The development trend continues to clean Florida at a record-breaking pace, but efforts are being made in collaboration to protect Sunshine State’s wildlife and land through statewide conservation plans.
Florida’s wildlife corridor, which became a reality with bipartisan law in 2021, consists of 18 million acres statewide, including 10 million acres of already protected areas. Explore The Corridor Week. The second year’s annual celebration encourages residents and tourists of all ages to explore the state parks and give back the efforts of volunteers.
“There are completely 175 state parks in Florida. We’ve found that 75 state parks fall under the footprints of Florida’s wildlife corridor,” said Tim Lilafeld, communications director at the Florida State Parks Foundation. “Exploring Corridor Week came from the idea of giving people the opportunity to experience the corridor and visit a place to get a sense of being in it.”
The event runs from April 26th to May 3rd and includes tours and volunteer shift opportunities from the Florida Key to the Panhandle in 19 state parks. The partnership between the Florida State Parks Foundation and Live Live aims to enable Sunshine State nature lovers to experience the hallways up close.
Central Florida offers park cleaning at Wekiwa Springs State Park on April 26th, while Silver Springs State Park hosts a special safari tram tour on multiple dates. The Gamble Rogers Memorial Recreation Area in Flagler Beach offers invasive plant removal and guided kayak tours. There are more than 12 other opportunities that spread throughout the state.
Live’s assistant director Meredith Bad said 400 people had already signed up a week before the event began.
Patrick Connolly / Orlando Sentinel
Visitors will enjoy a glass bottom boat tour at Silver Springs State Park in 2019. The park hosts special events for exploring the hallway week. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
“Florida State Parks is the gateway to Florida’s wildlife corridors, an accessible way for people to go out, explore wild places and see what Florida has to offer,” she said. “The amount of volunteer time coming from there will really have a big impact on the state park.”
For those who are unable to reach one of the volunteer opportunities, Amazon’s wish list is available in several state parks with the supplies needed to finish the project.
Other ways to support the corridor include purchasing “fresh produce from Florida,” bird watching, helping to fund conservation sites and contacting lawmakers to explore Florida’s greenways and trails.
When the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was signed into law in 2021, $400 million in funding was set aside for land conservation projects. In 2024, more than 133,000 acres of corridor land were preserved, according to a Live news release.
“For every dollar the nation invests in the corridor, the state will earn $6 in return from an economic standpoint,” Budd noted the impact on value from tourism, agriculture, forests and other industries. “There are many reasons why having a Florida wildlife corridor is beneficial. From an environmental perspective, we have connections to wildlife like Florida Panthers and Florida Black Bears, making sure we have a habitat that we roam around.”
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For more information about Explore The Corridor Week, visit livewildly.com or floridastateparksfoundation.org. For questions about special events or volunteer opportunities, please email Explore@floridastateParksFoundation.org. For more information about Florida Wildlife Corridor, visit FloridawildlifeCorridor.org.
