Land trust serving 5 counties changes name

A land preservation organization serving Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties has changed its name. The Osprey-based nonprofit previously known as the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast will now be called Big Waters Land Trust.

The decision to change the organization’s name, made official Dec. 6, reflects its commitment to both coastal and inland communities, according to a statement from Big Waters Land Trust.

“Looking at our service area, which covers from South Tampa Bay to the Everglades, we realized it is water that defines our region," Christine P. Johnson, president of Big Waters Land Trust, says in the statement. "And because it’s Florida, we don’t just have small rivers and lakes, we have BIG WATERS."

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The nonprofit's service area encompasses three national estuaries (Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor) and four “significant” rivers (Manatee, Myakka, Peace and Caloosahatchee), the statement says.

Since it was founded in 2003, the organization has helped preserve more than 20,000 acres across 60 different properties. It partners with organizations, governments, individuals and others to protect the region’s landscapes and improve the health of local waters for the benefit of both wildlife and local communities.

“Between the accelerating impacts of climate change and intense development pressures as more and more people move to Florida, there’s never been a more important time to protect nature,” Sam Valentin, Big Waters director of marketing and events, says in the statement. “Together with our conservation community, we protect the land and water of Southwest Florida because we envision a future in which the human and natural worlds flourish together.”

These are some of the recent protections involving Big Waters Land Trust:

• 58 acres near the Braden River in Manatee County
• 656 acres at Longino Ranch in eastern Sarasota County
• 64 acres at Crooked River Ranch along the Manatee River in Manatee County
• 20 acres within Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park in Port Charlotte, which the Conservation Foundation recently sold to the state as an addition to the park

Currently, Big Waters Land Trust reports it is partnering with the Sarasota Audubon Society and Sarasota County to re-wild the 33-acre Quad Parcels at the Celery Fields.

“We are the same organization, but at the start of a new chapter,” Johnson says in the statement. “Whether you’re looking to conserve nature on your property or make a difference in your community, Big Waters Land Trust is here to help save the land you love.”