We are excited to announce "Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor"

Dear 1000 Friends,

A visionary 18-million-acre network of interconnected lands and waters, the Florida Wildlife Corridor protects our drinking water, connects wildlife habitats, supports agriculture, and provides critical ecosystem services. Close to 90% of all Floridians live within 20 miles of the Corridor and, in recent years, the Florida Legislature has appropriated more than $1 billion to help protect its lands.

Land conservation is the primary tool currently being used to protect the corridor, but sound community planning must play a significant and complementary role in protecting these resources so vital to Florida’s future.

To share workable planning strategies, we are partnering on a free series of four two-hour online seminars in April and May of 2024 to outline strategies to support “corridor-compatible communities.”

We hope you can join us for one or more of these free webinars, each of which is being held from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern (find out more at the end of this message):

· Part 1: Looking at the Big Picture, Thursday, April 4

· Part 2: Fostering Community Vision, Wednesday, April 10

· Part 3: The Planning Toolbox, Wednesday, April 24

· Part 4: Building a Big Tent, Wednesday, May 1

Even if your community is not within or adjacent to the corridor, this seminar will provide valuable information on Florida-specific planning and land conservation strategies that help save special places and build better communities in our rapidly growing state.

Each webinar has been approved by the following professional organizations for credits for those who attend the live broadcast: American Institute of Certified Planners, Florida Bar, Florida DBPR Landscape Architects, Certified Floodplain Managers, Florida Environmental Health Professionals.

Join us in creating a more sustainable future for Florida.

Vivian Young, AICP

Communications Director

Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor

Free, Four-part, Online Seminar

Conducted in Partnership with the

UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning

Part 1: Looking at the Big Picture

Thursday, April 4 from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

What is landscape-scale conservation and why is it important? How has the Florida Wildlife Corridor evolved from decades of GIS-based analysis and why should we be concerned about protecting it? What role does agricultural land play in the corridor, and what are some of the threats and opportunities? What impact will climate change and associated population migration have on the corridor? Join University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Director Thomas Hoctor, PhD, cattle rancher and conservationist Jim Strickland, Florida Conservation Group Executive Director Julie Morris, and Florida Atlantic University School of Environmental, Coastal & Ocean Sustainability (ECOS) Founding Director Colin Polsky, PhD, as they address these questions and more.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284639), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401224N), Florida Landscape Architects (2.0 DBPR hours #0014186), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).

Part 2: Fostering Community Vision

Wednesday, April 10, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood …” noted urban designer Daniel Burnham once famously stated. Learn about two Florida communities that have or are establishing “big plans” to protect critical natural resources while promoting vibrant communities. Dover Kohl & Partners principal-in-charge Victor Dover and Exum Associates’ Dr. Jay Exum will discuss Lake Wales Envisioned. This community-based planning process focuses on the ongoing revitalization of historic and compact downtown Lake Wales, linking it with an interconnected regional “Big Green Network” of conservation land. Next, Marion County Growth Services Deputy Director Kenneth Weyrauch will discuss harnessing your community’s comprehensive planning process. Marion County has a 193,000-acre designated Farmland Preservation Area in its Future Land Use Map, supporting comprehensive plan provisions, a transfer of development rights program, and more. Challenges, including significant growth pressure, will also be covered.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284640), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401226N), Florida Landscape Architects (2.0 DBPR hours #0014187), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).

Part 3: The Planning Toolbox

Wednesday, April 24, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

Florida’s communities have numerous land conservation options at their disposal. Presenters will provide frank evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of some of these options. Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University Tim Chapin will discuss the importance of “following the land” in planning, sector planning, urban development boundaries, and more. University of South Florida Urban and Regional Planning Program Director and Associate Professor Evangeline Linkous, PhD, AICP, will focus on transfer of development rights programs. University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Urban and Recreational Green Infrastructure Coordinator Isabella Guttuso Browne will cover appropriate siting and design of conservation subdivisions. The Trust for Public Land Vice President and Director of Conservation Finance Will Abberger will conclude with a primer on county ballot measures to fund conservation land acquisition in Florida.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284641), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401227N), Florida Landscape Architects (2 DBPR hours #0014188), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).

Part 4: Building a Big Tent

Wednesday, May 1, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

For decades, Florida has led the nation in land conservation initiatives. This includes science-based regional landscape conservation including wildlife corridors, comprehensive GIS conservation priority analyses and databases, and significant state funding to protect conservation and agricultural land. But there is always room for more in the “tent” of conservation and need for additional tools and strategies to achieve conservation goals while fostering sustainable communities.

This final seminar will focus on reaching out to new constituents. Urban3 Founder and Geoaccounting innovator Joe Minicozzi will address how land use choices have significant impacts on the bottom line for local governments and taxpayers alike. He will present easy to understand economic models showing the costs and benefits of standard development patterns, as well as compact models. The discussion will include economic considerations for land conservation. Dover Kohl & Partners principal-in-charge Victor Dover will facilitate a panel including UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Director Dr. Thomas Hoctor, landowner and rancher Jim Strickland, Florida Conservation Group Executive Director Julie Morris, Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks, and others discussing how to engage landowners, elected officials, the development community and others in the movement to conserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284642), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401229N), Florida Landscape Architects (2 DBPR hours #0014189),and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).