https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00090-Corridor-Connect-Day-2-Final-Photos.jpg

The original trekkers Carlton Ward, Joe Guthrie, and Mallory Dimmitt welcoming attendees to Corridor Connect 2025

Last week, over 700 conservationists convened to collaborate, share knowledge, and brainstorm solutions supporting the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s mission to champion a collaborative campaign to permanently connect, protect and restore the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The event was held within the Corridor’s Last Green Thread, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Throughout the short week we stayed on property, we saw all sorts of critters, from rabbits and armadillos to gators and egrets, indicating that these green spaces are truly indispensable habitats for wildlife. 

We cannot ignore the considerable number of attendees. Over 700 individuals representing more than 300 different organizations and fields of conservation (e.g. researchers, policymakers, storytellers, ranchers, sportsmen) came together to talk about how we can safeguard wild Florida, in a way that will benefit its residents, both human and wildlife alike. The pace of conservation is accelerating—in the Sunshine State, and beyond—largely due to the collection of people gathered at this event.

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00116-Corridor-Connect-Day-2-Final-Photos-1.jpg

On Day 1, Dr. Zak Gezon, Conservation Director at Disney Conservation and Corridor Foundation board director, kicked off mainstage programming by presenting the Corridor Foundation with a $1 million grant, aiding our continued efforts to identify and protect high priority areas, as well as expand access to trails in the Corridor. Dr. Zak expressed the importance of wildlife corridors, and how if we’re not mindful of the way we develop Florida, we will be left with a series of biological islands, inhibiting our biodiverse landscape. 

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DSC_4120.jpg

Our Chief Conservation Officer Jason Lauritsen working with Dr. Zak Gezon to solve multiple Corridor pinch points at the Mind the Gaps: The Last Green Thread workshop

Furthermore, as Florida continues to face exponential population growth, a big topic of conversation at the event was responsible development. Through workshops like Mind the Gaps: The Last Green Thread, and presentations like Connecting Through Coexistence: Developing For Good, and the Compatible Development Corridor Academy Sessions, attendees were able to hear more about how we can accommodate the influx of people, while being intentional with where and how we develop. The manner in which we develop around the Florida Wildlife Corridor is paramount to ensuring a healthy, prolific ecosystem for native plant and animal life to thrive in. 

Other significant discussion themes included: the importance of working lands and agriculture, outdoor recreation’s role in conservation, responsible land management and stewardship, and how scientific research can influence policy.

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/American-Amazon-Panel-Talk-3.jpg

Eric Bendick and Tessa Skiles having a panel discussion at the Garcia Companies Storytelling Stage in the Collaboratory

Down the hall from the mainstage, guests could experience what it’s like to pass through a wildlife crossing, complete with road noise, on their way to the Collaboratory. The Collaboratory was a social space where participants could learn more about our event sponsors and exhibitors, and also sit in on some captivating storytelling presentations. Emmy award-winning director, Eric Bendick, was joined by Tessa Skiles, who shared a trailer for their upcoming PBS mini-series American Amazon. The stage also offered live podcast recordings of The Ground Up and Wild Turkey Science.

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DSC_4647.jpg

The Collaboratory accommodated two dozen booths featuring event sponsors and partners. Ernest Hale, was stationed inside with a drone he re-engineered to deposit hundreds of thousands of baby clams at a time. This project, through which he hopes to place one billion clams, will help keep our waterways clean because clams are filter feeders, meaning they extract particles out of the water, promoting ecological health. Hale and his drone are representative of the innovation and creative thinking necessary to make progress toward our mission of preserving Florida’s ecosystems. His presentation resulted in valuable connections, a sentiment shared by many of the Collaboratory exhibitors. One shared that they were leaving with only two business cards left, attesting to just how much networking was conducted in the space.

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00005-Corridor-Connect-Day-3-Social-Photos.jpg

The Innovative Partnership Sabal Award Winners presented by Garcia Companies

Additionally, Corridor Connect 2025 is where we announced the inaugural winners of the Sabal Awards, recognizing organizations and individuals dedicated to safeguarding the Florida Wildlife Corridor. You can read about the conservation leaders awarded here.

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00255-Corridor-Connect-Day-3-Final-Photos.jpg

On the final day, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s Chief Conservation Officer, Jason Lauritsen, and best-selling author, Seth Godin, wrapped up mainstage programming with their discussion Turning Ideas into Action. The pair introduced an analogy about a pit and a cherry, and how the fruity flesh of a cherry grows around the pit. This raises the question: As conservation leaders in our community, are we the pit? If nothing else, our job is to inform, inspire, and lay the foundation for conservation practices that others will eagerly want to participate in, hopefully developing into a lasting legacy. Godin declared, “The pit needs to create systematic cultural change that sticks around and evolves into something bigger”. 

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00211-Corridor-Connect-Day-2-Final-Photos.jpg

So, to the “pits” who spent their time with us last week, putting their heads together to ensure that the Florida Wildlife Corridor continues to prosper, thank you. Thank you for your knowledge, enthusiasm, and open minds that made this event such a success. We’ll see you at Corridor Connect 2027!

https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/00271-Corridor-Connect-Day-3-Final-Photos.jpg