Conservation Florida Celebrates Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape Designation
The announcement of a new sentinel landscape in Florida means increased support for land conservation in the panhandle & the florida wildlife corridor
Orlando, Fla. (May 11, 2022) — The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, comprised of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of Interior (DOI) announced the designation of the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape. Thanks to this classification, approximately 7.7 million acres of natural and agricultural lands near military operations in the region will receive a priority status for protection.
Conservation Florida, a dynamic leader in statewide land conservation, played an important role in initiating this federal designation by serving on the planning and steering committee and co-organizing the first in-person meeting between partners in 2018 at the Public Land Acquisition & Management Conference. The land conservancy prioritizes regional partnerships and supports collaborative efforts to save land. Conservation Florida is now doubling its efforts in the region, building stronger partnerships, and initiating new land protection projects with an emphasis on connectivity.
“The Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape is a huge win for North Florida. We are grateful to Defenders of Wildlife who took the lead in achieving this important designation. We look forward to applying our land protection expertise to priority landscapes in the Florida Panhandle,” said Traci Deen, CEO of Conservation Florida.
The Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape unites local, state, and federal partners to strengthen the nation’s military readiness while safeguarding Florida’s natural resources, including land and water. An exciting opportunity in the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape is connecting land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor geography. Conservation Florida will work with partners to protect the network of critical wildlife habitat spanning this landscape.
This landscape contains rural and agricultural lands, iconic longleaf pine forests, threatened and endangered species habitat, and nine key DoD facilities. Its protection will improve regional resilience and sustainability, retain working agriculture and forestry lands, protect natural resources and endangered species, and support military operations.
Sentinel landscapes surround military installations and ranges. Permanently protecting these landscapes strengthens the nation’s military readiness while addressing natural resources concerns.
As one of the most biologically diverse areas in the United States, “the Florida Panhandle is home to many threatened, endangered, and at-risk species. Some of these species include the red-cockaded woodpecker, grey bat, Eastern indigo snake, Panama City crayfish, flatwoods and reticulated salamanders, mussels, Okaloosa darter, Gulf sturgeon, beach mice, snowy plover, and loggerhead and green sea turtles,” according to Kent Wimmer, Defenders of Wildlife’s coordinator for the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape.
Sentinel landscapes unite federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, and increase climate change resilience.
“Saving land in the panhandle is a priority for Conservation Florida. The designation of the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape increases our opportunities to have a meaningful impact on North Florida land and species conservation,” said Adam Bass, Conservation Florida’s Vice President of Conservation.
The designation of the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape will provide greater access to funding assistance from federal, state, and local governments and private sector programs to achieve both military and conservation goals.
The landscape partners will focus on supporting longleaf pine, native grassland, and hydrological restoration; listed species recovery; at-risk species conservation; invasive species control; prescribed burning; and stormwater capture and water re-use infrastructure projects to enhance the resilience of the landscape.
As one of the largest landscapes of its kind, the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape contains the Apalachicola National Forest, Blackwater River State Forest, St. Marks and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuges, and the congressionally designated Florida National Scenic Trail.
The nine DoD installations and ranges within the landscape are integral to military training, weapons testing, special operations, joint cyber warfare and aviation pilot training for Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
The military sector provides the second largest economic impact in Florida trailing only tourism generating nearly $49.3 billion in direct defense spending with $96.6 billion total impact, supports nearly 860,200 jobs in 2020 and 8.5% of Florida's 2020 Gross State Product, according to research provided by the Defenders of Wildlife.
In addition to being a lead partner in the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape, Conservation Florida is also saving land in Florida’s only other designated sentinel landscape – the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape. The land conservancy has 34 active projects there totaling over 61,000 acres.
“We’re proud to be working with partners in both of Florida’s sentinel landscapes to protect natural and agricultural land that also supports national security,” said Adam Bass, Conservation Florida’s director of conservation.
Conservation Florida is committed to land protection in Northwest Florida and connecting and protecting the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
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About Conservation Florida:
Conservation Florida is a statewide accredited land conservancy working to conserve Florida’s water, wildlife, wild places, and protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Our conservation projects support Florida’s native plants and wildlife, fresh water, wildlife corridors, family farms and ranches, the economy, and nature-based recreation. Since its founding in 1999, Conservation Florida has prioritized strategic and evidence-based land protection and has saved over 30,000 acres of critical habitat.
About the NorthWest Florida Sentinel Landscape Partnership
The Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape Partnership, which represents over four dozen federal, state, and regional agencies as well as non-governmental organizations in the region, is working to ensure natural and working lands thrive alongside the region’s military installations and ranges. The designation will help these partners collaborate and attract federal, state and private funding to keep working lands working to protect military missions of six military installations and to conserve habitat for sensitive wildlife species. To learn more, visit the NWFSL Story Map here.
