Conservation Trust for Florida, Inc.
(CTF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit land trust. We work with private landowners to protect their farms, ranches, and timberlands. CTF also works to preserve natural areas and wildlife corridors, like the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor.
CTF works with landowners to find the best land conservation solution to meet their long-term financial and land management needs. Options include conservation easements, purchase or donation of land, carbon credits, and assistance with landowner succession and estate planning.
Protecting farms for future generations. Florida has a rich agricultural tradition. The ideal climate makes Florida the leader in many food and fiber crops, but this tradition is changing as the majority of farmers are over 55 years old. Within the next two decades, close to one-half of Florida’s agricultural lands will change hands. The work of land trusts will help protect these working rural landscapes for future generations.
The Expedition's route will stretch from Florida Bay to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, but there will be many stops along the way. You can download a detailed map with descriptions of 21 key points along the route. Each of these points represent a region of special importance to the wildlife of Florida.
Follow along on Facebook and Twitter!
The Expedition is Underway
On January 17, 2012, CTF Advisory Board Member Carlton Ward set off on a 1,000 mile expedition over 100 days to increase awareness and generate support for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
He and his fellow trekkers will traverse the wildlife habitats, watersheds, and working farms and ranches that comprise the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The team will document the corridor with photographs, video streams, radio reports, and updates on social media and digital networks.
Bear Cub photo by FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
CTF is working to protect an important section of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the Ocala National Forest to Osceola National Forest (O2O Corridor), which is important for black bears as they migrate north.
Click here for the recent article by Audubon Magazine about the importance of the corridor for black bears.
Many landowners are torn between not wanting to see their land developed and wanting to provide an inheritance for children or other heirs. However, it does not have to be an "either/or" situation. With creative planning and some compromise, families can allow for some measure of both. This workshop addresses some of these issues and presents effective land conservation and estate planning tools to help families find a solution – so that they can protect their land and leave a legacy for the next generation.
Dr. Michael Gutter's presentation discusses the importance of wills and proper estate planning. Busy Shires Byerly focused on the income, estate and property tax benefits of conservation easements. She also presented information about programs that purchase conservation easements.
The Polycom was recorded and broadcast live on December 14, 2011 from the University of Florida Campus to Extension facilities in Alachua, Baker, Clay, Gadsden, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Madison, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Osceola, Polk, Santa Rosa and Walton Counties.
The link to the presentations are online at:
Welcome Aboard to the New Executive Director
Join us in welcoming Robert Connors as the new Executive Director of CTF!
On December 1, the Conservation Trust for Florida, Inc. welcomed Robert as the new Executive Director. Robert will work with the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board, and staff to support CTF's mission to protect agricultural properties and wildlife corridors in Florida as part of CTF's Farmlands and Greenways Programs.
Robert is a former Polk County Commissioner (1990 to 1994) who was responsible for initiating and chairing a $50 million Environmental Lands Program that has acquired more than 12,000 acres of diverse conservation lands including the Circle B Bar Reserve south of Lakeland. He was the previous executive director of the Green Horizon Land Trust and he was a 1994 nominee for U.S. Congress. He also served on the board of the Central Florida Regional Planning Council.
Robert's diverse experience includes owning a successful web design company, and he and his wife Susan owned the much loved restaurant La Bella Torre in Lake Wales. Robert is a former news journalist for the Haines City Herald and the Lake Wales Daily Highlander, and he was an editorial writer for SunCoast newspapers. He is also a licensed realtor and insurance professional, and has served on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations.
