Conservation Florida and Our State’s Sentinel Landscapes
Leveraging the Power of Partnerships
Conservation Florida is a proud partner of The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, composed of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of Interior. The partnership unites local, state, and federal partners to strengthen the nation’s military readiness while safeguarding Florida’s natural resources, including land and water. Sentinel landscapes surround military installations and ranges; permanently protecting these landscapes strengthens the nation’s military readiness while addressing natural resources concerns.
We are working in both the Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) Sentinel Landscape and the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape. An exciting opportunity with both Sentinel Landscapes is connecting land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor geography. Conservation Florida will work with partners to protect the network of critical wildlife habitats spanning these landscapes, touting rural and agricultural lands, iconic longleaf pine forests, threatened and endangered species habitats, and multiple 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.
Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape
Located in south-central Florida, the APAFR Sentinel Landscape covers almost 1,700,000 acres of land and is known for its rich biodiversity and abundance of private ranches. APAFR Sentinel Landscape is anchored by the Air Force’s largest primary air-to-ground training range east of the Mississippi River, which is used by every branch of the Armed Forces.
The APAFR Sentinel Landscape is also home to portions of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, a 900-acre parcel that buffers the installation from incompatible development and offers excellent opportunities for hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor activities. In 2016, local partners forged the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape to preserve the region’s ecological assets and strengthen military readiness by helping private landowners manage their properties sustainably.
Conservation Florida and its partners at APAFR and USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easement Program are working to conserve land throughout the landscape. This includes the 1,250-acre Arbuckle Creek Ranch. With the help of the APAFR Sentinel Landscape partnership, this is just one of many conservation lands to be permanently protected by Conservation Florida. The Northern Everglades continues to be a key priority for Conservation Florida- a vibrant landscape containing historic cattle ranches, sweeping vistas, and vast ecosystems. Because it forms the headwaters of the Greater Everglades, its protection is critical for the future of Florida’s freshwater supply.
Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape
The new designation of the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape (NWFSL) will provide greater access to funding assistance from federal, state, and local governments and private sector programs to achieve both military and conservation goals. Conservation Florida is a proud partner. 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 reuse infrastructure projects to enhance the resilience of the landscape.
As one of the largest landscapes of its kind, the NWFSL 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 vast majority of the 11,306 square-mile NWFSL is dedicated to agricultural and forested working lands and includes 4,062 square miles of conserved lands providing habitat for 29 Federally Endangered, 20 Threatened, and two Candidate species. This region is also one of the five richest biodiversity hotspots in the continental United States. Aggregating military installations into one Sentinel Landscape reflects the importance of the region to the DoD, while also creating an extraordinarily robust suite of partners that have the resources, expertise, and authorities to deliver the priorities of the Sentinel Landscape program.
Your Support In Action
Because of you, Conservation Florida is able to work to save land in our state’s two incredible Sentinel Landscapes. As a dynamic driver of land conservation in Florida, we will continue to prioritize lands that achieve significant conservation goals. Teamwork really does make the dream work, and thanks to strong partnerships in both Sentinel Landscapes, together we can achieve strong conservation outcomes that benefit people and wildlife alike.
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. The organization’s 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.