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Landscape Architecture students this past fall to envision what restoration and recreation opportunities could look like with a partially restored Ocklawaha River. More on the student work is also available here from via the Great Florida Riverway and Free the Ocklawaha initiative webpage: greatfloridariverway.com/student-showcase/?fbclid=IwAR3qYSTm_qB4lb07NLMV_1GYh3iOwtDiJAgcBMOtd8Ik-...
Ocklawaha advocates want recreation hubs on free-flowing river
www.gainesville.com
Ocklawaha advocates envision major recreation hubs for fishing, paddling, wildlife viewing while also restoring the river and spring system
Land conservation within the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge is one of the important areas that Center faculty and staff from the National Wildlife Refuge Association and Florida Conservation Group work closely together on. This video by Julie Morris and Tom Hoctor describes the importance of this region in Florida for critical species like the Florida panther and Florida grasshopper sparrow as well as the drinking water of Floridians and the working heritage of Florida's ranchers.
NWRA Refuge Chat-Everglades Headwaters NWR
www.youtube.com
Land conservation within the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most important issues facing the National Wildlife Refuge System to...
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This is a new map of biodiversity in Florida completed by our partners at Florida Natural Areas Inventory in collaboration with NatureServe. www.fnai.org/florida_mobi.cfm
This map shows the importance of working ranchlands for the protection of Florida’s prairie region and the species and water resources it supports and maintains. Florida Conservation GroupSouth-central and southwest Florida are home to a Florida’s “great prairie region” where vast grasslands were native along with species adapted to them. This includes the Florida dry prairie ecosystem-- native upland grasses, palmettos, and scattered shrubs and pines, wet prairies, hammocks, and forested wetlands. This great prairie region is home to many unique species found nowhere else including the Florida grasshopper sparrow, crested caracara, Florida sandhill crane, Florida burrowing owl, etc. The ranches of the Florida great prairie region maintain similar open land uses that supports almost all of these species as well as Florida’s unique ranching history. Without these ranches, most of the remaining open prairie lands of south-central and southwest Florida would be lost to development that would destroy this unique habitat -- as well as negatively impact our water resources. Tom Hoctor
This post from the Florida Conservation Group underscores the importance of working timberland landscapes in achieving Florida’s conservation goals, including maintaining critical wildlife habitat, water resources, and protecting Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) priorities in the northern half of Florida.Closing the gaps in the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) in the northern half of Florida is dependent on protection of working timberland landscapes. Though not pristine natural areas, managed forest lands provide essential wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors as well as watershed and groundwater protection. Florida Conservation Group works with partners including the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning to ensure funding for our land conservation protection programs and to ensure the best available science is used to identify and protect the lands most strategic for protecting wildlife corridors and other statewide conservation priorities.
Here's a map created by the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning as part of our partnership with the Florida Conservation Group. The point is that ranches are essential to protecting the high priority wildlife corridors in the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) as well as the Florida Wildlife Corridor (which is based on the FEGN priorities 1 and 2) in the southern half of the Florida peninsula. Ranchlands are therefore essential for achieving Florida's wildlife, water, and large landscape conservation goals. We are committed to ensuring that the best science is used to ensure that we protect land that are most strategic for achieving Florida's conservation goals, and Florida Conservation Group is an essential partner in these efforts. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation is another essential partner for ensuring protection of the high priorities in the FEGN.RANCHLANDS: NATURE'S PATHS ACROSS FLORIDA![]()
The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) identifies the most important wildlife corridors and large, intact landscapes in the state. FEGN Priorities 1-3 (on map) are the top ranked wildlife corridors; these are the lands that need to be protected to maintain native wildlife, watersheds, and habitats.![]()
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Some of the FEGN is already protected (in conservation land). But much remains to be done. In the southern part of the state, the majority of the FEGN is in ranchlands. If we want to preserve a connected natural landscape from south to north Florida - it is critical we protect these working ranchlands.![]()
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FEGN Priority 1 and Priority 2 corridors are also the foundation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor
A great article on the importance of Florida ranchlands for protecting Florida's wildlife and wildlife corridors as well as watershed and other ecosystem values.
Raising Nature on Florida Ranchlands - bioGraphic
www.biographic.com
“Ranchers vs Environmentalists” is a longstanding trope. But in the Sunshine State, ranching just may be the last, best hope for ecological salvation.
This project, led by Morris Hylton III and the UF Historic Preservation Program is one that Center staff were fortunate to be involved with this summer. We look forward to continuing to work with the Town of Nantucket to increase resiliency to future sea level rise and coastal change in the future.
Students Develop Plan to Protect Historic Nantucket from Climate Change
www.capeandislands.org
A team of Florida college students is developing a plan to protect Nantucket’s historic district from sea level rise, storm surge, and tidal flooding.
We are now working with our partners, Florida Natural Areas Inventory to update the Florida Ecological Greenways Network. The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) is part of the legislatively adopted Florida Greenways Plan administered by the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida Statutes, Chapter 260).The FEGN guides OGT ecological greenway conservation efforts, and promotes public awareness of the need for and benefits of a statewide ecological network.The FEGN identifies the best opportunities to connect large conservation lands for both biodiversity and to maintain ecological functions, and is used as the primary data layer to inform Florida Forever and other state and regional land acquisition programs regarding the location of the most important conservation corridors and large, intact landscapes across the state. The top two FEGN priorities, Critical Linkages and Priority 2 linkages, are also the foundation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the public education and outreach campaign to support protection of a statewide system of wildlife corridors in Florida. We expect the new FEGN to be available in August 2021.
Center Director, Tom Hoctor, gave a presentation this past week to the University of Florida Center for Land Use Efficiency (CLUE) in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) about the work we are doing at the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, with some focus on our conservation partnership project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Air Force. Although we are already working with some of the CLUE faculty, the goal was to discuss relevant work we are doing to better coordinate future projects between IFAS/CLUE, the Center, and the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning. If you'd like to learn more about what we do in the Center please feel free to watch this video of the presentation.
CLUE Lunch & Learn March 2020 - Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
mediasite.video.ufl.edu
It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of a new website for the Center: conservation.dcp.ufl.edu/! Thanks to UF College of Design, Construction and Planning staff and Isabella Guttuso for making it possible! We hope you will visit our new site and support the Center's work.
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) is a conservation easement program through the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; it is designed to protect important agricultural and natural lands. There are currently 237,000 acres of land on the Top ranked RFLPP List -- land that is in the que for conservation. This chart shows the land uses we could protect by funding this program. RFLPP partners with other programs to leverage funding (extremely efficient use of taxpayer dollars); currently there are over $20 million in partner funds obligated (more anticipated next FY) and without RLPP funding these partner dollars will be lost.http://floridaconserve.org/land-conservation-funding-rural-and-family-lands-protection-program-rflpp-2/
Please call and thank Senator Debbie Mayfield (850-487-5017) for including the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) in her budget. This is a proposed budget amount and she needs your help to keep RFLPP in the budget this legislative session. RFLPP is an agricultural easement program through the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, it is designed to protect important agricultural and natural lands through the acquisition of conservation easements. There are currently 237,000 acres of land on the Tier 1 RFLPP List and about 373,000 acres on all Tiers – land that is in the que for conservation. RFLPP partners with other programs to leverage funding (extremely efficient use of taxpayer dollars); currently there are over $20 million in partner funds obligated (more anticipated next FY) and without RLPP funding these partner dollars will be lost. Matt PearceLiesa PriddyBrad PharesPaul N GrayJim StricklandTom HoctorBen ButlerJon AndrewMallory Dimmitt
The annual Ed Stone lecture hosted by the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture is on February 7, 2020 at 6 pm. Please join us if you are in the Gainesville area.
Edward D. Stone, Jr. Lecture Series – UF College of Design, Construction and Planning
dcp.ufl.edu
Join us for the Edward D. Stone, Jr. Lecture Series In remembrance of Edward D. Stone, Jr., a beloved colleague, mentor, partner, advisor and friend, the University of Florida’s Department of Landsc...
Center Director, Tom Hoctor, will be speaking at the Everglades Coalition Conference in Captiva this Saturday. The session is a discussion about the role of National Wildlife Refuges in Everglades conservation and restoration. Tom will discuss the partnership between the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the Florida Conservation Group in a variety of projects to strategically protect the lands most important for conservation and restoration in south-central and southwest Florida.
www.evergladescoalition.org
The Coalition's Annual Conference seeks to raise critical, timely issues for in-depth debates in an open, accessible forum. Community leaders and political figures come to discuss their positions, ple...
Center Director Tom Hoctor is in southwest Florida today with partners Florida Conservation Group and National Wildlife Refuge Association on a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation project to identify and discuss protection strategies for protecting under-served ranches that are most strategic for protecting water, wildlife, and wildlife corridors in both southwest and south-central Florida in the Everglades, Peace River, and Myakka River watersheds. We are all dedicated to science-driven land and water protection, restoration, and management to achieve Florida's most important conservation goals.
The Center's Directer, Tom Hoctor, presented at the joint Air Force-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service meeting in Panama City this week to forward science-based strategic conservation planning and partnerships to protect Florida’s biodiversity, wildlife corridors, and resilient ecosystems. We will be completing our Florida Strategic Conservation Partnerships project for the Air Force and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this December.
The Center's Director, Tom Hoctor, presented at this meeting to discuss the importance of Florida ranchlands for conserving and restoring wildlife habitat and water, and the need to fully funding the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection land protection programs to achieve these essential conservation goals.Florida Conservation Group hosts Scientists , Conservationists and Ranchers that agree funding FDACS Rural Family Lands Protection Program and DEP’s Florida Forever Easement Program is a top priority for Florida’s future.
There are three tiers in the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Protect-Our-Environment/Rural-and-Family-Lands-Protection-Program), representing over 370,000 acres of lands waiting for conservation easements. Tier 1 projects are the highest ranked and comprise over 230,000 acres. These are the types of lands that would be protected if there was funding to protect Tier 1 Projects.There are three tiers in the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, representing over 370,000 acres of lands waiting for conservation easements. Tier 1 projects are the highest ranked and comprise over 230,000 acres. See types of lands that would be protected if there was funding to protect Tier 1 Projects. FDACS budget request is 32.6 million. We are asking for 50 million.
This data from the Florida Conservation Group shows that Florida's cattle ranches support important ecosystem services and extensive native habitat and natural wetlands. See land cover types on cattle ranches in the Lake Okeechobee Watershed.Florida's cattle ranches also include native habitats and natural wetlands. See land cover types on cattle ranches in the Lake Okeechobee Watershed.
A new podcast featuring our colleague Julie Morris with the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Over the last decade she has done fantastic and difficult work for land and water conservation in southwest Florida, and has worked with federal, state, and NGO partners to protect thousands of acres of land in the Everglades Headwaters and Charlotte Harbor watersheds. This work is an essential part of protecting and restoring the Everglades, the Florida panther and dozens of other native species unique to Florida, and our coastal estuaries. You can also support Julie's work by supporting the National Wildlife Refuge Association and Florida Conservation Group.
twitter.com
“Listen to the first episode of season two of Refuge Radio where we are joined by our Florida & Gulf Coast Programs Manager @julie_flconserv as she speaks about amazing conservation efforts taking p...
Center Director Tom Hoctor was a featured speaker at the annual Florida Native Plant Society conference this past week in Crystal River, Florida. The FNPS promotes the preservation, conservation, and restoration of native plants and native plant communities in Florida - an important mission related to supporting biodiversity in our state. Go Tom! fnps.org/conference/speakers
fnps.org
Dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida
A column by Tom Hoctor, Julie Morris with the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Richard Hilsenbeck, formerly of the The Nature Conservancy in Florida on the importance of land protection and its relationship to addressing water quality issues in Florida.
Regaining ground lost in battle to protect Florida's natural lands
www.tcpalm.com
There is currently a backlog of more than 2 million acres of land protection projects waiting to be protected.
There is no money for Rural and Family Lands in this years state budget and very little for Florida Forever. Please call Sen. Rob Bradley (850) 487-5005, Sen. Wilton Simpson (850) 487 5010 and Rep. Travis Cummings (850) 717 5018 and let them know how important these programs are to Florida's water and wildlife. Time is critical and decisions are being made right now. Please make calls today.There is NO money for Rural and Family Lands in this years budget and very little for Florida Forever. Please call Sen. Rob Bradley (850) 487-5005, Sen. Wilton Simpson (850) 487 5010 and Rep. Travis Cummings (850) 717 5018 and let them know how important these programs are to Florida's water and wildlife. Time is critical and decisions are being made right now. Please make calls today![]()
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Currently: House and Senate have NO money in the budget for Rural and Family Lands. They are negotiating on Florida Forever (House has 20 million and Senate has 45 million in their proposed budgets). From 1991-2008 our land protection programs received 300 million a year.
Florida Climate-Smart Agriculture Initiative Announced
blogs.ifas.ufl.edu
The project aims to assist Florida agriculture and forestry leaders in examining the vulnerabilities and opportunities created by changing climatic conditions in ways that are relevant to their daily ...
President Signs Landmark Law Protecting Wild Lands and Rivers
pew.org
Public lands advocates across the West work tirelessly to protect special places cherished by Americans, and their efforts have paid off: The president signed a public lands package March 12 to protec...
Any approach to addressing the algae blooms and red tide in south Florida must begin at the source, by protecting landscapes that can hold and clean water before it flows into our rivers, lakes, aquifers, and coastal estuaries.![]()
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Florida Ranchlands: Protecting Our Watersheds![]()
floridaconserve.org/the-florida-conservation-group-advocates-for-the-protection-of-floridas-ranch...
Alachua County Commission Votes To Acquire 340 Acres For $1M
www.wuft.org
On Tuesday, the board of county commissioners voted to exercise the option to purchase and protect 340 acres of private forests and wetlands.
DeSantis, Florida Cabinet approve $2.54 million in Florida Forever land acquisition
www.tampabay.com
Both projects show “increasing value of our current green infrastructure,” Department of Environmental Protection Noah Valenstein told the cabinet.
This position for Chief Science Officer of the State of Florida has the potential to highly impact research, conservation, and natural resource management in our state. Please share with any qualified candidates you think might be interested. The deadline for applications is 2/15/19.
State of Florida Careers - People First
jobs.myflorida.com
For assistance, call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287 Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern time
The Spring 2019 Water, Wetlands, and Watersheds Seminar Series at UF!It's that time again!![]()
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Announcing the Spring 2019 Water, Wetlands, and Watersheds Seminar Series. The seminar is held on Wednesdays, 11:45am-12:35pm, in Room 101, Phelps Lab, UF main campus.![]()
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The schedule is also posted on the CFW website![]()
(cfw.essie.ufl.edu/seminars/) where you can also find schedules and seminar recordings from the last eleven years of this seminar series.![]()
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Join us in person, or stream online later.
Please come to the Harn Museum to see our Associate Director Mike Volk speak about sea level rise and resiliency projects at the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning on Sunday, February 3rd at 3pm. This presentation is part of a series related to a current exhibit at the Museum, which I have seen and highly recommend: The World to Come: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene.
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This should be an interesting and fun event including for kids regarding the important role of fire in maintaining healthy ecosystems and native biodiversity in Florida. Using prescribed fire is becoming more difficult in Florida as sprawl development continues to spread across our landscapes, which is one of the many reasons the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning works on identifying and protecting the intact landscapes of Florida before they become impacted by extensive development and habitat fragmentation.
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Land Conservation and our Water Resources – The Florida Conservation Group
floridaconserve.org
The Florida Conservation Group believes in a holistic approach to addressing our water resource issues. Our waterways have issues because our watersheds have issues. We focus on addressing the underly...
Good news in Gainesville!
Alachua County buys forest between Gainesville, prairie
gainesville.com
Serenola Forest, a long-sought buffer to Paynes Prairie, purchased with money from Wild Places and Spaces sales tax
This is a very interesting project by UF researchers and community members to look at ways to address oyster die offs and water quality in the Cedar Key area.
University of Florida leads effort to restore Cedar Key oysters
gainesville.com
Money for $6.8 million environmental project came from BP oil spill settlement
Please consider buying a $20 raffle ticket for this 9 foot fly rod valued at over $900. The proceeds will support the conservation work of the Native Fish Coalition, which is a new organization focused on native fish species conservation. Tom Hoctor is on their Advisory Council, and though most of their work is currently focused on native salmonids in the northeastern U.S., they are considering eventually operating across the eastern U.S. including here in the southeast where native fish diversity is very high and important.
9' 5wt 4pc Winston Air Fly Rod Raffle
nativefishcoalition.org
R. L. Winston Rod Co. has generously donated a custom imprinted, “Native Fish Coalition”, 9’ 5-weight, 4-piece Winston Air fly rod with a retail value of $950 to NFC to help raise funds for our ...
For Facebook followers in Martin County who are interested in growth management, 1000 Friends of Florida will be conducting a workshop in next month to talk about next steps in future land use planning, based on the Florida 2070 project completed by Paul Zwick and Peggy Carr. A link to the workshop information is here - www.1000friendsofflorida.org/mco2070plan/.
Martin County 2070: What’s Next? | 1000 Friends of Florida
www.1000friendsofflorida.org
Wednesday, November 28 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.Susan H. Johnson Auditorium, Wolf High-Technology Center, 2400 SE Salerno Road, StuartAdmission is free! No registration is required!
1000 Friends of Florida will be conducting a workshop in Palm Beach County next month to talk about next steps in future land use planning, based on the Florida 2070 project completed by Paul Zwick and Peggy Carr. The Center along with 1000 Friends of Florida is looking for funding to continue this project, including to incorporate sea level rise into future growth scenarios. A link to the workshop information is here - www.1000friendsofflorida.org/pbco2070plan/ . If you're in Palm Beach County and concerned about future growth and conservation this will be great to attend!
Palm Beach County 2070: What’s Next? | 1000 Friends of Florida
www.1000friendsofflorida.org
Tuesday, November 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Nova’s Palm Beach Campus, 11501 North Military Trail, Palm Beach GardensAdmission is free!
Had a great time at the Florida Native Plant Show yesterday (www.nativeplantshow.com)! This was the 6th annual event, held at the Bradenton Area Convention Center and produced by the FANN. Native plants can be cost effective, low maintenance, and beautiful in the landscape, and are important support for native pollinators and wildlife, particularly as climate change occurs. This poster says it all...
Center staff and faculty from the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Department of Landscape Architecture led a group of 25 students on a tour of Seattle last month. Seattle has incredible parks - 2 of which are included in the PBS documentary, "10 Parks that Changed America" (www.pbs.org/ten-that-changed-america/season-1/episode-3/). They've also done a great job promoting more sustainable stormwater management, including the use of bioswales and green streets within the City to reduce impacts from pollutants and runoff on Puget Sound and endangered salmon populations (see here: www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/Projects/GreenStormwaterInfrastructure/index.htm).
Season 1 | Episode 3 | 10 Parks That Changed America
www.pbs.org
10 Parks that Changed America tells the story of 10 visionaries who took open canvases of God-forsaken land, and transformed them into serene spaces that offer city dwellers a respite from the hustle ...
Many Florida State Parks in the panhandle, and their staff, have been severely impacted by Hurricane Michael. Property and possessions are damaged or destroyed. The following link to the Florida State Parks Foundation website can be used to help support recovery efforts.![]()
floridastateparksfoundation.org/Donate
The latest report by the IPCC on climate change projections: www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-climate-report-2040.html
Major Climate Report Describes a Strong Risk of Crisis as Early as 2040
www.nytimes.com
A landmark United Nations report paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding damage requires quickly transforming the ...
Tom Hoctor will be speaking at two sessions at the Public Land Acquisition and Management Conference (www.ces.fau.edu/plam2018/index.php) this week in Sarasota: a panel regarding cooperative efforts with the U.S. Department of Defense on regional conservation efforts in Florida on Tuesday afternoon and a presentation on the Critical Lands and Waters Identification Project Wednesday morning. The conference is sponsored by the Florida Center for Environmental Studies. We'll look forward to seeing you there if you're attending!
Florida still has extensive priority conservation areas as this map and statistics from the Florida Conservation Group show. We need a minimum of $300 million a year for conservation land protection or many of these conservation priority areas will never get protected.See lands on the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Top Tier; these properties have been vetted and on the list to be protected. ![]()
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Acres in Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Top Tier: 237,758![]()
Acres on Less-Than-Fee (conservation easement) Florida Forever Project list: 696,959
This blog was written by Tom Hoctor, Director of the Center and Julie Morris, Director of Florida operations for the National Wildlife Refuge Association regarding the current algae bloom issues in south Florida and the work the Refuge Association and the Center are doing together with various partners to protect land, restore wetlands, and improve water quality in the Everglades Headwaters, Caloosahatchee River, Peace River, and Myakka River, and Charlotte Harbor watersheds.
Red Tide & Its Effects On Wildlife Refuges « National Wildlife Refuge Association
www.refugeassociation.org
On the ground & legislative advocacy efforts by NWRA to implement watershed conservation that will reduce the likelihood of Red Tide and other algae blooms
Today we are pleased to announce the release of a new website that provides information about climate change for landscape architects and others in the landscape industry and allied professions, completed in collaboration with Gail Hansen, faculty member in UF Environmental Horticulture and students at the University of Florida. We hope this will become the first step of a broader initiative to advance climate-wise design and information sharing among landscape architects, growers, and others in Florida. Funding was generously provided by The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture - CELA and the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning . We hope you will visit it here! dcp.ufl.edu/landscapechange/
1000 Friends of Florida just released a new climate change and sea level rise information clearinghouse here: www.1000friendsofflorida.org/building-better-communities/climate-change/ . One of the projects we are trying to fund through the Center is an updated version of the Florida 2070 project (1000friendsofflorida.org/florida2070/), which projects locations of future development in Florida based on future population growth and sea level rise scenarios. The data shows that if current suburban development trends continue, there will be significant losses of agricultural and natural landscapes as a consequence. Growth management is going to be an important issue in the upcoming election, and a critical concern in future decades.
Climate Change | 1000 Friends of Florida
www.1000friendsofflorida.org
With more than a thousand miles of coastline and low-lying topography throughout of much of the state’s coastal areas, Florida is more vulnerable than many states to the impacts of climate change an...
A very timely publication was just released by 1000 Friends of Florida and a coalition of other environmental and public interest groups in Florida titled "Trouble in Paradise". There is a free webinar on September 19th focused on the content of the report. It identifies several major statewide issues that threaten Florida's environment and residents' quality of life, and six policy goals to help address these issues: troubleinparadiseflorida.org/
Six Key Issues to Tackle Florida's Environmental Challenges - Trouble in Paradise
troubleinparadiseflorida.org
These photos and short post by Gainesville photographer John Moran of water pollution in south Florida are unbelievable, and make the point that protecting our natural resources is critical for preserving a strong economy and many of the reasons that people visit and live in our state.
Florida’s Summer of Slime: Stuart and Lake Okeechobee | Florida Phoenix
www.floridaphoenix.com
For several statewide publications, I reported last month on the plight of the Caloosahatchee River and its befouled waters flowing from Lake Okeechobee; delivering slime to waterfront neighborhoods i...
Center staff were in Bonita Springs this past week at the annual Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Conference (ASLA Florida Chapter) to talk about if/how landscape architects should begin to consider climate change in projects and designs. There are a number of things that home gardeners can start to do as well to make landscapes more sustainable and climate-wise, such as using plants that support native pollinators, careful pest management, watering, and fertilization strategies. The UF-IFAS Florida Friendly Landscaping program (www.floridayards.org/) is a great source of information , as well as this new book by Sue Reed and Ginny Stibolt (Climate-Wise Landscaping).
Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Plants, Florida Gardening, Lawn Care
www.floridayards.org
Learn about Florida Friendly landscaping and gardening, Florida native plants and lawn care.
Thanks to everyone who has liked and followed our new Facebook page so far! Here is an interesting article about dispersed water storage projects north of Lake Okeechobee. These can be a tool for protecting ranch and other agricultural lands that are critical for habitat and wildlife corridor conservation, as well as addressing nutrient and water storage issues in the northern Everglades and Kissimmee River watershed.
Quick fix for Lake O algae woes uses land now roamed by cows
www.mypalmbeachpost.com
The state has six projects on private ranch land and former citrus groves to serve as water storage and treatment areas.
We're excited to introduce the new Facebook page for the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning! Here we'll share updates about Florida conservation efforts, useful data and tools, and news about Center work and products. We hope you'll check back, and if you're able consider supporting our work using the "Donate" button on this page.