UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning

10/08/2026

Protecting our wild spaces takes collaboration across borders!

Our team recently attended the "Mind The Gaps: Emerald Coast" workshop in Milton, FL. We joined fellow conservationists as part of our initiative to identify critical, vulnerable sections of the Florida Wildlife Corridor in the western Panhandle that need urgent protection.

Because wildlife doesn't stop at state lines, the workshop also focused on connecting corridors into Alabama’s fast-growing Baldwin County. Together, attendees marked up maps, explored new conservation tools, and strategized on how to protect vital habitats in this rapidly developing region.

We're proud to be part of the movement keeping Florida and our neighboring states wild and connected!

Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation 1000 Friends of Florida Live Wildly Florida Conservation Group

10/07/2026

Please join us on October 15th at the Hippodrome State Theater for a screening of the award-winning documentary film, _River of Grass_. The film will be followed by a discussion panel featuring film Director, Sasha Worzel, Environmental Historian Jack Davis, Executive Director of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Kim Bednarek, and Artist Margaret Tolbert. This will be an evening to remember!

Sign up through the QR code on the poster or through the Lynx Bookshop here: https://thelynxbooks.com/events/6058820261015

We're thrilled to sponsor this film screening in conjunction with our fine art exhibition, _Wild Waters: Rivers, Lakes, Wetlands, Coast, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor_, now on view at the Governor's House in St. Augustine through Sept. 6, 2027. Check it out!

Live Wildly 1000 Friends of Florida Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Florida Conservation Group Carlton Ward Jr. Friends of the Everglades

10/02/2026

As a continuation of our series on recent development patterns in Florida, we are sharing a chart showing the estimated annual greenfield acreage developed in the state from 1985 to 2025.

Note the spike in developed acres peaking in 2006 at about 95,000, followed by a steep decline during and after the Great Recession.

Since about 2011, annual developed acreage has again been steadily on the rise, reaching nearly 70,000 in 2025.

These figures are derived from the National Land Cover Database's annual land cover products. While these products are not 100% accurate, they are the best readily available data for this kind of analysis.

Understanding these cycles is essential for sustainable regional planning and long-term conservation.

Live Wildly 1000 Friends of Florida Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Florida Conservation Group

09/29/2026

How can the two riverfront Maine cities of Lewiston and Auburn build climate resilience through their shared histories, landscapes and infrastructure? UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Aishwarya Shankar brought her students to Lewiston, Maine to answer this question through their submissions to redesign a veteran’s park increasingly impacted by Androscoggin River flooding. They sketched sections of the river’s edge, the dam, park boundaries, and created city and park spatial character sketches. They met with stakeholders like the city planner, the veteran who is the primary steward of the park, and had collaborative meetings with the other participating university students, leaders, and community members. It was a packed two days - filled with many of the same elements that make the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning’s work so impactful. Our own Eleanor Laughlin was able to attend and contribute questions for cultural resource consideration and connect with landscape stakeholders on the Northeastern coast. It was one of those events that felt deeply collaborative, impactful, and , in a city where hope is a common theme. Many thanks to both Lewiston/Auburn and Envision Resilience for the opportunity. If you are interested in learning more about climate-related work the Center does, check out this link to one of our websites, focused on the topic: https://dcp.ufl.edu/landscapechange/ We are in the process of pursuing funding that will allow us to update and upgrade this site this week! Live Wildly Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation 1000 Friends of Florida Florida Conservation Group

09/22/2026

Our Center was featured this week in the University of Florida’s Weekly Funding Digest (an internal publication - see screen shot below)! For more information, check out our website at https://conservation.dcp.ufl.edu/

09/22/2026

Join the conversation this week for all the richness of a 1000 Friends of Florida discussion - and to learn more about our CLCP Rural to Urban (R2U) projects!

We are so excited to team up with our partners at to promote their upcoming free webinar: Planning to Protect the FLWC 3.0 | Transect Planning & Connectivity.
If you care about smart growth, protecting the , and ensuring our native wildlife has room to roam as our state expands, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss!
🗓️ When: September 23rd | 12 PM – 2 PM
📍 Where: Online via Zoom 🔗 Take Action: Hit the link in our bio to reserve your spot today, or copy and paste this link into your browser to register directly:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3PTkg_I8SG-udvR6gyFXhA #/registration


Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Conservation Florida

09/21/2026

At the Florida legislative session’s Rotunda celebration on February 13, 2024, Carlton Ward returned to the podium to honor Reed Noss and Tom Hoctor for their contributions through applied research to the establishment of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Today, the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning at UF still researches, teaches about, and maintains one of the primary databases used by government agencies, planners, and landowners alike to make the best decisions for every acre saved and every dollar spent. To learn more about the lay of the land in Florida comservation, check out the latest article in September’s issue of _Florida Trend_ magazine. (Link in bio.) Carlton Ward Jr. Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Live Wildly Florida Conservation Group 1000 Friends of Florida

09/09/2026

Big news for Florida conservation! The September issue of Florida Trend magazine features a powerful cover story on the Florida Wildlife Corridor, exploring over 40 years of science-based advocacy to protect our state's wild, rural landscapes.

Developed in coordination with the Center and our incredible partners, this article highlights major conservation milestones—like the 2021 Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which has driven nearly $2 billion in land conservation funding. But it also sounds an urgent alarm: Florida is rapidly losing its rural lands to development, and more than 8 million acres within the Corridor still need to be conserved.

The Corridor is a long-term collaborative strategy, built upon 40 years of science-based advocacy that started with the work of Larry Harris and Reed Noss at the University of Florida in the mid 1980s. Central to this framework is the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN), initiated by Center of Landscape Conservation Planning Director Tom Hoctor in 1995, whose major professor at UF was also Larry Harris. The FEGN forms the foundation to both the Corridor and our Center's continuing research aimed at making the best decision for every acre and every dollar spent. Reed Noss also continues to help guide the ecological science that undergirds the work of the Center on conserving Florida's biodiversity as integral part of FEGN and Florida Wildlife Corridor protection efforts.

By marrying this rigorous scientific foundation with an impactful outreach campaign conceived by Carlton Ward Jr, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and its many partners achieved the unanimous passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021—generating nearly $2 billion in land conservation funding to date.

Today, a massive coalition of landowners, scientists, policymakers, and communities are fighting to secure Florida’s green future. We want to give a special shoutout to the dedicated land trusts working directly with landowners on the ground to protect the Corridor and beyond.

Read the full 15-page spread in Florida Trend at the link below to learn how we can protect the wild spaces that keep Florida, Florida. https://digital.floridatrend.com/publication/?i=868545&p=38&view=issueViewer

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Live Wildly Florida Conservation Group Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation 1000 Friends of Florida Florida Trend

Many thanks to our Florida land trusts for working with landowners and state programs to shepherd these projects through the many hurdles to permanent protection!

Alachua Conservation Trust
American Farmland Trust
Apalachee Land Conservancy
Bay County Conservancy, Inc.
Big Waters Land Trust
Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island, Inc.
Crew Land & Water Trust
Ducks Unlimited
Florida Nature Coast Conservancy
Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Inc.
Indian River Land Trust
National Park Trust, Inc.
North Florida Land Trust
Putnam Land Conservancy
Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation Lab
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Tampa Bay Conservancy
The Conservation Fund
The Environmental Conservancy of North Port and Surrounding Areas
The Nature Conservancy in Florida
Trust for Public Land
Wildlands Conservation

09/02/2026

Last call to join our friends at 1000 Friends of Florida TODAY for their 3rd annual "Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor!" In this session, they will unpack how innovative funding mechanisms can forge new partnerships between landowners, governments, and the private sector to keep working lands working, and wild lands wild, for generations to come.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQKQ-l-VRHGU0u_AaKS_4g #/registration

Florida Conservation Group Live Wildly

Join us TOMORROW for Payment for Ecosystem Services: A Conservation Tool for Florida’s Future - a free, online webinar that unpacks how innovative funding mechanisms can forge new partnerships between landowners, governments, and the private sector to keep working lands working, and wild lands wild, for generations to come.

Continuing Education Credits have been approved for:
American Institute of Certified Planners — 2 AICP CM ( #9331522)
Florida Bar — 2.5 General CLE ( )
Florida DBPR Landscape Architects - 2.0 ( #0015986)
Certified Floodplain Managers — 1 CEC
Florida Certified Environmental Health Professionals — 2 Contact Hours / 0.2 CEUs

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQKQ-l-VRHGU0u_AaKS_4g #/registration

UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
Live Wildly
Florida Conservation Group
Solutions from the Land
The Balmoral Group
Texas Agricultural Land Trust

09/01/2026

School is back in session at UF! As you gather your sources for the semester, be sure to add our new wildlife crossing guide to your list!

Our latest publication, "A Practitioner's Guide to Planning and Design of Wildlife Crossings in Florida" is a comprehensive manual covering all facets of a wildlife crossing project, including practical examples - created for agencies, land managers, and conservationists.

Inside, you will find practical examples and methods to successfully mitigate the impact of roads on local ecosystems. We’re incredibly proud of our own Dr. Dan Smith, Wildlife and Landscape Ecologist, for this contribution to the field.

"A Practitioner's Guide to Planning and Design of Wildlife Crossings in Florida" is available FREE via download on our website:https://conservation.dcp.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Design-Guide-For-Wildlife-Crossings-Version-1.1-06_24_26.pdf

This project was made possible by generous contributions from the Florida Wildlife Federation and Defenders of Wildlife. We are grateful for their support.

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Live Wildly Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Florida Conservation Group 1000 Friends of Florida