Conservation Foundation is now Big Waters Land Trust

December 9, 2024 | Osprey

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is excited to re-introduce themselves as Big Waters Land Trust! In their twenty-year history, humbly starting as the Sarasota-based, Sarasota Conservation Foundation, and then as Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast for over a decade, the not-for-profit’s impact and ability to support their community has grown exponentially. Recognizing that they needed a name reflective of their whole service area—both the coastal and inland communities— they are proud to now serve Southwest Florida as Big Waters Land Trust. The new name was announced at the organization’s Annual Conservation Celebration on Friday, December 6.

“We thought long and hard, and we knew the time for a new name had come,” comments Christine P. Johnson, president of Big Waters Land Trust. “As we explored potential new names, we wanted to celebrate what makes Southwest Florida so very special. Looking at our service area, which covers from South Tampa Bay to the Everglades, we realized it is water that defines our region. And because it’s Florida, we don’t just have small rivers and lakes, we have BIG WATERS.”

The region’s only accredited land trust, Big Waters’ service area includes Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties, and encompasses three national estuaries – Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, and Charlotte Harbor – and four significant rivers – Manatee, Myakka, Peace, and Caloosahatchee. Through ongoing collaborations with the State of Florida, local municipalities, other non-profits, community groups, private landowners, individual philanthropists, foundations, and more, Big Waters conserves the land our community and wildlife need to thrive, protects our area’s most iconic natural landscapes, and works to improve the health of local waters for the benefit of all who live, work, and play here in Southwest Florida.

“Between the accelerating impacts of climate change and intense development pressures as more and more people move to Florida, there’s never been a more important time to protect nature,” notes Sam Valentin, Big Waters director of marketing and events. “Together with our conservation community, we protect the land and water of Southwest Florida because we envision a future in which the human and natural worlds flourish together.”

To date, Big Waters has protected over 20,000 acres across 60 different properties in their five-county service area. Notable recent protections include 58 acres in suburban Manatee County, 656 acres at Longino Ranch in Eastern Sarasota County, the 64-acre Crooked River Ranch located along the Manatee River in Manatee County, and 20 acres located within Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park in Port Charlotte, which Big Waters recently sold to the State of Florida as an addition to the park. The organization is currently partnering with Sarasota Audubon Society and Sarasota County to re-wild the 33-acre Quad Parcels at the Celery Fields.

“We are the same organization, but at the start of a new chapter,” notes Johnson. “Whether you’re looking to conserve nature on your property or make a difference in your community, Big Waters Land Trust is here to help save the land you love.”