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Susan Brookman

Take action. Join the Audubon of Florida Advocacy Center. You can, track legislative developments, influence the decision making process on critical conservation issues, and help Audubon prioritize environmental policies in Florida. Participation is free!

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Take more action. Ask to be added to the chapter email "action alert" list and receive information on local environmental issues and chapter business via email. You do not have to be a chapter member to be included. Members can also choose to read our newsletter FLYWAYS online rather than get a snail mail copy. Saves the chapter several dollars in production and distribution costs and maybe even a tree. Send your request to be added to the Action Alert list or to removed from the snail mail list to Members(at)AudubonSWFL.org. (change (at) to @ to email)

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Click here for Audubon's proposal to save the Everglades

Audubon's 2008 Conservation Priorities and Strategies

Global Warming
Water Resource Protection
Wildlife Policy
Land Conservation
Growth Management and Transportation

Southwest Florida Audubon Conservation Priorities 2008

Southwest Florida is one of the fastest growing areas of the nation, with large amounts of land under conversion to urbanizing areas. Audubon of Florida is engaged in a plan for protection and restoration of the ecosystems of this dynamic region. Audubon has a long history in the region beginning with hiring wardens to protect wading bird colonies from plume hunters, later creating the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and helping to secure federal and state public lands.

The area has three signature species that help the public identify with the need to protect and restore land and waters: Florida panthers, which require large unrestricted territories, nesting Wood Storks, which depend on seasonal wetlands for forage, and juvenile Snook, which require healthy estuarine environments. All species are profoundly affected by watershed management, local land use plans and development activities. These three species serve vital roles as indicator species, helping gauge the effectiveness of ecosystem-wide protection and restoration efforts.

Audubon’s commitment to Wood Stork, Panther and Snook abundance emerges from the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and extends through the vital watersheds in the region, including Babcock Ranch, Caloosahatchee River, Charlotte Harbor and Fisheating Creek, that provide critical habitats. Millions of people have visited the Sanctuary and learned about nature and ecosystems through that experience.

Working from the science and policy base of the Sanctuary, Audubon’s strategy is to minimize the impact of this growth on specific components of the region:

• Protect the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW), including the Corkscrew Swamp and Marsh, Flint Pen Strand, Bird Rookery Swamp, Estero Bay, Cocohatchee Slough, and Camp Keais Strand in order to assure the abundance of birds and other wildlife and to provide a model ecosystem for people to visit and learn about nature.
• The health of the Caloosahatchee River, its estuaries, including Estero Bay, and the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, all depend on short- and long-term water storage and Everglades restoration work on Lake Okeechobee and its watershed, as well as management, protection and restoration of the River’s watershed. This will only be accomplished with unprecedented cooperation amongst all relevant organizations, governments and agencies
• Assure implementation of appropriate management plans to maintain and improve wildlife habitat while allowing compatible human use for public lands and projects such as Babcock Preserve, the Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Fisheating Creek Watershed and Okaloacoochee Slough.
• Restoration projects such as the Southwest Florida Feasibility Study, Picayune Strand State Forest, the C-43 Reservoir and treatment marsh, and the Henderson Creek/Belle Meade Restoration Area will allow diverse communities of flora and fauna to flourish while protecting the watershed for the estuarine resource gems, Rookery Bay Reserve, the Ten Thousand Islands, and the greater Charlotte Harbor estuarine systems, including the Peace and Caloosahatchee Rivers, Pine Island Sound and Gulf beaches.
• Southwest Florida coastal habitat is along a migratory flyway, provides critical shorebird nesting areas, and requires protection and management for the benefit of birds and other wildlife.
• Retaining ranching and other low impact agricultural uses in Southwest Florida will be a priority, while working with landowners to reduce drainage and nutrient impacts to watersheds and retain or increase habitat values, especially for wide ranging species like panthers and wood storks.

Therefore be it resolved:

Audubon of Florida, deploying professional staff and expertise and using information derived from sound science in alignment with the volunteer leadership of local Audubon chapters will call on our members and grassroots networks, and work with conservation allies, business and community leaders and public officials to:
Develop public and political support to protect and restore critical components of the Big Cypress, Corkscrew, Caloosahatchee, Fisheating Creek, and Charlotte Harbor ecosystems.

Support new state, local, water management district and regional land acquisition programs and insist on aggressive efforts to restore and manage all lands, including controlling exotic species and using prescribed fire where appropriate.

Initiate and support innovative approaches to land use planning, complementing land acquisition, that take advantage of transfer of development rights and other land use-based approaches to setting aside conservation areas and direct incompatible land uses away from conservation areas. Be involved directly in the land use planning, infrastructure development, and regulatory decisions that will shape the future of the region.

Advocate regionally-based and proactive wildlife protection policies, to complement land acquisition and planning efforts, at every level of government, but focused particularly on local policies and comprehensive plans.

Support stronger policies and more effective actions to protect water resources including strict interpretation and enforcement of wetland and water quality laws, and amending the melaleuca/hydric pine biases.

Encourage, foster and support appropriate research and science, including accurate resource and land use mapping, to advance good policy and planning outcomes for Southwest Florida.

Advocate aggressive greenhouse gas pollution reduction commitments and actions at all levels of government and community.

Other Links and Resources:

SFWMD one-stop-shop for information on water information
The Southwest Florida Watershed Council
Riverwatch-The Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association
PURRE - People United to Restore our Rivers and Estuary
Everglades Coalition
The Snook Foundation
Lee County Smart Growth
SW Florida Regional Planning Council
Greater Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
Calusa Chapter of the Sierra Club
Southwest Florida Council on Environment Education
Florida Chapters of North American Butterfly Association
Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau

Join Audubon…

To join Audubon and receive chapter newsletters and Audubon magazines, click here or you can print out this membership application form (a pdf file) and mail it in to P.O. Box 61041, Ft. Myers, FL 33906. with your check. Membership in Audubon of SW Florida includes membership in National Audubon and Audubon of Florida. Your membership card gets you discounts at Audubon facilities including Corkscrew Sanctuary and the Audubon Birds of Prey Center.

Swallow Tailed Kites