Major Partnership Announced to Accelerate Conservation of Florida Wildlife Corridor
Photo by Tim Barker
More than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat already protected through easement donations in Volusia and Marion Counties
ORLANDO, Fla. (July 17, 2024) — Conservation Florida, an accredited, boots-on-the-ground land conservancy working statewide to protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor, kick-started a significant long-term philanthropic partnership with the MDS Land Conservation Foundation. This philanthropic partnership aims to accelerate the conservation rate of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
To signify the partnership, the MDS Land Conservation Foundation and Conservation Florida worked in tandem to conserve two properties within the Florida Wildlife Corridor — known as Patriots Lake and Millpond Swamp — totaling more than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is an 18-million-acre network of wild and working lands that connects critical habitats statewide, ensuring the survival of species like the Florida panther.
While roughly 10 million acres within the corridor have been conserved, 8 million acres remain at risk. With more than 1,000 new residents moving to Florida each day — a city the size of Orlando each year — development is rising at unprecedented rates. This rapid loss of wild lands spoke to the hearts of Michael and Deborah Sciarrino, who founded the MDS Foundation in 2022 to create lasting environmental impact through strategic conservation efforts.
“Our family and foundation have decided to make a long-term commitment to conserving as much of the Florida Wildlife Corridor as we are able,” said Michael Sciarrino, founder of the foundation. “We view this as a more than 20-year endeavor to protect Florida’s large tracts of land in perpetuity.”
By partnering with the MDS Land Conservation Foundation, Conservation Florida is able to identify key tracts of land in need of protection and conserve them at a rapid pace. This is thanks to the acquisition of the properties by the foundation and through the use of conservation easements. Conservation Florida, as an accredited land conservancy, then holds the conservation easements, legal agreements that permanently restrict the development rights and forever protect the conservation values.
“Conservation Florida is profoundly grateful for this partnership with the MDS Land Conservation Foundation,” said Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen. “Their backing and generous support are instrumental in advancing our mission to conserve water, wildlife, wild places, and conserve a functional Florida Wildlife Corridor faster than ever before. The MDS Land Conservation Foundation’s support will leave a lasting mark on Florida — forever.”
This partnership is an ongoing effort focusing on strategic land conservation, habitat protection and further conservation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The anticipated 20-year partnership will connect many thousands of acres statewide but has begun with two properties with significant conservation value in the Florida Wildlife Corridor:
Patriots Lake, Volusia County
Patriots Lake sits right in the heart of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, spanning 582 acres in Volusia County. Once at risk for development, this property within the corridor is now permanently conserved.
The land falls within the Volusia Conservation Corridor Florida Forever boundary, identified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as a key protection area.
The property was worth saving for many reasons, but above all: it is a home. Species like the Florida black bear, bald eagle, gopher tortoise, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and white-tailed deer wander freely through swamps and scrub.
Lake-side sunflowers, celestial lilies, and other rare species may also be found here. Basin swamp, hydric hammock, mesic flatwoods, scrub, and dome swamps on Patriots Lake support rare species like the hooded pitcher plant.
Identified as a priority area by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, the protection of these 582 acres also directly impacts water quality by protecting important aquifer recharge areas and floodplains. This land also provides important water resource protection for the Middle and Upper East Coast St. Johns River watershed and two water basins, including the Deep Creek MSJR and Halifax River.
Above Patriots Lake photos by Chrissy Martinez
Millpond Swamp, Marion County
Millpond Swamp, encompassing 1,847.5 acres of freshwater swamps and forests, is a crucial piece of the Florida Wildlife Corridor now permanently protected. This large tract of land provides essential connectivity between surrounding conservation areas, including the Orange Creek Restoration Area and Lochloosa Slough Preserve, and is immediately adjacent to the Mill Creek Florida Forever boundary. The connectivity offered by Millpond Swamp is invaluable for wildlife, allowing species such as the gopher tortoise, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, bald eagle, and osprey to thrive and move freely across these protected landscapes.
Historically untouched until the 1940s, Millpond Swamp saw some human impact from silviculture in the 1950s. Now, as a permanently protected area, it not only falls entirely within the Florida Wildlife Corridor but also intersects several priority areas identified by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory. This vital habitat provides critical water resource protection for the Ocklawaha watersheds and the Mill Creek-Rodman Reservoir water basin, acting as an aquifer recharge zone and offering essential floodplain protection for local residents.
Above Millpond Swamp photos by Tim Barker
This collaboration between the MDS Land Conservation Foundation and Conservation Florida marks a promising step toward a connected Florida Wildlife Corridor, ensuring Florida’s unique ecosystems thrive for generations to come.
For more information, contact:
Sarah Shepard, Communications Director
About Conservation Florida
Conservation Florida is an accredited, nonprofit land conservancy dedicated to conserving the Sunshine State’s water, wildlife, wild places, and connecting a functional Florida Wildlife Corridor. Since its founding in 1999, Conservation Florida has saved more than 35,000 acres, serving all 67 counties in Florida, by prioritizing strategic and evidence-based land protection, education, and advocacy.
For more information, visit www.conservationfla.org and follow us on social media @conservationflorida.
About MDS Land Conservation Foundation:
The MDS Land Conservation Foundation, founded in 2022 by Michael and Deborah Sciarrino, aims to create lasting environmental impact through strategic conservation efforts.