Second Annual Fall Fundraiser & Awards Ceremony

November 13, 2005 — Conservation Trust for Florida, Inc., cordially invites you to its second annual Fall Fundraiser & Awards Ceremony at Savannah Grande Reception Hall, Sunday, November 13th, 2005 from 5 - 8 p.m.

Stop by after the Downtown Arts Festival, have a glass of wine and dine with CTF. Bid on great auction items in a live art auction, including original art by members of the Artists Alliance of North Florida. If you are unable to attend and would like to “proxy bid,” please contact CTF.

(Click here for a sneak peak at some of the wonderful art that will be auctioned off.)

Seating is limited; please RSVP by November 1st. Dinner is $40/person ($15 is tax-deductible).

(Click here for response card to print and return; requires Adobe Acrobat)

Highlights include Herbert L. Hiller as the keynote speaker and Equestrian Olympian Darren Chiacchia as the guest of honor. Awards will be given to Dr. Larry D. Harris, M.C. Davis, and Freddie Wood.

Renowned author and travel journalist Herbert L. Hiller is the keynote speaker for the event. Hiller's work has appeared in The Atlantic, National Geographic Traveler, and the Washington Post, and his first book, Guide to the Small & Historic Lodgings of Florida, won an award for the best travel guidebook in America.

CTF will honor local ecologist Dr. Larry D. Harris for his pioneering work in landscape ecology and conservation biology with a Distinguished Conservationist Award. Dr. Harris’ visionary research at the University of Florida focused on habitat fragmentation and wildlife corridors, and his 1984 book, The Fragmented Forest: Island Biogeography Theory and the Preservation of Biotic Diversity, is considered a classic.

Two landowners, including M. C. Davis and Freddie Wood will also be honored with Land Conservation Awards for protecting their land for future generations.

M.C. Davis has been an avid conservationist for the past twelve years and involved with a number of conservation projects all over the south, including: Mallory Swamp in Lafayette County, Florida; Glass Mountain in Dawson County, Georgia; and Nokuse Plantation in Walton County, Florida. Nokuse Plantation is Mr. Davis’ biggest and probably the most important project. It is comprised of 48,000 acres, which form a critical section of the proposed Greenway Corridor that would connect Eglin Air Force Base, Black Water River State Park, and Conecuh National Forest, et al with the Apalachicola National Forest and Tate’s Hell State Forest.

“For nature to have a reasonable chance of continuing to function as the source of all wealth and life for man and all other species, then our conservation planning and execution, when possible, must be on the landscape and ecosystem level. I believe this can be accomplished by drawing upon the skills of the entrepreneur, the power of the government and the passion of the individual all directed by the knowledge of science,” said Mr. Davis.

Alachua County landowner Freddie Wood, who is a fifth generation farmer, will be recognized for his efforts to protect his family's historic 173-acre farm in Evinston. The farm has been in the family since the early 1880’s and the town of Evinston was named after Mr. Wood’s great grandfather, Captain William Drayton Evins, hence the name Evinston. The farm has also been designated a Century Pioneer Family Farm by the Florida Agricultural Museum because the farm has been in the Wood family for over 100 years.

“Maybe it is wrong to love land, but I always have loved our farm; so peaceful to get away from the rest of the world and go talk to the cattle and look at the wildlife. Most any time on the property, there are eagles, sandhill cranes, or hawks. Many other species can also be seen. I would so much love to see our little part of the world saved from the bulldozers and the concrete and left as is for my children and grand children to walk on and love it as I have,” said Mr. Wood.

Guest of honor, Olympic Event Rider Darren Chiacchia was a member of the Bronze medal-winning 2004 United States Equestrian Team that competed in the Athens Olympics and he won the Individual Gold Medal at the 2003 Pan American Championships. Darren operates Independence Farm, and divides the year between his training facilities in Ocala, FL and Springville, NY.

A live auction of original works by several of the region’s finest artists, including members of the Artists Alliance of North Florida, will be directed by Gregg Jones, Santa Fe Community College Theater Director.

CTF has been instrumental in obtaining funding from public land conservation programs and securing conservation easements that have permanently protected some 2,700 acres of Florida’s rural landscape, to date. In concert with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Office of Greenways and Trails, CTF also initiated the Camp Blanding to Osceola National Forest Ecological Greenway, a 153,000-acre project that was placed on the state’s top ranking Florida Forever land acquisition list in 2004.

CTF is a501(c)(3) non-profit land trust founded in 1999 by David Carr and is headquartered in Micanopy, Florida. We work with landowners on a voluntary basis to identify and broaden land conservation options, and offer educational programs and materials to the public.

The event is sponsored by: Legacy Sponsor Mickey Singer; Benefactor Sponsor Progress Energy; Founder Sponsors David and Peggy Carr, Central Florida Office Plus, and David Pais; Patron Sponsors Alta, Inc., Atlantic Design & Construction, Cox Communications, Gainesville Health and Fitness Center, GRUgreen Energy, Stephen A. Malkoff - Malkoff Gallery, VisitGainesville.com, and Helen Warren, Realtor with ERA Trend Realty; and Sustaining Sponsors Campus USA Credit Union, Elizabeth P. Davies, CPA, Goodwin Lumber Company, Greathouse Butterfly Farm, Inc., Hoch and Celeste Shitama, and Xerographic Copy Center.

Directions to Savannah Grande Reception Hall located at 301 North Main Street in Gainesville: From the intersection of NW 13th Street and University Avenue, go east on University. Turn north onto Main Street (the Downtown Clock and Plaza are just east of the intersection) and go three blocks. Savannah Grande will be on your right hand side. Parking is in back.

The Conservation Trust for Florida, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services Solicitation Number: 13778. Percentage of each contribution that is retained by any professional solicitor: 0%. Percentage of each contribution that is retained by CTF: 100%. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1-800-435-7352. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.