Panther Country Tour de Sprawl
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Date and Time:
Wed, Jan 15, 2025; 10:00 AM
- 2:30 PM
(Eastern)
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01/15/2025 10:00 AM
01/15/2025 2:30 PM
America/New_York
Panther Country Tour de Sprawl
An immersive field trip to witness the community and ecological impacts, including the risks to Florida panther habitat and other vulnerable ecosystems, posed by large-scale development projects to provide journalists firsthand details of the escalating threats posed by large-scale developments in the Western Everglades. Participants will explore vital public lands and sprawling developments, meet with affected residents, and hear from conservationists about the urgent need to preserve the habitat of the Florida panther and other endangered species.
1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd, Naples, FL 34102, USA
Webinar URL:
26.16982100,-81.78758500
Michael McGrath
michael.mcgrath@sierraclub.org
MM/DD/yyyy
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Organized By: Florida Chapter
Location: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd, Naples, FL 34102, USA
Map | Directions
Event Organizers:
Michael McGrath
michael.mcgrath@sierraclub.org
(386) 341-4708
Cristy Costello
cris.costello@sierraclub.org
(941) 914-0421
For Immediate Release
November 25, 2024
Contact: Michael McGrath, michael.mcgrath@sierraclub.org, 386-341-4708
Cris Costello, cris.costello@sierraclub.org, 941-914-0421
**MEDIA ADVISORY**
Panther Country Tour de Sprawl
SAVE THE DATE: January 15, 2025
WHAT: An immersive field trip to witness the community and ecological impacts, including the risks to Florida panther habitat and other vulnerable ecosystems, posed by large-scale development projects to provide journalists firsthand details of the escalating threats posed by large-scale developments in the Western Everglades. Participants will explore vital public lands and sprawling developments, meet with affected residents, and hear from conservationists about the urgent need to preserve the habitat of the Florida panther and other endangered species.
WHO: Sierra Club Florida, invited wildlife experts, and invited representatives of impacted neighborhoods, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Center for Biological Diversity, and others.
WHEN: January 15th from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Please RSVP not later than 01/07/24: https://forms.gle/wYMq4W3t8srw416YA
WHERE: Locations in Lee and Collier counties key to the struggle to save the Florida Panther from extinction including public lands within the Florida Wildlife Corridor at risk of losing conservation value due to sprawling mega-developments like Kingston, Bellmar, and Rural Lands West. We have tentative plans to meet (and park) at the Naples Zoo where we will board a charter bus that will make a big loop exploring the roads and landscapes that make up the vital habitat of the Florida panther. As part of our panther country tour de sprawl, we will disembark from the bus for short hikes at some of the public lands that the panther utilizes making stops and visits at key geographic locations for the aftermentioned developments such as the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) lands.
Affected residents and conservation experts will be there for the ride to share their insights and answer questions during our bus tour and during our stops at public conservation lands.
WHY: Understanding of the ecological, social, and economic impacts that the proposed developments of Kingston, Bellmar, and Rural Lands West pose to Southwest Florida’s landscapes, communities, and wildlife is critical to ensuring the critically endangered Florida panther’s survival.
BACKGROUND: A landmark victory for environmental conservation was achieved in February of 2024 when a federal court ruled that the EPA and U.S. Fish & Wildlife violated the Endangered Species Act by transferring Florida’s wetland permitting authority under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This decision reversed a move made in December 2020, which had allowed Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection to oversee development permits in ecologically sensitive areas without adequate protections for endangered species like the Florida panther. The reelection of The reapplication for permits to develop Kingston, Bellmar, and Rural Lands West, and the reelection of President Donald Trump brings concern that these hard-won protections for critical habitats and vulnerable wildlife are again at risk.
VISUALS: Threatened conservation land and rural communities, sprawling developments, vehicle-panther collision hotspots, and more.
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Level: Easy
Cost: Free