Defenders of Wildlife Blog

I relish the opportunity to get out and experience firsthand the places—and wildlife—that we at Defenders work so hard to protect. To spend a day exploring the habitat of panthers and bears, butterflies and salamanders, pines, palms and orchids, is truly a delight, and I know that not everyone is so lucky to have a job that combines their passion and their profession.

This month my work allowed me to join environmental photojournalist Carlton Ward Jr, bear biologist Joe Guthrie, filmmaker Elam Stoltzfuz, and refuge complex superintendent Kevin Godsea for a hike through the uplands and swamps of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. The 11 miles we trekked were just a small part of the 100-day, 1000-mile journey the men are taking through some of the state’s most wild places on what they call the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition.

The expedition is an effort to increase public awareness and generate support for establishing a Florida wildlife corridor that would protect and restore connected landscapes throughout the Florida Peninsula in order to create a viable link from the Everglades to Georgia. Such a corridor is critical for Florida wildlife like black bears and panthers, which need lots of room to roam. Unfortunately, that amount of land is no short order in an ever-developing Sunshine State, and the challenges involved are many. The good news is that many landowners are interested in maintaining their ranches in ways that also provide valuable wildlife habitat; the expedition hopes to increase awareness and support of ways to do so.

A migration corridor is critical for Florida's wide-ranging black bears.

The expedition began on January 17 in Everglades National Park, and will take the travelers north through the state of Florida, ending in Georgia, just across the Florida border, at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Defenders supports this bold adventure as it inspires citizens and visitors to join all of us who are working to save the state’s native wildlife and the network of habitat they and we depend upon. Check out my footage from my incredible day on the trail and learn more about how you can follow the crew along their journey!

Learn more:

Visit the expedition website to learn more and follow the crew throughout their journey.

In March, Laurie and the rest Defenders’ Florida staff will welcome the crew of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition to the annual Florida Black Bear Festival in Umatilla. Stay tuned for details about the festival and the opportunity to hear from the trekkers themselves!

An unlikely duo? Ranchers and conservationists team up to protect open spaces and wildlife in California.

IN THE FIELD: The California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, sponsored in part by Defenders, is hosting its sixth annual summit, “Beyond Conventional Ranching,” today and tomorrow at the Double Tree Hotel in Modesto, California.

The summit includes a field trip to several ranches that have implemented conservation practices, providing an opportunity to see firsthand how conserving private rangelands leads to environmental benefits.

This year, we will take a close look at the role that managed grazing and other conservation practices play in improving watersheds and providing wildlife habit. We will also explore how we can do a better job providing incentives to ranchers for their contributions to conservation.

Protecting Rangeland and Saving Wildlife

Despite decades of fragmentation and land conversion across the state, California rangelands still have amazing wealth of biological diversity. For example, rangelands provide critical wintering habitat for raptors such as the northern harrier and the peregrine falcon. Threatened and endangered wildlife, such as the California tiger salamander, the California red-legged frog, the San Joaquin kit fox and the California ground squirrel, also benefit from rangeland conservation.

Research has shown that several wildlife species, including the Bay checkerspot butterfly and unique habitats such as vernal pools, depend on livestock grazing, which mimics the natural role once played by native grazers (now mostly absent) that keeps invasive vegetation at bay.

Rangelands provide critical wintering habitat for raptors such as the northern harrier and the peregrine falcon. Threatened and endangered wildlife, such as the California tiger salamander, the California red-legged frog, the San Joaquin kit fox and the California ground squirrel, also benefit from rangeland conservation.

This year, we will unveil new research that explores how grazing can be used to create and improve habitat for other amphibian species and the endangered Lange’s metalmark butterfly – drawing special attention to collaboration between the coalition and researchers.

Well-managed cattle grazing fills a vital role in some ecosystems, a duty once beloning to native grazers that are now mostly gone.

Defenders has also been working with the coalition on developing markets and incentives for ecosystem services, or the environmental benefits of keeping rangelands as open space. Aside from providing habitat for imperiled wildlife, for example, rangelands help in the fight against climate change by capturing carbon. Well-managed rangelands also help to maintain clean water supplies and stave off problems like erosion.

Get Involved

Every year the summit brings together conservationists, researchers, government agencies, land trusts and ranchers to celebrate the success of this broad partnership spearheaded by the Cattlemen’s Association and Defenders of Wildlife. Over the years, it has also proven to be a great venue to discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for rangeland conservation in California.

The event is open to ranchers and members of the public. Register for the summit, or visit www.carangeland.org for more information.

Not sure how? Tracy Schohr, Rangeland Conservation director with the California Cattlemen’s Association, can answer your questions. You can reach her the old-fashioned way at (916) 444-0845.