Conservancy of Southwest Florida Celebrates Earth Day

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida celebrated its 60th year of preserving paradise on Saturday, April 20. Their largest community celebration of the year included educational activities, animal encounters, local vendors, food trucks, and much more. 

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been maintaining the balance between a growing population and the preservation of Florida’s natural treasures. As a leading environmental conservation organization, the Conservancy serves to protect the water, land, and wildlife that span across Southwest Florida. The Conservation focuses on critical environmental issues that impact Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties.

The president and CEO of Conservancy Southwest Florida, Rob Moher said, “Today is all about celebrating. The nature center is open free to the public so they can experience and be part of the movement to help protect paradise. That’s what it’s all about. If we’re going to preserve paradise, it’s not going to happen on its own.”

“It’s going to take citizen engagement, everyone has a role in this, not just the “environmentalists,” said Moher. “We all live here, we enjoy this beautiful place called Southwest Florida, but it’s not going to stay beautiful if we don’t fight to protect it. Being part of the conservancy means being part of preserving everything else.”

The celebration included many guests of the Conservancy to spread awareness on how citizens can help protect the community. Some of the guests included the Naples Native Plant Society, Audubon Western Everglades, and the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

Janet Hoffman of the Naples Native Plant Society spread some wisdom on why planting native can be beneficial for the planet. “Once the native plants are established and they aren’t newly planted anymore, they don’t need as much care,” said Hoffman. “They’re really beneficial for our environment because they don’t need the fertilizer or the pesticides, so they’re keeping the water cleaner. They also don’t need as much water because the roots grow deeper. So, we’re also helping to save water when we plant native. There’s just so many reasons to plant native.” 

“The Naples Native Plant Society does a lot,” Hoffman said. “We just keep learning and don’t ever give up. We enjoy and really appreciate wildlife, nature, and supporting the animals that do better with native plants.”

Andy Welsby of the Audubon Western Everglades offered petitions to protect local animals from development. Audubon is a local conservation group that has been in the area since 1961. They have three main conservation programs that focus on gopher tortoises, shore birds, and burrowing owls. Audubon directs science, research, policy, conservation, and education through their lecture series and work with different schools. “We are urging the Collier County Commissioners and the County Manager to prioritize land conservation over just development,” said Welsby. “We think that land for good quality habitat for protected species like burrowing owls and Florida panthers is in short supply and we should be conserving it wherever we possibly can.”

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve made an appearance as well. The reciprocal research center to the Conservancy allows members of either center access to their learning centers and amenities. Caroline Pardue, education specialist of Rookery Bay, announced the Reserve’s National Estuaries Day to be held on May 4, 2024, as well as the marine science summer program for students entering eighth through tenth grade. Rebecca, the field trip specialist added, “We’ll be doing squid dissections, plankton labs, talking with our shark researcher, kayaking, and going fishing. It’s a great opportunity for students to go out in the field and be learning about the science that we do and be participating in the science. It’s going to be a really great time.”

The Conservancy’s Earth Day Celebration was a huge success, bringing organizations, friends, and visitors together to learn about how to protect the wildlife and vegetation that makes Southwest Florida the beautifully diverse environment we’ve all come to love.