Commissioner Wilton Simpson’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Will Match NRCS Funds for Projects in the Region to Double the Investment
Nokomis, FL — The Florida Conservation Group (FCG) has been awarded a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project funded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). With an allocation of more than $21 million, this funding will enhance FCG’s ongoing efforts to protect vital agricultural and natural lands in the Peace River Valley.
The NRCS funds will be a meaningful investment in the region as they are matched 1:1 by the Commissioner Wilton Simpson’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
“Our Rural and Family Lands Protection Program was created to permanently preserve Florida’s natural resources and safeguard our food supply, and this partnership is a testament to our ongoing commitment to this mission,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “Through collaboration and by combining resources from state, federal, and private partners, we’re keeping more of Florida’s natural landscapes intact and prosperous for generations to come.”
Florida Forever, the state land acquisition program run by FDEP’s Division of State Lands, will also provide a match of $5 million.
This initiative marks a new chapter in FCG’s Peace River Valley effort, building on more than 15 years of dedicated work by FCG staff and agency partners to protect and conserve lands in the Peace River Valley. Since 2008, FCG staff and partners have been working on the ground to assist landowners with conservation easements, cost-share programs and other conservation initiatives.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Juan Hernandez, state conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida.
FCG has worked closely with RFLPP, Florida Forever, NRCS and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to advance the conservation and land protection goals and objectives in the region. In early 2024, FCG initiated work for this proposal, the “Peace River Valley: Protecting the Charlotte Harbor Headwaters Initiative,” to bring more attention and land conservation funding to this region.
“The commitment shown by the Florida Conservation Group and their partners to safeguard the Peace River Valley exemplifies the best of our state’s dedication to preserving vital agricultural lands and natural resources,” Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton, a fourth-generation Florida farmer, said. “This Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding, combined with support from state programs like the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and Florida Forever, marks an extraordinary step toward ensuring the long-term protection of these lands. Together, we are setting a powerful precedent for conservation that will benefit Floridians for generations to come.”
The convergence of Saddle Creek and the Peace Creek Drainage Canal in northern Polk County marks the beginning of the Peace River. Flowing through Hardee, DeSoto and portions of Polk and Charlotte Counties, the Peace River flows roughly 100 miles south where it feeds into the Charlotte Harbor estuary, making it the largest freshwater contributor to the Harbor, which is an Estuary of National Significance.
To date, FCG has partnered with agencies and landowners to protect more than 37,000 acres in the Peace River Valley and over 80,000 acres statewide. FCG’s RCPP partners, the University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning (CLCP) and Common Ground Ecology bring scientific and ecological expertise to their work in the Peace River Valley. CLCP assists to ensure that land protection decisions are based on the best available science, identifying wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation priorities. Common Ground Ecology brings unmatched expertise assessing private lands for ecological values. These assessments provide real-time on the ground data to support FCG, agencies, landowners, and UF throughout the acquisition process.
“The open lands of the Peace River watershed are significantly threatened by southwest Florida’s growing population; ranches are being replaced by rooftops faster than they can be protected,” said Julie Morris, executive director of the Florida Conservation Group. “Support from programs offered by FDACS, DEP and NRCS, along with our state leadership, has been instrumental in gaining attention for conservation efforts in this area. The NRCS RCPP award is critical to achieving our goals in the region and maximizing the amount of land protected forever.”
FCG’s permanent protection of 37,000 acres in the region was achieved through years of effort implementing grass-roots strategies throughout the Peace River, including: technical and financial assistance to underserved farmers and ranchers; education and outreach; developing land conservation plans for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System; and guiding landowners through the land conservation process.
About the Peace River Valley Region
The Peace River supplies drinking water to more than one million people in Southwest Florida and plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the Charlotte Harbor estuary. Because the headwaters to Charlotte Harbor begin upstream, protecting the tributaries to the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor is critical to the quality of water downstream. The protection of ranchlands and other agricultural lands directly impacts the health of Charlotte Harbor, one of the most important recreational fisheries in the state and an economic engine for southwest Florida.
The Peace River watershed is also an important part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Its wetlands and floodplains act as natural buffers against floods and support a wide range of native plant and animal life. These ecosystems help maintain water quality by filtering pollutants and providing habitat and corridors for wildlife. The open lands of the watershed are home to threatened and declining species such as the crested caracara, burrowing owl, Florida sandhill crane, wood stork, short-tailed hawk, southeastern American kestrel and the endangered Florida panther.
Despite its ecological and economic importance, the Peace River Valley ranks among the watersheds with the lowest percentage of protected conservation lands in Florida. Hardee County ranks 64 out of 67 counties in conserved acreage.
Much of the watershed is home to privately owned ranches with intact floodplains and other natural habitats that occur within natural, semi-natural and improved grazing lands. Maintaining these lands in a low-intensity agricultural land use is essential to retaining the water storage, water quality, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience ecosystem services provided by the watershed’s private rural lands.
About FCG
With locations in Myakka City and Nokomis, FCG is committed to conserving Florida’s natural landscape, wildlife, food and water, while maintaining working agricultural lands that are essential to the state’s economy and national security. Comprised of scientists, ranchers and conservation policy experts, FCG advocates for full funding for state land protection programs, including the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and the Florida Forever Program. FCG works on the ground with ranchers and farmers to conserve their lands in perpetuity. Since its inception in 2015, FCG has represented private landowners in the conservation of more than 80,000 acres of land and facilitated the protection of thousands of additional acres on behalf of government entities.
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