Florida Conservation Group Inc

MISSION IS TO SEEK PROTECTION OF LAND AND WATER RESOURCES THROUGH RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION; AND CONDUCTING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ON THE ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL LANDS. WE PROTECT LAND FROM DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECT AND RESTORE WATER RESOURCES.

LAND PROTECTION WE WORK TO PROTECT THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS FOR OUR WATER AND WILDLIFE IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. OVER THE PAST YEAR WE SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS REPRESENTING OVER 25,000 ACRES OF LAND WITH THE STATE'S FLORIDA FOREVER PROGRAM (FF) AND PLACED AN ADDITIONAL NINE PROPERTIES INTO THE PROGRAM. THIS ENTAILED: SUBMITTING DETAILED APPLICATIONS, CONDUCTING ECOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS AND ADVOCATING FOR THE PROPERTIES IN FRONT OF DECISION-MAKING BODIES. FLORIDA FOREVER IS OUR PREMIER STATE LAND ACQUISITION PROGRAM, AND IT IS A NATIONAL MODEL FOR SCIENCE-BASED LAND CONSERVATION AND EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE, WITH MILLIONS OF ACRES OF PROPOSED CONSERVATION LANDS ALREADY WITHIN THE FF PROGRAM. THE PROPERTIES WE SUBMITTED ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR STATE FUNDING TO ENSURE THEIR PERMANENT PROTECTION AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR PROTECTION BY ACQUIRING FF AND OTHER FEDERAL AND STATE PARTNER PROGRAM FUNDS AS NEEDED. THIS REQUIRES WORKING WITH MANY STATE, FEDERAL, AND REGIONAL AGENCIES AS WELL AS LANDOWNERS TO PROTECT THESE LANDS.

LANDOWNER ASSISTANCE FLORIDA CONSERVATION GROUP (FCG) BEGAN THE NFWF CONSERVATION PARTNERS PROGRAM GRANT TO IMPLEMENT GOPHER TORTOISE HABITAT MANAGEMENT ON PRIVATE RANCHLANDS UPON RECEIVING THE FULLY EXECUTED AWARD AGREEMENT ON 01/17/2022. IN 2022, FCG TEAMED WITH COMMON GROUND ECOLOGY (CGE) TO IMPLEMENT THE FIRST ACTIVITIES REQUIRED TO MEET THE OVERRIDING PROJECT GOAL OF ACCELERATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PRESCRIBED FIRE AND OTHER PRACTICES THAT BENEFIT UPLAND HABITATS THAT ARE VITAL FOR SUPPORTING GOPHER TORTOISE POPULATIONS IN SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. TO THIS END, THE TEAM MET AND CONTINUED TO HAVE STRATEGIC DISCUSSIONS WITH STATE AND DISTRICT LEVEL NRCS STAFF TO IDENTIFY THOSE LANDS AND LANDOWNERS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE TO IMPLEMENT PRESCRIBED FIRE AS OUTLINED IN THEIR COST-SHARE AGREEMENTS. AS WE WORK WITH NRCS TO IDENTIFY LANDOWNERS, WE HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT PRESCRIBED BURNING, STARTING WITH LEGAL, EQUIPMENT, LOGISTICAL, AND QUALIFICATIONS CHALLENGES; WE CONTINUE TO TRAIN AND UPDATE PRESCRIBED FIRE CERTIFICATIONS FOR CGE'S TWO CERTIFIED BURN MANAGERS AND IDENTIFY PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO ASSEMBLING AN AS-NEEDED BURN TEAM FOR THIS PROJECT. THE SE AQUATICS GRANT FOR MANAGING RANCHLANDS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY (GRAZING PLANNING) AGREEMENT WAS FULLY EXECUTED ON AUGUST 7TH, 2022. IN THE FIVE MONTHS AFTER, FLORIDA CONSERVATION GROUP ACCOMPLISHED SEVERAL KEY STEPS TOWARD PRODUCING THE DESIRED OUTCOME METRICS ON IMPROVING WATER QUALITY ON RANCHLANDS THROUGH GRAZING PLANNING. FCG WORKED WITH COMMON GROUND ECOLOGY TO: 1) COORDINATE WITH STATE NRCS STAFF TO UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS; 2) ADVERTISE, RECRUIT, AND HIRE A GRAZING SPECIALIST; 3) INTEGRATE THE NEW HIRE INTO FCGS'S EXISTING NETWORK BY INTRODUCTIONS TO KEY AGRICULTURAL LEADERS AND LANDOWNERS; AND 4) TRAIN THE NEW HIRE ON BIOTA AND THE NEEDS OF CATTLE OPERATIONS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOT THE PROJECT OFF TO A GREAT START, AS EVIDENCED BY OUR PREPARATION FOR AN INTEGRAL MEETING WITH NRCS STAFF EARLY THE FOLLOWING JANUARY. THIS MEETING FORMULATED THE DETAILED FRAMEWORK FOR EXACTLY WHICH DATA THE PROJECT TEAM WOULD PROVIDE NRCS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR EFFICIENCY TO CREATE GRAZING PLANS.

ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH WE CONTINUED WORKING WITH LANDOWNERS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION PLANS FOR THEIR PROPERTIES. WE ARE ACTIVE THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL FLORIDA. THERE ARE A MYRIAD OF DIFFERENT STATE AND FEDERAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AVAILABLE; THE CHALLENGE IS TO BRING TOGETHER THE BEST FIT FOR EACH LANDOWNER AND PROPERTY, AS WELL AS TO SECURE THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING FOR EACH PROPERTY. OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE MET WITH 37 DIFFERENT LANDOWNERS, TO PROVIDE OUTREACH ON THE VARIOUS CONSERVATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO PROTECT AND MANAGE PRIVATE LAND FOR CONSERVATION. WE CONDUCTED ONE-ON-ONE OUTREACH WITH LANDOWNERS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH VARIOUS LANDOWNERS TO APPLY FOR FUNDING AND ADVOCATE FOR THEIR PROTECTION. WITH ASSISTANCE FROM DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, WE CONDUCTED OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ON THE GROUND ON A FUTURE FEDERAL CONSERVATION AREA IN SWFL. WE MET WITH KEY LANDOWNERS, AGENCY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THE CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THEM INFORMATION AND LISTEN TO THEIR CONCERNS. WE ALSO HELD 3 MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDER GROUPS OVER THE COURSE OF 2022. THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED WITH THE GOAL OF LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE CONSERVATION AREA. WE ASSISTED SARASOTA COUNTY AND THEIR PRIMARY CONTRACTOR- NORTHSTAR- WITH SARASOTA COUNTY ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LANDS PROTECTION PROGRAM. THIS INCLUDED LANDOWNER OUTREACH AND ASSISTING WITH CONSERVATION EASEMENT DEVELOPMENT.

SCIENCE WITH FUNDING FROM THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE WE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS AT UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CENTER FOR LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PLANNING TO DEVELOP AND COMPLETE A SOUTHWEST FLORIDA LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION DESIGN (LCD). AN LCD IS THE SCIENTIFIC FRAMEWORK NEEDED TO JUSTIFY A FUTURE REFUGE AND CONSERVATION AREA. USFWS LEADERSHIP APPROVED THE LCD IN THE SPRING OF 2022 AND AUTHORIZED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LAND PROTECTION STRATEGY (LPS). TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS, WE COMPLETED AN LPS FOR SOUTHWEST FLORIDA; IT WAS APPROVED BY USFWS LEADERSHIP IN JUNE 2022. FROM JUNE THROUGH DECEMBER 2022, WE WORKED WITH USFWS ON FURTHERING PLANNING EFFORTS TO EXPLORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW REFUGE AND CONSERVATION AREA IN THE REGION. THE POTENTIAL NEW CONSERVATION AREA WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE AVAILABLE FUNDS TO PROTECT THE MOST IMPORTANT LANDS FOR CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY, PROTECTING AND RESTORING WATER RESOURCES, AND PROTECTING WILDLIFE CORRIDORS AND OTHER LANDSCAPE FEATURES TO FACILITATE CLIMATE RESILIENCY IN THE PEACE RIVER AND MYAKKA RIVER WATERSHEDS, THE HEADWATERS TO CHARLOTTE HARBOR.