By Amber Crooks, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor, Conservancy of Southwest Florida
On January 15, 2025, the Sierra Club hosted an event to educate the news media about critical decisions regarding developments and mines in endangered Florida panther habitat. Conservancy staff members Amber Crooks and Julianne Thomas attended to provide expertise in telling the story of our eastern lands under threat.
Driving thirty east miles east of Naples to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, it became obvious how far into our natural lands the development projects are proposed. Walking the trails gave the attendees a glimpse of the over 700 plant species that provide the foundation for the multitude of wildlife that rely on the Refuge to persist and thrive, including its namesake the Florida panther. The Rural Lands West and Bellmar development projects would constitute a new town just one mile away from the Refuge. Advocates fear that these massive developments in Collier County would not only destroy over 400 acres of wetlands and thousands of acres of panther habitat, but would threaten the integrity of the adjacent public lands.
Headed north along State Road 29, attendees observed the tall panther fencing and crossings that provide safe passage between Big Cypress National Preserve and the Panther Refuge. While there are crossings in places, the tour passed several remaining panther roadkill hotspots where Florida panthers continue to be hit and killed by vehicle strikes.
At Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW), the attendees marveled at the 70,000+ acre watershed before them. The public hiking trails and campsite are across Corkscrew Road from the proposed Kingston development. This large proposal would add 10,000 homes to eastern Lee County.
Each of these projects is pending before the Army Corps of Engineers for a wetland dredge and fill permit under the Clean Water Act, which also necessitates consideration of the endangered Florida panther and other protected wildlife species.
The tour was intended to be thought-provoking for news media, investigative reporters, and others communicating critical issues to our southwest Florida community. The attendees included not just representatives of the Conservancy and other environmental advocate organizations, but also rural community members, citizen scientists, and biologists.
Action is needed now to let decision-makers know that the impacts posed by the “Big 6” developments in eastern Lee and eastern Collier counties would threaten the integrity of the greater western Everglades region, and therefore should be denied. Take action now to join the already 6,800+ voices speaking out about these developments at conservancy.org/takeaction.