By Anita Todd
STATE OF FLORIDA – As the Sunshine State’s population continues to grow, roads and communities are becoming increasingly crowded. As land is cleared to accommodate that growth, Florida’s wildlife is losing habitat and struggling to survive amid the surge in construction and development.
To raise awareness about the importance of connecting and protecting ecosystems across the state, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation is sponsoring the Longleaf to Lighthouse Expedition. The 100-mile trek begins in the Red Hills of southern Georgia and ends at the St. Marks Lighthouse on the Gulf of Mexico.
Four Florida lawmakers departed Monday (April 21) to experience the critical corridor connection firsthand. The group will bike, hike, and kayak approximately 20 miles per day, meeting with landowners, scientists, and storytellers who will provide a close-up look at the landscape.
Participants include Becky Troutman, Polk County commissioner; Jack Porter, Tallahassee City Commissioner; Rick Minor, Leon County Commissioner; and Sean Parks, Lake County Commissioner. These elected officials represent counties along the trek and play key roles in land-use decisions affecting the corridor.
The expedition will highlight longleaf pine forests, quail country, hardwood hammocks, floodplain swamps, and the coastal marshes of Apalachee Bay. “This path is one of the Southeast’s most important ecological linkages—a landscape that serves as both a wildlife and water bridge between states. Together, these working lands, public forests, and protected waters show how stewardship across an entire watershed sustains the region’s wildlife, water, and cultural heritage,” according to the foundation’s website.
During a recent interview, Troutman said protecting the Florida Wildlife Corridor is important not only for environmental reasons, but also for future generations.
“I want my daughter to want to come back home after college,” Troutman said. “I want her to be able to find a job in whatever field she chooses while still recognizing the place she grew up.”
The foundation works to “connect, restore, and protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which spans 18 million acres—about half the state. Currently, 10 million acres are protected, leaving 8 million unprotected,” according to its website.
The Apalachee region will give participants insight into longleaf pine and fire ecology, Floridan aquifer recharge, quail and private land management heritage, and Indigenous history.
While the foundation has sponsored similar treks in the past, this is the first to include elected officials.
Troutman’s views closely align with the mission of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and she said she remains a strong advocate for property rights. Through this expedition, she said she hopes to gain meaningful insight into how these two priorities can be thoughtfully woven together for the benefit of Florida’s future generations.
Polk County is one of 10 counties “especially vulnerable to this pressure and in urgent need of conservation—some with connections that could be lost forever without compatible planning. If we
don’t act now, half a million acres could be gone by 2030, and another 400,000 acres by 2050,” according to the foundation’s website.
For more information, to volunteer, or to donate, visit www.floridawildlifecorridor.org.
Facts about the Corridor
· 17.7 million acres
· 7 million acres of working lands in the Corridor, 13 percent are conserved lands.
· 75 state parks and 32 state forests
· 1.700 miles of paddling trails and 6,300 miles of recreational trails
· Florida’s tow official International Dark Sky Parks – Kissimmee Prairie State Park and Big Cypress National Preserve
· Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve
· Apalachicola National Forest, Osceola National Forest and Ocala National Forest
· Rare species habitat
· Strategic habitat
· Under-represented ecosystems
· Functional wetlands
· National floodplain
· Surface water protection
· Groundwater recharge
· Sustainable forestry
· 171 1st and 2nd magnitude springs
· Portions of 23 of Florida’s 30 outstanding Florida springsheds
· 1,300 named rivers and streams
