2021 Spring to Shore

Categories: ExpeditionsPublished On: February 9th, 2022Comments Off on 2021 Spring to Shore65.8 min read
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Home Waters

Spring To Shore – 2021 Expedition

Exploring Our Vital Connection to Water

For the first time, teen trekkers embarked on a Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition. The Spring to Shore Expedition covered 50 miles on a 4 day filmed trek starting on paddleboards from Rainbow Springs State Park ending with an ocean debris cleanup by boat in Homosassa Bay.  The trek crossed an important yet unprotected bottleneck linking the Nature Coast to the Ocala National Forest and the eastern trunk of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.  Trekkers waded through the land to water connection vital to Florida’s wildlife, wildlands, and humans alike. They were joined by original trekkers, Mallory, Carlton and Joe for the final segments of the journey. Previous expedition films have received national attention and multiple film awards. With the recent passing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act into law, the vision of a connected, protected, and restored statewide Corridor is more possible than ever before.

Watch the Short Film Here

When:

July 21st – 24th 2021

Location:

Rainbow River Corridor, Withlacoochee River, Gulf of Mexico

Start/End:

Rainbow River headspring to Homosassa

Why the Expedition?

Along the journey, youth trekkers paddled past an important bottleneck in the corridor that connects nearly two million acres – almost all of the Big Bend and Nature Coast critical linkages. A bottleneck is a narrow segment of a wildlife corridor whose width is less than 1 mile. Areas like this one represent the best and often only remaining threads holding our treasured parks and refuges together. Protecting critical bottlenecks is a Florida Wildlife Corridor priority.

There are many gaps in protection along the corridor including the thin bottleneck just North of Dunnellon that is only a half mile wide which narrowly connects the corridor across HWY 41. Each corridor gap is an opportunity for a community to invest in connectivity through creative planning that preserves the ecological function of the corridor as the community grows.

Nature Coast towns like Dunnellon, Yankeetown, Crystal River and Homosassa, rely on the health of the geographic Florida Wildlife Corridor. Those communities’ economies rely on visitors snorkeling, swimming and paddling the springs and rivers, manatee viewing, hiking and biking the trails, eating in local restaurants and staying in local hotels. Land protection within the corridor helps to sustain the wildlife and habitat that supports these economies.

Watch the Trailer

Expedition Route Map

Improvements in Conservation

These expeditions serve to bring together the many partners whose work makes possible conservation progress. Throughout planning and execution of the expedition and in the months that followed, numerous projects have been refined, created or advanced thanks in part to this undertaking.

ZONING

Awareness and incorporation of the wildlife corridor helps community planners and officials optimize their planning.

LAND USE POLICY

Thoughtful citing of green spaces such as preserves, mitigation banks, and filter marshes can help close gaps in the corridor.

COMMUNITY IDENTITY

Statewide pride in the mission of the Corridor can be greatly felt in communities along its path.

ACTIVE RECREATION

Amenities like sport fields, hiking trails and public parks provide value to the community while also buffering and connecting thoroughfares for wildlife.

Expedition Team

Ava Moody
Ava Moody
YOUNG TREKKER
Marin Best
Marin Best
YOUNG TREKKER
Mallori Grey
Mallori Grey
YOUNG TREKKER
Jenny Adler
Jenny Adler
DIRECTOR | PRODUCER
Ian Segebarth
Ian Segebarth
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Mallory Lykes Dimmitt
Mallory Lykes Dimmitt
CONSERVATIONIST
Carlton Ward
Carlton Ward
CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER
Joe Guthrie
Joe Guthrie
PREDATOR/PREY BIOLOGIST
Lars Anderson
Lars Anderson
LEAD EDUCATOR

Thank You To Our Sponsors

The Spring to Shore Expedition was made possible through the generosity of the following businesses, organizations, foundations and individuals. Thank you!

Premiere Sponsor

Calhoun International Logo

Manatee Level

The Spurlino Foundation

Duke energy logo

Steve and Merrilee Nellis

Anne Drakket Thomas

River Otter Level

Bert Eno

Brian & Heidi Miller

Bobcat Level

RiverGlades Family Offices

The Balmoral Group

Speckled Trout Level

Pamela Adkins

Hancock Askew & Co.

Species List of the Spring to Shore Expedition:

Pileated Woodpecker
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Mississippi Kite
Swallowtail Kite
Limpkin
Common Grackle
Mourning Dove
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Little Blue Heron
White Ibis
Carolina Chickadee
Yellow Throated Warbler
Manatee
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Florida River Cooter
Cormorant
Anhinga
Six Lined Race Runner
Eastern Cottonmouth
Squirrel Tree Frog
Huntsman Spider
American Alligator
Sandhill Crane
White Tailed Deer
Striped Mud Turtle
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Red Eared Sunfish
Shellcracker
Echo Moth Caterpillar
Barred Owl
Wood Duck
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Tricolored Heron
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Meadowlark
Muscadine Grapes
Bullfrog
Osprey
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk
Pine Warbler
Mullet
Long Nose Gar
Yellow Bellied Slider
Zebra Long-wing
Channel Catfish
Redfish
Watersnake Unknown
Black Crowned Night Heron
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Cattle Egret
Redwing Blackbird
Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Hogs
Dolphin
Willet
Royal Tern
Sanderling
Brown Pelican
Least Tern
Frigate Bird
North American River Otter

FOLLOW & KEEP IN TOUCH

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