Magic Under the Mangroves Gala

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s Magic Under the Mangroves was celebrated under a sophisticated tent on the grounds of the Conservancy Nature Center on March 6. The event featured a meet and greet, staff sharing details of their projects, deliciously prepared hors d’oeuvres, a live auction, and a seated dinner with creative cuisine provided by The Ritz-Carlton. All proceeds from the evening’s fundraiser support the mission of the Conservancy - to protect our water, land, and wildlife, now and forever.

It was time to make the Magic happen as Robert Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida took center stage. He thanked all the guests and recognized Northern Trust and supporting sponsor William Raveis and the many returning community sponsors for believing in what the Conservancy does. 

“All these partners know one fundamental truth - in Southwest Florida, the economy, and our quality of life is based on our environment. We are supporting your way of life every single day – that’s why we are here,” said Moher.

Moher recognized a very special person, Susan Dalton, the Founding Chair of the Magic Under the Mangroves. It was her vision that started it all as she recruited future chairs of Magic Under the Mangroves. 

An event like this just doesn’t appear out of thin air, added Moher, and the real magic makers are the chairs for this event. Moher recognized and thanked 2025 chairs Linda and Victor Grijalva and Toni and Charlie Mueller, along with members of the Gala Committee, for their creativity and passion!

A lot of heavy lifting happens behind the scenes to create the magic, and Moher thanked the staff and all the volunteers! According to Moher, Magic Under the Mangroves has successfully accomplished its goals for the past 20 years and has raised over $21 million. They have been recognized in 2024 by the Naples Community Choice Awards as Best Fundraising Event!

“Each person in this room came to SW Florida for a reason,” Moher said, “But without the stunning landscape, without water quality, without the pristine beaches, and if we believe that it is somebody else’s job to take care of all these – that is the moment paradise could be lost. But I know we are not going to let that happen. We can’t sit back and wait for somebody else to do it. We can be the changemaker for Southwest Florida.”

The tent was filled with over 400 philanthropic guests who were kept busy raising their paddles high and often during the Live auction. 2025 Magic Under the Mangroves brought in $1.6 million (net), and it will fund the following Conservancy’s programs:

Wildlife: the von Arx Wildlife Hospital takes care of approximately 4,000 injured, sick, and orphaned animals each year with the support of the rehabilitation team and dedicated volunteers. According to Moher, right now the focus is on the new challenges presented by preventing the spread of Avian Flu (HPAI) and the extra precautionary steps to keep all 150+ animals safe. 

Science: The Conservancy has one of Florida’s longest continuous mangrove monitoring projects. The Conservancy and research partners have been conducting radio-telemetry fieldwork to document python biology and behavior in Collier County, and the Keewaydin sea turtle research now spans well over 25 years. 

Policy and Advocacy: A development called Bellmar, just south of the proposed Rivergrass property, is threatening the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. If approved, it will destroy and fragment important panther habitats and corridors and add traffic onto already deadly roadways.

Education: According to the Conservancy, they reach more than 10,000 local school students each year through field trips at the Nature Center and outreach programs at area schools.

Local Artist Paul Arsenault’s painting was the inspirational backdrop and theme for the event, reminding guests of the importance of preserving Florida’s beautiful landscape. Arsenault’s Conservancy gazebo was right where the Magic tent was set up and according to Conservancy staff, Paul used to live on the property in the 70s and painted some great pieces.