REGIONAL CONSERVATION PRIORITIES: SOUTHWEST FLORIDA 2025

Audubon has a long history in the Western Everglades region, beginning with hiring wardens to protect wading bird colonies from plume hunters, later creating the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (now a vital partner for these chapters), and helping to secure federal and state public lands. Audubon Florida and its five affiliated Southwest Florida organizations are committed to working together to protect and restore the Southwest Florida watersheds and downstream coastal ecosystems in the face of rapid human population growth and increasing anthropogenic climate change impacts.

Among the climate impacts, increasing temperatures and poor water quality that feeds harmful algal blooms remain a major threat in this region. This climate issue also intersects regional wetland protection, habitat restoration, stormwater, and pollution prevention policies.

Coinciding with and quite related to climate impacts is the crisis of species declines and extinctions. Audubon organizations see these amongst avian species, but their food base of insects and plants are just as concerning. Birds are telling the story of not only needed preservation and restoration of wildlands, but there is a rising understanding that we all must learn to share our urban communities with wildlife. It seems individuals and our local communities are powerless to address these declines, but this is not so.

Regarding the vitally important issue of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, Audubon and its chapters recognize the underrepresentation of diverse communities in our leadership, membership, programs, and staff. This lack of diversity, including not only in race, but also age and socioeconomic status, is a challenge to be addressed for everyone’s collective benefit. Our regional work could benefit immensely from collaboratively working with underrepresented neighborhoods and communities.

Therefore be it resolved:

The Audubon chapters in the Southwest Florida Region, in alignment with Audubon Florida and the Atlantic Flyway, using information derived from sound science, and motivated by community compassion, will mobilize volunteer leadership, members, conservation allies, community leaders, public officials, and governmental agencies to:

Habitat: Lands

• Support the acquisition, protection, restoration, management, and compatible public access to vital habitats in the Southwest Florida region.

• Pursue all viable means to these ends, including especially Conservation Charlotte, Conservation Collier, Lee Conservation 20/20, Florida Forever, federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and other programs active in this region.

• Protection and recovery of Florida Scrub Jay populations through participation in Jay Watch with Audubon Florida, land acquisition support in strategic habitats, and permit monitoring and comments.

• Protection and recovery of Wood Storks primarily through shallow, seasonal wetland protection and restoration support, including land acquisition, permit engagement, and regulatory reforms to better achieve “no net loss” goal.

Habitat: Coastal and Marine Resilience

• Implementation of coastal bird stewardship programs, including nesting and non- nesting stewardship staffed by Audubon biologists and trained volunteers, in cooperation with Audubon Florida, FWC, Rookery Bay, DEP/State Parks, landowners, and local governments.

Habitat: Urban Conservation Initiative

• Work to reduce bird strike deaths targeting building glass and design and communication tower placement and design. Actions involve education of public and promotion of residential and commercial window mitigation, revision of building codes, and participation in permitting and planning meetings on towers.

• Protection and recovery of Florida’s Burrowing Owl populations through monitoring, research, public education, rodenticide elimination campaigns, and collaboration with FWC and local governments. This is complemented by land acquisition efforts.

• Cultivation of Urban Habitat for Birds through conversion of grass to native plants and other urban habitat sharing with wildlife. These efforts include Audubon Plants for Birds and Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park movement.

Community Building

• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging work will continue to be part of all bird conservation and habitat restoration and protection through targeted engagement of children, families, schools, groups and neighborhoods that suffer most from habitat loss, climate destabilization and declining biodiversity and are underrepresented in conservation efforts. This engagement will be pursued for all our regional conservation initiatives, as well as individual chapter work.