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Longleaf to Lighthouse Expedition
From the Red Hills to the Gulf
About the Film
On April 21st, 2026, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation kicked off the Longleaf to Lighthouse Expedition, a week-long journey tracing the critical Corridor connection between the Red Hills of southern Georgia to the Gulf at St. Marks Lighthouse. Taking place just outside Tallahassee, the heart of Florida’s conservation decision-making, this expedition offers a rare opportunity to connect the people shaping the state’s future directly with the lands they are entrusted to protect.
The journey brings together local elected officials as trekkers, alongside landowners, scientists, and storytellers to connect trekkers with the land and the decisions that shape its future. Through both a documentary short film and a super-shorts series of expedition key themes, the story will unfold by elevations going from upland pines to coastal estuaries, illustrating how protecting land at every level keeps Florida’s natural systems intact.
The journey brings together local elected officials as trekkers, alongside landowners, scientists, and storytellers to connect trekkers with the land and the decisions that shape its future. Through both a documentary short film and a super-shorts series of expedition key themes, the story will unfold by elevations going from upland pines to coastal estuaries, illustrating how protecting land at every level keeps Florida’s natural systems intact.
Film Production
About the Expedition: Longleaf to Lighthouse
The Expedition follows a connected journey from the upland Red Hills of southern Georgia through a mosaic of longleaf pine forests, quail country, hardwood hammocks, and floodplain swamps before continuing along the St. Marks River to the coastal marshes of Apalachee Bay. This route highlights one of the Southeast’s most important ecological linkages, a landscape that serves as both a wildlife and water bridge between states. Together, these working lands, public forests, and protected waters show how stewardship across an entire watershed sustains the region’s wildlife, water, and cultural heritage.Expedition Name
Longleaf to LighthouseExpedition Goal
This region, from the Red Hills to the Gulf represents Florida’s ecological and political history as well as its future. From its working forests, wild lakes, clear cool springs,scenic rivers, and healthy bays, to the commissioners chambers, city hall, and the state capital, understanding Apalachee will help local leaders navigate the road ahead.
Start & End
Red Hills of southern Georgia to the Gulf at St. Marks LighthouseExpedition Team
Becky Troutman
Polk County Commissioner
Jack Porter
Tallahassee City Commissioner
Rick Minor
Leon County Commissioner
Sean Parks
Lake County Commissioner
