Preserving Paradise

The Environmental Conservancy of North Port Secures Land to Keep It Wild

"It's disturbing how much nature we’re losing by the year," says Barbara Lockhart, the nonprofit's volunteer president.

07/02/2024 By Matthew Gutierrez

Once Upon a Time in Florida

A Journey Through Old Florida With the State’s Last Cowboys

The seven-day, six-night reenactment offered 350 people on horseback the chance to push 500 head of cattle through 80 contiguous miles of Florida that few people ever get to see.

08/31/2023 By Isaac Eger

Flashback

Myakka River State Park, Circa 1950

One of the first protected lands in our area, the park opened in 1942.

05/18/2023 By Bethany Ritz

Wild at Heart

Shot by Shot, Photographer Carlton Ward Jr. Is Saving Wild Florida

Ward's 2023 book, Path of the Panther: New Hope for Wild Florida, showcases his incredible wildlife photography.

05/03/2023 By Isaac Eger

Putting Down Roots

One Man's Quest to Re-Wild the Intracoastal's Forgotten Islands

“I can’t stop the real estate developers, but I can save little pieces of Florida here and there,” John Hoover says.

03/01/2023 By Isaac Eger

Conservation

Sarasota County Purchased a Portion of Myakka River Lands for Conservation

Last month, the county acquired 25 acres of environmentally sensitive land along the Myakka River, to preserve in perpetuity.

01/18/2023 By Kim Doleatto

Conservation

Conservation Foundation’s Myakka Headwaters Preserve Grows by 69 Acres

The newly conserved land is adjacent to the existing 363-acre Myakka Headwaters Preserve—conserved in October 2020—where seven streams converge to create the Myakka River.

12/12/2022 By Staff

Making Waves

Mote’s International Ocean Film Festival Will Make a Splash This Weekend

Dive into ocean conservation with this year's lineup of films on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.

09/07/2022 By Laura Paquette

Conservation

Community Collaboration Permanently Protects 191 Acres in Sarasota County

The property is a birding hotspot, and a portion of the land is part of the largest floodplain marsh in the Myakka River basin, called Tatum Sawgrass Marsh.

09/02/2022 By Staff

Bee Mindful

Sarasota Green Group Shares the Importance of Bee Conservation with Local Classrooms

An academic curriculum created by the group helps students learn about the importance of bees.

05/05/2022 By Samantha Lane

A Growing Conspiracy

Myakka City’s Lemur Conservation Foundation Celebrates Its 25th Year With Plans to Expand

The Myakka facility is one of the few that has become a "safety net" for the world's oldest primate.

01/04/2022 By Sarafina Murphy-Gibson

Conservation

New Project Launching to Benefit Manatees in Southwest Florida

The initiative will connect locals to a manatee habitat restoration in the Warm Mineral Springs Creek and Salt Creek areas.

12/21/2021 By Staff

Conservation

Sarasota County Votes to Purchase Conservation Foundation’s Recently Protected Land

Sarasota County commissioners approved the purchase of 228 acres in Old Miakka.

10/26/2021 By Staff

Conservation

Conservation Foundation Protects 228 Acres in Old Miakka

The land is a critical link between Sarasota County’s Old Miakka Preserve and the Conservation Foundation’s Tatum Sawgrass Scrub Preserve.

10/14/2021 By Staff

Environment

Sarasota County Acquires 100 Acres for Conservation

The county recently acquired 20 acres along the Myakka River and 80 acres in the Old Miakka area.

11/20/2020 By Staff

Open up

Manatee County Has the Chance to Create a New Land Conservation Program

If voters approve a new measure this fall, the county could acquire land to protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat, preserve environmentally sensitive land and create public parks.

08/14/2020 By Cooper Levey-Baker