Proposed Establishment of Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area (formerly called Southwest Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Area)

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public review and comment on a draft proposal establishing the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area in southwest Florida. The proposed Conservation Area abuts the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge & Conservation Area and spans 12 counties west of Lake Okeechobee from Lakeland to Naples, including the watersheds of the Peace River, Myakka River, Fisheating Creek and Caloosahatchee River. The 30-day review and comment period will begin September 26, 2023 and will include forthcoming public meetings where the Service will present and seek input on the proposed conservation area conservation area
A conservation area or wildlife management area is a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife. There are 13 conservation areas and nine wildlife management areas in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Learn more about conservation area .

The proposal is informed by  extensive public engagement  that included more than 30 informational discussions with representatives of over 70 local, State, Federal, Tribal, non-governmental agencies and private landowners; 7 public scoping meetings; a 35-day public scoping period; and the consideration of approximately 2,600 public comments, which were  widely supportive. The resulting draft Land Protection Plan Environmental Assessment, and Conceptual Management Plan identify the vision, goals, objectives, acquisition boundary, and conceptual management for the proposed Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. The Conservation Area, if approved, would weave together public and private land protection opportunities similar to the partnership approach implemented at the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area over a decade ago.

The proposal identifies a 4-million-acre Conservation Area in which the Service would  pursue less-than-fee-title ( conservation easement conservation easement
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or qualified conservation organization that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on a property in the future. Conservation easements aim to protect habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife by limiting residential, industrial or commercial development. Contracts may prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, drainage of wetland and establishment of game farms. Easement land remains in private ownership.

Learn more about conservation easement ) or fee-title acquisitions from willing sellers only. Conservation easements would  provide landowners the opportunity to maintain working lands in their current configuration with no further subdivision or development. The Service could acquire up to 10% of the Conservation Area, or 400,000 acres, in fee-title acquisitions where wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretation, and opportunities for cultural, traditional, and medicinal uses would be available.

The proposed Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area would protect species and improve their resiliency in the face of climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change and extreme development pressures. Protection and management actions would also support Florida’s family farms and ranches, improve water quality, quantity, and water storage within the Greater Everglades and watersheds entering Charlotte Harbor.

This area is home to many rare and endemic plants and animals, including over 70 federally or state-listed threatened and endangered species and iconic species like the Florida panther, Florida scrub jay, Audubon’s crested caracara, Everglade snail kite, and sand skink. The region is an ecologically diverse combination of wet prairie and freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, dry prairie and pine flatwoods, scrub/shrub, agricultural lands, and pastures. While some areas are conserved by state and national parks including wildlife management areas and Tribal lands, crucial wildlife corridors to connect these special places currently lack protection. A protected wildlife corridor from southwest Florida into the state’s northern stretches would allow Florida panthers and black bears, Everglade snail kites and other animals and plants to migrate away from increasingly impacted habitats.

INFORMATION 

Draft Land Protection Plan Package for review

Facts about the project:  Fact sheet 

Frequently Asked Questions:  FAQs

Study Area for Consideration: Map

Do you want to receive updates on the planning process?  Mailing List Request 

Are you interested in potentially selling property (willing landowner) to the Service for this project (through fee-title or less-than-fee-title)?  Landowner Form   

PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD 

We will be conducting a public review and comment period beginning September 26, 2023. Deadline for comments is November 1, 2023. 

HOW TO ATTEND A MEETING 

VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETINGS: 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has scheduled 2 virtual public meetings on October 20, 2023 (4:00PM-6:00PM), and October 23, 2023 (4:00PM-6:00PM), Eastern Time (ET). The virtual public meetings are intended to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the proposed Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. 

The meetings will be held via the Zoom online platform so that participants can attend remotely. During the virtual public meetings, attendees can join by computer or phone to learn about the proposed Conservation Area. The virtual public meeting will start with a presentation by USFWS staff followed by an opportunity for attendees to provide public comment. In addition, public comments can be submitted anytime during the comment period to southeast_fws_planning@fws.gov.  The comment period ends November 1, 2023.

We recommend that members of the public log into the Zoom meeting platform 5 minutes prior to the beginning of the presentation to ensure that they can connect. If using the phone-only option, participants will be able to listen to the virtual public meeting, but they will not view the presentation. Instructions will be given regarding how participants will be able to provide their questions during the meeting. 

*For security purposes, registration is required. To listen and view the meeting via Zoom, listen to the meeting by telephone, or provide questions during the meeting by Zoom or telephone, you must register. 

*Interested members of the public not familiar with the Zoom platform should view the Zoom video tutorials (https://support.zoom.us/​hc/​en-us/​articles/​206618765-Zoom-video-tutorials) prior to the public meeting. 

*If you have technical difficulties registering for the meeting or joining the meeting on October 20 or October 23, please email megan.stone@empsi.com. 

HOW TO ATTEND A VIRTUAL MEETING: 

For Participants Joining by Zoom Web Platform or Zoom App: 

  1. Please pre-register using the links provided below. If you would like to attend both meetings, you must register for both. 

10/20/23 Everglades to Gulf Virtual Public Meeting 

https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-KDxykwxTKatWYMQ8_ipwQ#/registration

10/23/23 Everglades to Gulf Virtual Public Meeting 

https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-KDxykwxTKatWYMQ8_ipwQ#/registration

2. After registration, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

3. On the day of the meeting, please join using the information contained in your confirmation email. 

For Participants Joining by Phone: 

1. Register for the meeting (see above). On the day of your meeting, call in using one of the toll-free phone numbers listed below. You will be prompted to enter your Webinar ID. Enter your Webinar ID from your confirmation email and press the # key. 

2. You will then be prompted: “Enter your Participant ID followed by #. Otherwise just press #.” Phone-only participants will not receive an individualized Participant ID, so just press the # key. 

3. You will then be prompted: “Enter your Password followed by #. Otherwise just press #.” Enter the Passcode from your confirmation email and press the # key. 

4. You will be directly joined to the meeting. If the meeting has not started, you will be on hold until the meeting begins. 

Call-in Numbers(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): 

 

IN-PERSON PUBLIC MEETINGS:

In-Person Public Meetings are set: 6:30pm-8:30pm ET

Oct 25:  Wauchula Civic Center 507 Civic Center Dr, Wauchula, FL 33873                           

Oct 26:  Immokalee High School 701 Immokalee Dr, Immokalee, FL 34142

 

CAN'T MAKE A MEETING?

You can watch the public presentation below, or on our YouTube channel. 

USFWS
Proposed Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area, Virtual Public Meeting. Recording from 10/23/23.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS

Comments can be submitted in multiple ways:

            Email:  southeast_fws_planning@fws.gov

            Mailing Address:  NWRS E2G CA, P.O. Box 700188, Wabasso, FL 32970

            Or on comment cards provided at public meetings

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS 

The USFWS is committed to providing access to the public meeting for all participants. Closed captioning will be available during the virtual public meetings. Further, a full audio and video recording and transcript of the virtual public meeting will be posted online at https://www.fws.gov/project/everglades-gulf-conservation-area after the meeting. Participants will also have access to live audio during the virtual public meeting via their telephone or computer speakers.  

Persons with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations to participate in the meeting should contact Laura_housh@fws.gov at least 5 business days prior to the date of the meeting to help ensure availability. An accessible version of the USFWS’s public meeting presentation will also be posted online at https://www.fws.gov/project/everglades-gulf-conservation-area prior to the meeting.