The Conservancy of Southwest Florida

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida's environmental education team is committed to developing The environmental leadership of tomorrow. We strive to provide children and adults an appreciation and understanding of Southwest Florida's unique natural resources. Through this work, we aim to equip our community with The knowledge and understanding to make a difference for The environment and create The next generation of environmental leaders. Individuals who appreciate The importance of these unique natural resources are more willing to help protect and to address The critical environmental issues facing Southwest Florida's land, water and wildlife. (continued on schedule o)learning adventure bus (lab) our learning adventures bus (lab) programs bring hands-on science learning to schools that otherwise cannot travel to The Conservancy for an on-campus field trip. In january, we launched two new programs for third and seventh graders about harmful algal blooms. The lab provides fun stem activities that are accessible to collier county students and beyond. Successful programs summer slam (summer learning adventure modules), supported by naples children & education foundation (ncef) grant funding, is a dynamic two-part program that combines The learning adventures bus (lab) and our nature center. With 37 total programs, summer slam reached more than 700 students this summer. From The new interactive sea turtle nesting game on The lab's touch table to a mock sea turtle nest excavation, campers had The chance to immerse themselves as future field scientists. They were also invited to our campus for a tour and other learning activities. As an added bonus, campers received a take home science kit. The seventh-grade field trip, survivors, reached 444 students despite hurricane ian's disruption to our boat schedule. In collaboration with rookery bay national estuarine research reserve, we invited five local middle schools on our pontoon, good fortune ii, for a hands-on experience to test and research water quality. The two-part field trip also included The rookery bay field station and their staff members who taught students how to examine shark movements based on salinity tolerances. Watery wonders is one of our long running on-campus field trips in partnership with collier county public schools. At our nature center, The students explored our shotwell wavering filter marsh, analyzed water quality, collected and identified a variety of invertebrates and fish, explored our nature trails and met a resident gator up close. The program reached 525 third-grade students this year. Earth day festival 2023 on saturday, april 22, we welcomed nearly 1,700 guests to our campus for our earth day festival. This admission-free celebration featured live presentations and animal encounters, crafts and activities, department tables, nature walks and electric boat tours, over 20 local vendors, and much more.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida's von arx wildlife hospital admitted approximately 3,600 native animals this year. The wildlife hospital is designed to meet The medical needs of injured, sick and orphaned native birds, mammals and reptiles, ultimately improving their ability to be released back in to The wild. The second goal is to provide education to our nature center visitors on how to prevent injuries to wildlife. (continued on schedule o)the von arx wildlife hospital is The only facility of its kind within collier county. The injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife are cared for by a dedicated staff of seven full-time employees, a staff veterinarian, and seasonal interns. Staff efforts are supported by volunteers who assist with diet preparation, cage cleaning, animal restraint and wildlife rescue and release. Accomplishments for The wildlife rehabilitation team in fy 2022-2023: a busy baby season The annual wildlife hospital baby shower kicked off in june in support of injured, sick and orphaned native baby animals during The breeding season. During The month-long event, donations were accepted from The wildlife hospital wish list, including items such as paper towels, soaps, writing utensils and more that allow The hospital to provide The best care possible. The event wrapped up with a family-friendly day at ankrolab brewing co. on june 17, which featured a specialty beer benefiting The Conservancy. In total, hundreds of wish list items and cash donations were accepted to aid our hospital teams in working more efficiently to support native wildlife. Gopher tortoise protection in marco island brittany piersma, field biologist at audubon western everglades, has done tremendous work for The native wildlife in Southwest Florida and for The von arx wildlife hospital. Observing The public's need for tools and comfort when assisting an animal, piersma created rescue stations at several locations in collier county. Now, if someone finds an injured animal, they can use The net and towels to rescue and contain it in The crate provided. Piersma provides her contact information to assist with The rescue if needed and ensure The animal is transported to The Conservancy. Piersma has our thanks as she has gone above and beyond to aid The Conservancy in our mission naples pier pelican protection after hurricane ian impacted Southwest Florida, an unexpected positive outcome emerged. Following The storm, The Conservancy's von arx wildlife hospital reported fewer admissions of injured pelicans. This change can be linked to The damage to The naples pier, a popular shing spot in collier county. With its temporary closure, there were fewer shing hooks and lines, reducing hazards for pelicans and other birds. The data suggests a connection between decreased fishing activity and The lower number of pelican injuries. Joanna fitzgerald, director of The von arx wildlife hospital, shared her thoughts on The broader implications of The hurricane's aftermath. It was heartbreaking to witness not just The destruction of The naples pier, but The widespread devastation throughout Southwest Florida. However, in The wake of such destruction, we noticed a drop in pelicans with shing hook and line injuries. That gave a small comfort for this team that is very dedicated to wildlife care. Now, while The community continues to grapple with rebuilding and reflecting on The hurricane's aftermath, there's a heightened awareness about The delicate balance between urban structures and The surrounding ecosystem. As a stakeholder at several meetings conducted by The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission, The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, in collaboration with other environmental groups, continued to advocate for tighter regulations on shing bridges, notably at The skyway fishing pier state park. Collaboration continues with efforts to increase pelican protection and angler education requirements at The gulf pier at ft. de soto state park. This action addresses concerns over birds frequently harmed by intense fishing activities at fishing piers statewide. Our combined efforts highlight The importance of protecting local habitats and ensuring safe recreational activities across Florida's key locations.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida's environmental policy team uses a science-based approach to tackle broad regional environmental issues and collaborates with partners such as business, environmental, academic and government leaders to ensure The proper stewardship of Southwest Florida's water, land and wildlife. They provide our region's decision makers with The tools necessary to make informed decisions on environmental and conservation issues. Specific objectives tackled by The team are smart growth, water issues, mining, endangered species and wildlife habitat protection. (continued on schedule o)accomplishments for The policy team in fy 2022-2023: storm resilience in june 2023, The army corps of engineers (corps) provided an array of alternatives for a storm mitigation plan in collier county, based on The discussions in The stakeholder charrettes that took place in april. The Conservancy was very pleased to see that The massive surge barrier at wiggins pass was screened out of The study and that The corps stated they are committed to prioritizing nature-based solutions. In subsequent meetings, other proposed gates and walls were removed from The study. However, The study is far from over. The Conservancy is still concerned that environmentally destructive measures having serious consequences on our coastal environment and quality of life could later be included in The study as potential solutions. The corps is in The process of modeling and evaluating proposed measures, so it is still too early to tell which measures will move forward to The tentatively selected plan (tsp), to be presented to The board of county commissioners in april of 2024. Bellmar development The Conservancy's policy & advocacy department has spent The past 10+ years opposing projects that would impact habitat for The endangered Florida panther, including The controversial bellmar development in eastern collier county. Located precariously close to The Florida panther national wildlife refuge, bellmar and other similar developments threaten The dwindling habitat of The panther and other native species. Bellmar would also cause increased traffic and deadly vehicle strikes. With a vision of safeguarding The region's natural ecosystems, our team places a heavy emphasis on The importance of The Florida wildlife corridor and smart growth principles. The Conservancy remains resolute in championing The protection of wetlands, public lands, and wildlife habitats. Rivergrass ruling The Conservancy of Southwest Florida reached a settlement with collier enterprises regarding rivergrass village, The first approved village for The rural lands stewardship area (rlsa) in eastern collier county. Our challenge against rivergrass has been The Conservancy's largest legal battle in our 60-year history. Since The creation and inception of The rlsa, over 20 years ago, The Conservancy has understood that rural eastern collier county is an area targeted for substantial growth. Without proper planning, growth will drastically transform The rlsa's current landscape of diverse connected ecosystems and important agricultural lands, to sprawling towns and villages in inappropriate locations. For over two decades, The Conservancy has advocated for The avoidance of important habitat areas, wetlands, and wildlife corridors in future plans for development and road projects within The rlsa. Furthermore, The Conservancy has strongly advocated for sustainable development plans, to protect taxpayers, limit trac and ensure a better quality of life for current and future generations. Therefore, we entered settlement discussions with collier enterprises focused on negotiating an agreement that would result in benefits that span The entire rlsa. We are pleased to share with you that we succeeded in securing such positive settlement terms.

The Conservancy's environmental science team is dedicated to research and solutions, providing unbiased data and studies while maintaining a national reputation for their multi-faceted expertise. With a range of collective experience, Conservancy scientists provide The background and knowledge, ranging from coastal ecosystems and resiliency to invasive species research and management. Accomplishments for The environmental science team in fy 2022-2023: aided by a new digital dashboard system that allows The team to track nests and present a summary of data in real time, The science staff and interns documented more than 526 nests and 34,499 hatchlings this season. Undeterred by beach conditions following hurricane ian, some nest predation (mainly by coyotes), and topped off by hurricane idalia which washed out some nests, these numbers reflect a successful and busy sea turtle nesting season on keewaydin island. Advanced work on restoration of mangrove die-off areas, including areas near goodland. Continued collaborative work with partner organizations to manage invasive species, including The burmese python and cane toads, in order to help limit The destruction of native plants and wildlife. Worked through The tenth year of radio-telemetry to tag and track pythons to study their behavior and remove thousands of pounds of this non-native species. Submitted findings on cane toad diet as The project concludes after three years of research, Conservancy biologists melinda schuman and dr. jeff schmid, along with Conservancy volunteers susan snyder and copley smoak, have submitted their findings on The diet of cane toads in Southwest Florida golf course communities to The online scientific journal animals. Their article was part of a special issue highlighting The effects of urbanization on herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles). It reveals that within The golf course communities studied, cane toads mainly fed upon yellow-banded millipedes, hunting billbug weevils and big-headed ants - which are all considered pests in systems. Burmese python removal concluding its tenth year in burmese python research and removal, The Conservancy's python team has eliminated nearly 1,200 invasive snakes weighing in excess of 31,500 pounds from 160 square miles of public and private land in southwestern Florida. Using radio transmitters implanted in The male scout snakes, The research program aims to understand python movements, breeding behaviors and habitat use. Scout snakes can lead biologists to elusive reproductive females, allowing researchers to remove them and their developing eggs from The wild. Mangrove monitoring this year we performed our annual mangrove forest health surveys within clam bay and goodland fruit farm creek mangrove systems. The results this year were particularly poignant, since it was performed 3-4 months post hurricane ian. The clam bay mangrove system absorbed an 8-foot tidal surge that deposited acres of sand into The mangrove forest and caused mangrove mortality. The clam bay mangrove system suffered more damage than The more southern fruit farm creek system as The hurricane intensity and tidal surge were much more intense at clam bay. This year The mangroves were not as robust or as healthy as in past years, but some areas were showing early signs of resilience. Next year's health check will hopefully reveal more signs of recovery.