On February 19th from 530 to 830PM at the Fairwinds Alumni Center at the University of Central Florida, the Legacy Institute for Nature and Culture (LINC) and the University of Central Florida Arboretum will be holding an evening of discussion and education about the vision for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
With support from the Florida Humanities Council, the event will feature the award-winning documentary film Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition: Everglades to Okefenokee.
By Jacob Engels
In 2012, four explorers hiked 1000 miles in 100 days from the Everglades in southern Florida to Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia. Their goal: to raise awareness of the potential to create a viable, continuous wildlife corridor across Florida. Bear biologist Joe Guthrie, conservationist Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, photojournalist Carlton Ward Jr., and award-winning cinematographer Elam Stoltzfus, traversed the wildlife habitats, watersheds and participating working farms and ranches, which comprise the Florida Wildlife Corridor opportunity area.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor vision expands on decades of work by numerous conservation organizations. It builds on the scientific foundation of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN), spearheaded by the late Dr. Larry Harris, of the University of Florida, and Dr. Reed Noss, conservation biologist at UCF. The Corridor includes FEGN Critical Linkages to create a functional network of public and private conservation lands that protects native biodiversity, supports essential ecosystem services, and preserves Florida’s rural heritage.
The team documented the corridor expedition through photography, video streams, radio reports, daily updates on social media and digital networks. The featured documentary film Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition: Everglades to Okefenokee, which was recently broadcast through public television stations nationwide, tells the story of the 100 day Expedition.
The February 19th event at the UCF Fairwinds Alumni Center will be the eighth in a series of ten and is free + open to the public. Seeting is limited, so please contact the UCF Arboretum at arboretum@ucf.edu.
Learn more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition by clicking here.
Jacob Engels, is the Founder of East Orlando Post. Along with the Post, he owns several other business and is currently enrolled at Valencia College. Jacob has lived in Avalon Park since it’s founding and enjoys playing with his black Labradoodle Jasper, listening to indie rock, and seeking out new business ventures. He can be reached at info@eastorlandopost.com
