Bentley Ranch: Protecting Agriculture, Wildlife and Water Connections in the Peace River Valley
Few places in Florida evoke the kind of rugged pioneer life as do the meandering creeks and tributaries of the Peace River. With its headwaters in Polk County, the Peace River and its dozens of creeks flow through swamps, flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, grasslands, and marshes before arriving in the Charlotte…Julie Morris Named Among Florida’s Most Influential Women by News Service of Florida
We’re proud to share that our executive director, Julie Morris, was recently recognized with a 2025 “Above & Beyond” award from the News Service of Florida, an independent news bureau providing breaking daily coverage of Florida’s government, economy and politics. The award honors the state’s 50 most influential women for…Funding Florida’s Land Conservation Programs: A Practical Investment
Florida is about as pretty a place as one could imagine. Surrounded by the sea, buoyed by temperate weather, stunning natural beauty and a way of life non-Floridians literally long for, what’s not to love? Given its natural attraction, Florida is a state that accommodates approximately 1,000 new residents a…Florida’s Untamed Heart: The Great Florida Prairie
Pictured above: Erin Myers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, and Lefty Durando, FCG Chairman and rancher, surveying for the Florida grasshopper sparrow in Okeechobee, Florida. The Great Florida Prairie—a region occupying much of south-central and interior southwest Florida—is an ecological gem that few Floridians or visitors know. The Prairie…Charles Stevens: Cattle, Citrus and Conservation in the Peace River Valley
Forty-five years ago, cattleman Charles Stevens was asked by the Hardee County Commission to work with a regional planning council on preserving 35,000 acres of county land to keep it from being developed. Stevens, like other ranchers in the county, pushed back. They didn’t believe their old prairie lands and…Florida Conservation Group Awarded $2.4 Million Grant for Longleaf Pine Conservation in North Florida
Nokomis, FL – The Florida Conservation Group (FCG) has received a $2.4 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to support sustainable longleaf pine conservation efforts on private lands in North Florida's Big Bend and Springs regions.FCG, in partnership with Common Ground Ecology (CGE), will use the…