May at the Corridor Foundation was all about engaging local communities, working on closing conservation gaps, and building hope for Florida’s connected landscapes.

We hosted our first-ever Corridor Connect+ LIVE! in Marion County, a day long event bringing together landowners, conservation partners, and community stakeholders to highlight the important role working lands play in the connection and conservation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Our eighth Mind The Gaps workshop on the Space Coast was another success in finding solutions to conservation gaps. Thanks to the partners who shared their local knowledge and expertise, we are very hopeful that the Corridor will remain connected, even amid the development pressure in Orange, Osceola, and Brevard counties.

We also celebrated an important conservation win in Volusia County, where partners protected a large property along the St. Johns River within one of the Corridor’s irreplaceable gaps. This landscape was identified as a key conservation opportunity during last year’s Mind the Gaps Volusia workshop, and its protection is a powerful example of how local leadership can create lasting statewide impact.

Back in St. Pete, we are continuing to engage our Tampa Bay community with two exciting events at Wild Space Gallery this June. Benjamin Dimmitt’s An Unflinching Look: Elegy for a Landscape gives us a look at over 40 years of change along the Chassahowitzka River through stunning black and white photography. And Hilary Flower will share the story behind the remarkable resurgance of the endangered snail kite in her newest book The Kite and the Snail.

Stay cool this June, and enjoy reading more about our updates below.

In Connection,
Mallory
—
Mallory Dimmitt
CEO
Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation

Corridor Connect+ LIVE! Recap:

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Ocala for our first ever Corridor Connect+ LIVE!
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This gathering brought together local landowners, conservation leaders, artists, and community members working to keep the Florida Wildlife Corridor connected and thriving. Through inspiring stories, hands-on workshops and resources, and meaningful conversations, attendees had the opportunity to connect directly with the people and tools shaping conservation in Marion County and beyond.⁠
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Highlights of the convening included:⁠

• An inspiring keynote presentation from National Geographic Explorer Ben Masters with over 250 attendees.
• A stunning mural by Justin Alsedek celebrating the wild working lands of Central Florida.⁠
• A film screening of “Saving the Florida Wildlife Corridor” followed by a panel discussion with local landowner Holland Drake & Pegeen Hanrahan of Trust For Public Land.⁠
• A Landowner Expo featuring an incredible lineup of over a dozen partners sharing on-the-ground expertise, conservation programs, and opportunities for landowners.⁠
• Workshops focused on conservation options for working lands and tools for closing gaps in the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

A huge thanks to our event co-host, Horse Farms Forever, our sponsors, The Saint Bernard Foundation, Duke Energy, Cherrylake, and to the many partners and experts who brought their knowledge and resources together to make this event impactful and possible.⁠
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Excited for what’s to come for Corridor Connect? Stay tuned for news about our next Corridor Connect+ webinar coming in October and our signature multi-day Corridor Connect Summit, coming June 1-4, 2027 in Orlando!

Mind The Gaps Space Coast:

A huge thank you to all of our partners who came to our Mind The Gaps Space Coast Mapping Workshop at the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension Office!
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Our Mind The Gaps workshops bring together local, state, & federal agencies, planners, land trusts, landowners, and other key stakeholder groups to develop solutions to complex conservation gaps in local areas.⁠
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Your dedication and willingness to collaborate inspire us and will help protect these irreplaceable lands for future generations. We’re planning these Mind The Gaps workshops for all priority counties (urgent areas within the Corridor at high risk of development conversion). Next stop? Florida’s Panhandle.

Volusia County Purchases 1,299 Acre River Bend Ranch In Corridor Gap:

Our partners in Volusia County recently approved the purchase of the 1,299-acre River Bend Ranch property for permanent conservation!

Located entirely within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, this property borders Volusia County’s Deering Preserve at Deep Creek and partially closes a critical gap in the Volusia Conservation Corridor. This area was identified as an important conservation opportunity during our collaborative Mind the Gaps workshop last year, and its protection is a powerful example of local leadership creating lasting statewide impact.

Thank you to the landowner, Volusia County staff, and the Volusia County Council for unanimously voting to protect this important landscape for future generations.

River Bend Ranch stretches two miles along the St. Johns River and 1.3 miles along Deep Creek, providing natural water storage, filtration, and flood attenuation for the Middle St. Johns River Basin. The property features a diverse mix of habitats, including longleaf pine, sandhill, cypress swamp, freshwater marsh, wet prairie, palm hammock, and mixed wetland hardwoods.

This conservation purchase was funded through the Volusia Forever land conservation program, a voter-approved tax initiative dedicated to protecting the county’s natural biodiversity.

An Unflinching Look Opening Reception At Wild Space:

You are invited to Wild Space Gallery for the opening of An Unflinching Look: Elegy for a Landscape, photographs by Benjamin Dimmitt⁠, followed by a moderated panel conversation exploring Dimmitt’s photography.

His exquisite black-and-white images of the Chassahowitzka River and National Wildlife Refuge reveal beauty, change, and loss over 45 years. Panelists will discuss how conservation photography and rephotography can be used as strategies to document long-term environmental change and motivate action. 

Opening Recption: June 13th, 5-9pm

6-7pm: Panel Conversation with Robin O’Dell, Executive Curator at Florida Museum of Photographic Arts; Mallory Dimmitt, CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation; and Ethan Coyle, Conservation Photographer; moderated by Curator Noel Smith.

Click the link here to RSVP for the opening reception and panel.

Author Series – Hilary Flower Presents The Kite & The Snail:

Join Wild Space Gallery on Wednesday, June 24th for a presentation by Environmental Studies professor and ecohydrology specialist, Hilary Flower, as she recounts the extraordinary resurgence of the Everglade snail kite in her book, The Kite and the Snail: An Endangered Bird, Its Unlikely Prey, and a Story of Hope in a Changing World.

Blending natural history, field reporting, and reflection, The Kite and the Snail explores how ecological flexibility and human-altered landscapes can create unexpected paths to conservation in a changing world.

Presentation from 6-7pm, followed by a reception and book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

Click the link here to RSVP for the presentation.