Ten years of Burmese python research and removal efforts
In the past ten years, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s python research and removal program has eliminated over 1,000 invasive snakes weighing in excess of 26,700 pounds from 160 square…
Status update: Picayune Strand State Forest Restoration Project
For those of you that are unfamiliar with this project, it all stems from a land speculation deal that hoodwinked a lot of home buyers into purchasing swampland in Southern Golden…
Record-breaking sea turtle season on Keewaydin
Our 40th year of sea turtle research and protection has been record-breaking. On Keewaydin Island, we have had a total of 627 nests and 682 false crawls. In addition, 445…
Mangroves research growing in importance
Mangrove forests are remarkable, forming the building blocks that make up the foundation of a complex coastal ecosystem. These trees support a variety of life, from bacteria that break down…
R2D2 provides amazing insight to researchers
A long, long time ago in an ocean far, far away, R2D2 returned back to the place of her birth – Keewaydin Island in Naples, Florida. Conservancy biologists first encountered…
The Atala Butterfly and the Coontie Plant: A Mutualistic Relationship
By Melinda Schuman | Conservancy Biologist The coontie (Zamia integrifolia) is the only native North American cycad and we are fortunate to have it growing in southwest Florida. Cycads belong…
Smith Preserve teeming with life
The seven-acre Christopher B. Smith Preserve at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center consists of primarily scrub habitat and a restored wetland pond. A natural upland and scrub habitat,…
