A Race Against Time: Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

The other day, I realized the water from my faucet was unpalatable. I’d been taking it for granted that when I flipped on the water in my house, the water would be fine. It wasn’t. The solution was a decidedly pricey home filtration system plus a reverse osmosis drinking water setup in our kitchen.

While the hit to my wallet stung, it also got me thinking about water quality AND availability. Water demand globally is projected to increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050. While 70% of the Earth’s surface is water, 97% of it is seawater, meaning that it’s unfit for human consumption. Yikes.

Christine Johnson, President of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, explains that what I came to realize is exactly what they want to help others understand—that water quality, from drinking water to the health of our bays and waterways—is critical to our economy and quality of life. 

To put it more plainly: the environment IS our economy. Our recent red tide issues have made that premise all too real.

Johnson explains that often people think conservation is just about land, and water issues are just about water. But really, they’re the same—especially in our region where most of the drinking water comes from the surface as compared to the majority of Florida which relies heavily on groundwater. “We’re creating problems with our drinking water by not allowing water to run naturally through the land,” she explains. The land serves as a filtration system of sorts if water is allowed to move through it properly, and wetlands are very important as a buffer. This impacts our drinking water as well as the health of our rivers, bays, and beaches, so protecting the land around the water is critical.

Conservation Foundation believes that progress is all a function of balance—the balance of development and conservation. “We want thoughtful, strategic planning to lead the way. Planning that includes how we will protect our resources—water and otherwise—so that all people can enjoy living, working and playing here, forever.” 

One of the main things Conservation Foundation is doing to create that better future is to engage in land conservation on a large scale. For example, the scrub jays in Oscar Scherer Park are no longer thriving. There’s not enough space to sustain the families, and no appropriate habitats are within flying distance, so the DNA pool for mating options is limited. In twenty years, there probably won’t be any scrub jays there at all, Johnson says. While that will make headline news, it’ll be too late. So Conservation Foundation is trying to create corridors of connectivity to support wildlife and stop future headline stories like this from coming true.

That’s why they want to protect the almost 5,800-acre Orange Hammock Ranch property— to provide connectivity in addition to filtering water for the region’s drinking water supply. “When Orange Hammock Ranch is successfully conserved, we will come even closer to the Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County, which will create a much-needed corridor for the Florida panther, among other animals.” A mating female panther needs an astonishing 20,000 acres to thrive. This project will help give the already-challenged panther population a better chance.

Another thing Conservation Foundation is doing to make a difference is giving at-risk youth and adults experiences in nature, thereby educating the next generation of voters and community leaders about the importance of the environment. “You can’t love and care for what you don’t know,” Johnson says, “and you don’t know without experience, so we provide those experiences to lots of people. I love it when we take kids out to Oscar Scherer, Bay Preserve, or Myakka. Their eyes just go wide and they say, ‘It’s better than a video game!’”

Conservation Foundation’s operating budget primarily comes from individuals, foundations, and family foundations. The money for some land projects largely comes from big foundations and local, state, or federal government. Other projects are community-led such as the recent conservation of the 44-acre Johnson Preserve at Braden River in Manatee County. The local community saw the need, asked Conservation Foundation to help, and contributed $1 million to help Manatee County purchase 33 acres from a developer. “An inspirational example of community conservation,” notes Johnson. “We are collaborating right now with community-led efforts like the Legacy Trail Extension and the Venice Urban Forest.”

Conservation Foundation’s efforts to create impact while being fiscally responsible is being noticed—they were recently ranked #1 in the state of Florida and #10 nationally for their success in three criteria: the amount of money in the operating budget that goes to their mission (85%), the cost to raise a dollar (how efficient their fundraising efforts are) and transparency.

But what about people like me, who can’t afford to purchase and donate large tracts of land or write six-figure checks? Johnson says that when she speaks to elected officials, it’s important for them to hear how many members we have.  “Elected officials respond to statements like, ‘We have X members who support Y project,’ because our membership is their constituency.” Furthermore, it’s the membership that fuels Conservation Foundation’s work, making it possible to research conservation projects, provide education opportunities for kids and adults, and fundraise diligently and efficiently for land projects. Conservation Foundation members’ support makes all the work possible. To become one of those members standing up to support the environment, it only takes $50—that’s all an annual membership to the Conservation Foundation costs.

And as Johnson reminds us, “It’s much, much cheaper to save the strategic places now than to purchase it later and have to clean up the land because we didn’t choose to act earlier.” Their goal isn’t to think of the short term but rather to think of forever. “When we save a piece of property, we save it for every future generation.” That’s a goal well worth pursuing.

For more information on Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, please visit conservationfoundation.com or call 941.918.2100.