March 2022 Board of Trustees Cabinet Meeting
Florida Wildlife Corridor Conservation Update
Social Media Toolkit
The Florida Governor and Cabinet approved funding for the permanent conservation of over 16,000 acres in the Florida Wildlife Corridor during the March 29, 2022 Cabinet meeting.
Please use this social media toolkit to share this exciting news with your audience.
A message for our partners, colleagues, and friends in Florida: The protected lands of the Florida Wildlife Corridor are a place where our collective missions intersect. Land conservation successes within the Corridor help ensure the long-term survival of many species, provide life support systems for Florida’s cities, improve the health of our waters, and protect natural Florida for future generations. As Florida grows, continued investment in conservation lands is critical to ensure that our wild lands will provide benefits to all Floridians.
Timeline
The news included in this social media toolkit is under STRICT EMBARGO until March 29, 2022.
Media Requirements
Please reach out to Jennifer Levine at [email protected] with any media inquiries.
Suggested Post: On March 29, the Florida Governor and Cabinet approved funding for the permanent conservation of 16,706 acres across seven properties in the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The properties include Wolfe Creek Forest (photo 1), Wakulla Springs Protection Zone (photo 2), Red Hills Conservation Area (photo 3), Charlie Creek Cattle Company (photo 4), Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem (photo 5), Todd Clemons Ranch (photo 6), and Fisheating Creek Ecosystem’s Chaparral Slough (photo 7). These properties are a mix of native and working lands that provide habitat and connectivity for key Florida species including Florida panthers, Florida black bears, swallow-tail kites, and gopher tortoises. The parcels are also home to freshwater systems that feed ecologically significant lakes, rivers, and springs.
Five of the properties were funded through the Florida Forever program. Todd Clemons Ranch and Charlie Creek Cattle Company were approved through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Five of the properties (Red Hills, Chaparral Slough, Lake Wales Ridge, Todd Clemons Ranch and Charlie Creek Cattle) are to be protected by conservation easements, where the land will continue to be privately owned and managed. Wakulla Springs and Wolfe Creek will become public lands, expanding adjacent state preserves where native longleaf pine habitat will be restored.
Photos 1-3 by Lauren Yoho/Path of the Panther, Photo 4 by Katie Bryden/Path of the Panther, Photo 5 by George McKenzie, Jr/Path of the Panther, Photos 6-7 by Carlton Ward/Path of the Panther
Instagram tags: @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos 1-3 by @leyoho, Photo 4 by @ktbryden, Photo 5 by @georgemckenziejr, Photos 6-7 by @CarltonWard, Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Facebook tags: @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by Lauren Yoho, Katie Bryden, George McKenzie Jr., @Carlton Ward, Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Overview Map
Suggested Post: Seven priority lands were approved for acquisition in the Florida Wildlife Corridor through the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Programs at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet.
Together, these priority lands span 16,706 acres of native and working landscapes that provide habitat and connectivity for Florida species including the Florida panther, Florida black bear, swallow-tail kite, and gopher tortoise.
Thank you for the leadership of the landowners, conservation organizations, funding partners, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services for making these opportunities possible.
Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Wolfe Creek Forest
Suggested Post: Gopher tortoises, longleaf pine habitat, and pitcher plant associated bogs thrive on this 3,610-acre property within the Wolfe Creek Forest Florida Forever project area. The property, which was approved for acquisition at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet, is a part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and adjacent to Blackwater River State Forest. It also provides an east-west corridor connection from the state forest to Whiting Field Naval Air Station.
Thank you to the leadership of the Trust for Public Land, the landowner, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who came together to make this opportunity possible. This acquisition received additional funding from the US Forest Service Forest Legacy Program and the Knobloch Family Foundation.
Instagram tags: @trustforpublicland, @flforestservice, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, @FL.DEP, Photos by @leyoho
Facebook tags: @The Trust for Public Land, @Florida Forest Service, @Florida Department of Environmental Protection, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by Lauren Yoho/Path of the Panther Project
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Wakulla Springs Protection Zone
Suggested Post: Three separate parcels in the Wakulla Springs Protection Zone Florida Forever project area were approved for acquisition at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet. Totaling 313 acres, these parcels provide habitat for native Florida species, including the southeastern fox squirrel, Florida black bear, and bald eagle.
These acquisitions were made possible with the leadership of the landowners and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and with additional funding from the US Forest Service Forest Legacy Program.
Instagram tags: @flforestservice, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, @FL.DEP, Photos by @leyoho
Facebook tags: @Florida Forest Service, @Florida Department of Environmental Protection, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by Lauren Yoho/Path of the Panther Project
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Red Hills Conservation Area
Suggested Post: A newly-approved conservation easement in the Red Hills Conservation Area Florida Forever Project will protect biodiversity, natural forests, and wetlands systems in Leon and Jefferson counties. With open pine savannah, rolling hills, and miles of shoreline on Lake Miccosukee, this 4,132-acre conservation easement, which was approved at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet, is the first acquisition in this critical project area within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Thank you to the leadership of Tall Timbers, the landowner, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who came together to make this opportunity possible.
Instagram tags: @talltimbersresearch, @fl.dep, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos by @leyoho
Facebook tags: @Tall Timbers Research, @Florida Department of Environmental Protection, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by Lauren Yoho/Path of the Panther Project
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Charlie Creek Cattle Company
Suggested Post: The addition of a 501-acre conservation easement on the Charlie Creek Cattle Company’s ranch in Hardee County will bring the total percentage of protected land on the property to 67%. Recently approved at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet, this Rural and Family Lands Protection Program conservation easement includes bottomland hardwood, wetlands, and wildlife travel corridors for species like the burrowing owl, swallow-tailed kite, and gopher tortoise.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor conservation easement was made possible with the leadership of the landowners, Florida Conservation Group, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. This easement received additional funding from a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Instagram tags: @refugeassociation, @usdagov, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos by @ktbryden
Facebook tags: @Florida Conservation Group, @National Wildlife Refuge Association, @US Department of Agriculture, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, @Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Photos by Katie Bryden
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem
Suggested Post: Two new conservation easements in the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Florida Forever project area will help to conserve the character, biodiversity, and biological function of the ancient scrub landscape of the Lake Wales Ridge. The purchase of the easements, which total 354-acres, was approved at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet. These Florida Wildlife Corridor properties are contiguous to Highlands Hammock State Park and are part of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network.
Thank you to the leadership of the landowners and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, who came together to make this opportunity possible.
Instagram tags: @fl.dep, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos by @georgemckenziejr
Facebook tags: @Florida Department of Environmental Protection, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by George McKenzie, Jr.
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Todd Clemons Family
Suggested Post: A new 932-acre conservation easement in Okeechobee County was recently approved at the March 29, 2022 meeting of the Governor and Cabinet. This Rural and Family Lands Protection Program conservation easement is located on the Todd Clemons Family, LLC ranch, a fifth-generation cattle ranch within the Kissimmee River Basin. In addition to having a number of creeks that contribute to the flow of the Kissimmee River, this property provides habitat for a population of sandhill cranes.
This Florida Wildlife Corridor conservation easement was made possible with the leadership of the landowners and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. The easement received additional funding by a grant from the U.S. Air Force Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative in partnership with the Avon Park Air Force Range’s Sentinel Landscape program.
Instagram tags: @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos by @carltonward
Facebook tags: @Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by @Carlton Ward
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Fisheating Creek Ecosystem – Chaparral Slough
Suggested Post: A new conservation easement from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Forever program, with support from The Nature Conservancy, will protect Chapparal Slough – an 11-mile-long corridor through the Lykes Ranch in Glades County that connects conservation lands along the Caloosahatchee River to Fisheating Creek. This easement will aid in the northward recovery of the Florida panther throughout the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Thank you to the leadership of The Nature Conservancy, the landowner, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, who came together to make this opportunity possible.
Instagram tags: @natureflorida, @fl.dep, @wildpath, @fl_wildcorridor, Photos by @carltonward
Facebook tags: @The Nature Conservancy in Florida, @Florida Department of Environmental Protection, @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photos by @Carlton Ward
Map Instagram tags: Map by @angeline.maps, @archboldstation
Map Facebook tags: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
Suggested Hastags
#KeepFLWild #ConnectTheCorridor #FloridaWildlifeCorridor
#WildlifeCorridors #ProtectWildPlaces #LandConservation #WildFlorida
Usage Rights
Visuals by Carlton Ward Jr., Lauren Yoho, Katie Bryden, George McKenzie Jr. and Angeline Meeks provided for one-time use for coverage or promotion of Florida Wildlife Corridor-related news from the March 29 Board of Trustees meeting, dated March 2022. Copying, sublicensing, sale, distribution, and archiving are prohibited.
Mandatory Social Media Usage Requirements
For images, include the photo credit tag as listed:
- Instagram: @wildpath, @FL_WildCorridor, Photo by @CarltonWard, @leyoho, @ktbryden, or @georgemckenziejr (reference photo grids for credit guidance)
- Facebook: @Wildpath, @Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Photo by @Carlton Ward, Lauren Yoho, Katie Bryden, or George McKenzie, Jr (reference photo grids for credit guidance)
- Twitter: @PathofPanther, @FL_WildCorridor, Photo by @CarltonWard, Lauren Yoho, @ktbryden, or George McKenzie, Jr. (reference photo grids for credit guidance)
For maps, include the map photo credits:
- Instagram: Map by @angeline.maps and @archboldstation
- Facebook: Map by Angeline Meeks, @Archbold Biological Station
- Twitter: @AngelineMeeks and @ArchboldStation
Mandatory Online/Print Usage Requirements for Multimedia
Include the photo/map credit:
Photos:
- Carlton Ward, Jr./Wildpath
- Lauren Yoho/Wildpath
- Katie Bryden/Wildpath
- George McKenzie, Jr./Wildpath
Map: Angeline Meeks, Archbold Biological Station
Mandatory On-Air Usage Requirements for Multimedia
For on-air usage, include credit with each photo, map, or video used:
Photos:
- Carlton Ward, Jr./Wildpath
- Lauren Yoho/Wildpath
- Katie Bryden/Wildpath
- George McKenzie, Jr./Wildpath
Map: Angeline Meeks, Archbold Biological Station
