A New Chapter in Saving Florida Panthers Saving Florida Panthers has long been a shared goal between the Center and the Florida Panther Society. With the Society winding down, we re honored that they ve chosen us to carry on this important work to protect and conserve one of the most awe-inspiring wild cats on the continent. Learn more.
SAVING THE FLORIDA PANTHER
A reserved, stealthy predator of enormous physical grace and power, the Florida panther is one of the most majestic large felines in the wild. While jaguars roamed as far east as Louisiana, and pumas were widespread from the East to the West coasts, today the Florida panther is the only large feline remaining in the Southeast, and it s separated from western puma populations by more than 1,000 miles. Once found throughout the southeast United States, the Florida panther now occupies only a small area of South Florida, about 5
But its significance extends far beyond our own backyard.
With hundreds of species of birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, Okefenokee is globally exceptional as one of the largest substantially intact freshwater ecosystems remaining in the world.
That’s why I’m urging the Biden administration to grant Okefenokee the acclaim it deserves by nominating it for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The list is reserved for cultural and natural sites that have “Outstanding Universal Value” to all people of the world across generations. Current natural World Heritage sites range from the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley to the rocky ridges of South China Karst and include many notable wetlands like the Pantanal Conservation Area in Brazil and Everglades National Park here in Florida.
Big Bend National Park in Texas.
The pandemic that at first kept us all inside has now led to an explosion outside. Biking, boating, birding, golfing, camping, and more outdoor activities have seen huge jumps in participation since COVID-19 hit. This leads to a dilemma: Where can we go outside that isn’t crowded?
photo: Courtesy of Project Remote
The Means family.
Ryan and Rebecca Means have plenty of answers. For almost twelve years, the married Florida scientists have run Project Remote, in which they have identified the most remote location in each state as they define it: the place that lies farthest from a road, which they calculate using Geographic Information System data, satellite imagery, and other sources.