October 25, 2023 • 33 mins
While the cities of Florida are a bustling hub of commerce and culture, nestled between them lie areas of breathtaking natural beauty, teeming with diverse ecosystems. One organization at the forefront of efforts to protect and connect these valuable spaces is the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, represented by Alex Freeze, their Corridor Collaboration Teams Facilitator.
In this episode, Phillip and Alex discuss the challenge of balancing the need for development while doing so in ways that are compatible with the Florida Wildlife Corridor and do not fragment or break up areas of wilderness, working lands, and public and private property. In a world where environmental issues often take a somber tone, listen to this episode to hear Alex share her optimism and dedication toward protecting and conserving wild Florida.
Resources:
Florida Wildlife Corridor Website
Transcripts available here: https://piecenter.com/media/podcast/#transcript
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Music "Haventhorn" by Blue Dot Sessions at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/rustland/haventhorn/ Under CC BY license Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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Episode Transcript
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Ricky Telg (00:04):
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:32):
Welcome to Science by the Slice, I'm
Phillip Stokes, EducationCoordinator with the PIE Center.
Today's episode is all about theFlorida wildlife corridor, which
is an 18 million acre statewidenetwork of connected lands and
waters. You can think of thiscorridor as a highway of
undeveloped land, which includesareas of wilderness and working
(00:55):
lands. And to learn more aboutthe corridor, you'll hear a
conversation I had with AlexFreese, who was with the Florida
Wildlife Corridor Foundation, anorganization that champions a
collaborative campaign topermanently connect, protect and
restore the Florida wildlifecorridor. While Alex has held
(01:16):
several roles with thefoundation, she currently serves
as the Corridor CollaborationTeams Facilitator, Alex and I
discussed just what the Floridawildlife corridor is, and how
lands are identified as beingpart of the corridor. We talked
about some of the expeditionsthat have taken place with the
foundation, major successes andconnecting lands and waters in
(01:37):
Florida, as well as some of theopportunities to conserve even
more of the corridor. Well, Alexfreeze, thank you so much for
being on the pie sinnerspodcast, science by the slice.
We're thrilled to have you. AndI'm excited to talk to you today
about the Florida Wildlifequarter foundation. I'm also
(01:59):
excited to hear more aboutyourself as well. So first, I
just want to give you a chanceto introduce yourself, tell us
who you are and a little bitabout your role within the
organization.
Alex Freeze (02:09):
Awesome. Thanks so much for having me, Phillip.
It's really a treat to be here.
So jumping right in. I have beenwith the for wildlife corridor
foundation for a very long timegoing all the way back to 2015.
I was the first ever intern forthe Florida Wildlife Corridor
Foundation. Before we were evendesignated as a foundation. I am
(02:32):
a sixth generation Floridian Ifeel so lucky to have been born
and raised in Florida and trulyraised in wild Florida. I come
from a long line of ranchers andagriculturalists. And just
people who loved the outdoors inFlorida. And that really sparked
(02:54):
my passion for wanting to beinvolved in conservation. And in
an organization like the Floridawildlife corridor foundation. I
started my journey into theprofessional world of of
environmental resources with adegree in wildlife biology that
turned into a master's degree inenvironmental education. My
(03:17):
heart has always been forwildlife and wild spaces. And I
really found my niche inconnecting people to wild places
as much as I wanted to initiallybe a biologist and be the one
boots on the ground. Learningabout Panthers or bears or
salamanders. I found that myskill set really was in
(03:38):
connecting people to thosespaces and those animals and
what I could do to communicatethe importance of nature in the
natural world. And that led verynaturally into that internship
with the Florida WildlifeCorridor starting in 2015. I
have to give a big shout out toCarlton Ward, who is the founder
(04:01):
of the Florida Wildlife CorridorFoundation. And the guy who gave
me a chance and hired me as hisfirst ever intern and then
convinced Mallory Dimmitt andJoe Guthrie, who were the other
founding members of thefoundation that yeah, we can
totally bring it in turn on this1000 mile seven D day hiking,
biking kayaking expedition thatwe're going to do and she's
(04:26):
going to be great. And it wasone of the most formative
experiences of of my youngconservation life and I'm truly
so grateful for it to this day.
That expedition that I mentionedwas the second expedition that
and will I know we're gonna getinto talking about that much
(04:48):
more later. But that 2015 trekthat we called the Forgotten
Coast. That was indeed 1000miles and 70 days hiking, biking
and kayaking and that's sort ofmy initial jump into foundation
land. And now having been in thespace for a while my role has
(05:10):
graduated to becoming thecorridor collaboration teams
facilitator for the foundation,we have several different teams
that act in different capacitiescollaborating over many
different areas of conservation,that need somebody in the
foundation to make sure thatthey're all getting what they
(05:34):
need, that they are able to workeffectively together and produce
really impactful products thatare making a difference in
corridor conservation across thestate. And that's what I've been
doing ever since May of thisyear. 2023. And I'm just so
stoked to be back with thefoundation after several years
(05:55):
away doing other work. And it's,it's been such a nice
homecoming.
Phillip Stokes (05:59):
Yeah, that's really amazing to hear your
story, Alex, and, you know,everyone, everyone's story,
right, everyone's foundation andtheir, where they grew up, you
know, it influences the way theytheir values and, and what they
really want to devote their timeinto, right. And so hearing
about where you grew up as asixth generation Floridian and
(06:21):
really just, you know, soundslike being an awe of of nature
and all the different resourcesthat Florida offers, I guess.
And then fast forward to 2015. Ididn't realize okay, you were an
intern, and they said, Sure.
Okay. Let's, let's bring ourintern along on Okay, remind
everyone, how many miles was itand you were hiking? You said
(06:43):
biking, kayaking, I mean, justdoing just kind of
Alex Freeze (06:49):
An adventure of a lifetime. I would say yes. So
trekking, trekking, to highlighthow important the connectivity
is of, you know, this landscapeand showing that, you know,
these lands are literally stillconnected and we can move
(07:09):
through them on foot or on bikeor on, you know, paddle craft.
So that was 1000 miles in 70days over three months from
Central Florida. All the way upto the Panhandle in Gulf Islands
(07:30):
National Seashore. We startedright around the Green Swamp,
which is kind of often talkedabout is like the heart of
Florida, the green beating heartof Florida, too crazy close to
Orlando, this absolutelybeautiful cypress swamp with
pine lands and beautifulwetlands. And there is a branch
(07:52):
of the Florida wildlife corridorwhich we'll talk about what that
means. That goes all the way upinto the Panhandle. And we
finished at the beautiful GulfCoast Gulf Islands National
Seashore 70 days later. And itwas absolutely wild and myself I
grew up in Tampa so the GulfCoast is really my home. I grew
(08:15):
up running through dunes andwatching clovers breed and
fledge in the springtime and inthe early summer, my
grandparents had a almost 400acre cattle ranch, just outside
of Bradenton, Florida and asmall town called Parrish and I
(08:38):
have distinctive memories as achild of running through
palmettos and having my parentsand my uncle's point out deer
tracks and maybe a panthertracker to cannot confirm or
deny I was like nine years old.
So you know, I don't have anyevidence to support that. But
they told me they were Panthertracks could have been Bobcat
(08:59):
tracks, also could have beencoyote tracks. I would have
loved it no matter what it was.
But it really sparked myimagination as a young person to
think oh my gosh, there'sthere's big cats in my
grandparents woods. And thegreat sadness of that story is
that that ranch no longerexists. And unfortunately,
(09:22):
that's the story and the endingto so much ranch land and
working land and family land inFlorida when families can no
longer afford to keep the landor the stewards the original
stewards pass away like mygrandfather did. And the
children are scattered to thefour corners and it doesn't make
(09:44):
sense for the family to keep itso my grandmother's house still
stands on a small 20 acre patchbut the remainder of that
beautiful 400 Acres is nowcookie cutter development and
it's truly heartbreaking butthankfully that is not The story
everywhere. And I'm reallyexcited to, you know, keep
(10:04):
sharing with you all of thecollaborative work that the
floor wildlife corridorFoundation is doing to ensure
that what happened to myfamily's ranch land is not the
story and is not the narrativefor for so many working families
in Florida who have beautiful,incredible pieces of land that
are vital to the connections ofthe corridor.
Phillip Stokes (10:24):
Yeah, and I think you know, what you've
touched on. So starting backwith the expeditions, and
connecting people to the wildspaces of Florida. I think it
sounds like that's a prettyintegral part of the Florida
wildlife corridor Foundation,because a lot of times we don't
see those spaces. And, you know,you mentioned how a lot of those
(10:47):
wild spaces have been turnedinto developments and, you know,
things, you know, humandevelopment that that we need,
you know, we need communitiesand places to live. But also,
you know, any, any Floridianwho's, you know, you know, maybe
been here for a long time, yeah,you drive around with them. And
you say, Hey, you see that?
Yeah, that used to be an orangegrove that used to be, you know,
(11:07):
pasture for cattle that used tojust be a tree stand, you know,
or whatever, like a an area offorested area. But what's
happening, and I want you todescribe this a little bit
better is a lot of landdevelopment, and Florida does
fragment the connected wildlands of Florida, maybe not
(11:30):
intentionally, but it does breakup those contiguous lands for
for animals, for you mentionedbefore, like Storm buffers, and
all sorts of, you know, servicesthat we rely on. So why, you
know, tell us, you know, what iskind of the issue at hand. And,
you know, what are some ofthose, you know, long term goals
(11:52):
of the Florida wildlife corridorfoundation?
Alex Freeze (11:59):
Absolutely. And you bring up such a good point.
Humans need to be able tosurvive and live and thrive in
Florida just as much as wildlifeneeds to be able to survive and
live and thrive in Florida. Butit's all about how do we build?
Where do we build? What is thedesign implementation that is
(12:21):
going to make this what we calla corridor compatible community,
we have about 1000 people a day.
That's the one of the best, youknow, estimates that we have for
people moving to Florida, andhow we accommodate those people
is really important. So whenwe're looking at the corridor,
(12:43):
and I'll give a little bit moreof like a specific definition of
what the Florida wildlifecorridor is like, what is this?
It's kind of an abstract idea.
Corridor. I mean, that couldmean anything. So when we're
talking about the Floridawildlife corridor, we are
talking about a statewide fromall the way at the bottom of
(13:06):
Florida, the Everglades, upthrough peninsular Florida to
the very top the edge ofGeorgia, the Okefenokee Swamp.
That's a funny word, but I loveit the Okefenokee Swamp, yeah.
And then there's a V of thecorridor that goes through the
Panhandle. And that's theexhibition we were talking about
(13:28):
earlier. And this corridor ismade up of 18 million acres of
wilderness working lands, publicand private property that is
home to some of the, you know,most endangered imperiled, but
(13:48):
incredible species that Floridahas to offer. So you think of it
as like a highway for wildlifeand wild lands and water is
absolutely included in this aswell. So just like we need eye
for just like we need I 75 totravel and move where we need to
in the state. Animals like theFlorida panther, the Florida
(14:08):
black bear, the gopher tortoiseneed to be able to move
throughout the state to findpartners to breed to find food
to find appropriate habitat. Andkeeping that corridor connected
is absolutely possible, whilestill developing intentionally
(14:33):
at the same time. So so much ofthe corridor is made up of
working lands, and of that 18million acres that I talked
about that encompasses theentire corridor, 8 million acres
of that is still unprotected. Sowe've come so far, there is so
(14:54):
much positivity, you know, veryoften, especially nowadays, if
We have environmentalconversations, they tend to take
kind of a darker turn, I thinkthe message of the corridor is
such a positive one, becausethere's so much opportunity, and
there's so much great workthat's being done in a very
(15:16):
interdisciplinary collaborativeway that is, you know, keeping
this corridor connected. Onemisconception I think people
have about the corridor is thatmaybe all, you know, open,
undeveloped land in Florida ispart of the corridor. And that's
not necessarily true, althoughall land is valuable and worth,
(15:38):
you know, conservationprotection? Absolutely. We're
really thinking of this greenhighway. So say we wanted to
build, you know, a new housingdevelopment. If the city
planners and the county plannersand the decision makers that are
coming together with thedevelopers to decide, how is
this new community going to goin? If they were thinking in
(16:03):
terms of corridor compatibility,they would think, Okay, where
can we put this development,that's not going to cause a
fragmentation or a breaking upof that highway, a highway only
works if it stays connected? Ifeel like that was very rambly.
But that was very much anutshell touch on the idea of
(16:25):
corridor compatible communitiesand how absolutely development
is going to happen in Florida.
And it's needed, we need to beable to support successful, you
know, full human lives inFlorida, but we can absolutely
do that in a way that issustainable, and thoughtful
towards the other residents ofour state, which are our
(16:45):
wildlife.
Phillip Stokes (16:48):
Yeah, you know, it's it is interesting. Maybe
ironic, I don't know that youmentioned how important roads
are for people. I mean, we knowhow much we rely on them every
day to get to work and visit ourfamily and everything else. And
yeah, for for animals, they needthat because because what you
mentioned before was it's notjust having some green space in
(17:08):
some undeveloped land, maybethat's a part of the corridor,
maybe it's not, it's great tohave it, you know, where the
trees are putting off oxygen andabsorbing co2 and things like
that. But is it necessarily isthat where the black bear is
going to travel, to be able tokind of, you know, expand its
(17:31):
terrain, and whatever, whateverthe black bear needs to do, for
that matter. And I reallyappreciate Alex, what you said
is, you know, taking thatpositive frame, because you're
right, within conservation, wethink about the things that have
been done, but there's so muchthat can be done, you know, and,
and just being intentional, and,and trying to develop in smart
(17:53):
ways, while still, you know,allowing humans to prosper, but
also allowing the wildlife toprosper. And so humans can enjoy
just this the great state thatFlorida is right.
Alex Freeze (18:06):
Absolutely. There's so much economic viability, in
sustainability and in buildingand living as as people with the
environment in mind. As anenvironmental educator, I try so
hard to help people understandhow we are all part of this
(18:26):
greater ecosystem, we do notexist apart from it. And for us
to be able to continue to liveour most fulfilling, enriching,
healthy lives for, you know, allof the future to come. We have
to do that in line and inpartnership with the natural
(18:51):
world. And that's where the mostsuccess comes from. And so much
of Florida's prosperity ishoused within the Florida
wildlife corridor, I mean,absolute millions of acres of
agricultural lands, ranch lands,if you if listeners might not
(19:12):
know and this is very often notan identity that Florida has.
But Florida is either the secondor third largest producer of
cattle in the entire country.
And that that idea is often verydichotomous with like
environmental protections andcattle ranching. In a lot of
ways for good reasons with howranching is done around the
world. You know, we're all awareof, you know, slash and burn
(19:33):
agriculture in South America.
absolutely devastating. That isnot how we raise cattle here in
Florida. cattle ranches, andthose working family lands make
up a massive part of the Floridawildlife corridor. And those
conservationists, thoseranchers, who really are what I
(19:54):
would consider some of theoriginal conservationists, if
you go out with these workingmen, women and people They know
the land and the ebbs and flowsand the way that it works
seasonally and how to keep theiranimals healthy on the land as
well as wildlife healthy on theland, their knowledge, and their
experience is so rich and vastin deep. And it's it's truly a
(20:19):
remarkable partnership that wehave with so many landowners and
the corridor. Ecotourism is ahuge thing in Florida, I mean,
people flocked to our springs,to our national parks, to our
state parks, and that ecotourismbrings so much prosperity to you
(20:39):
know, our coasts, of course, thebeaches, which, again, are not
always part of the corridor, butare part of the natural fabric
of Florida, which is soimportant to protect. So it's,
again, I'm the type of personwho looks at it as the intrinsic
value of nature, how it deservesto be here, simply because it
(21:00):
exists, but it is so importantto comment on how important the
corridor connectivity is to thehealth of all Floridians
financially and physically.
Phillip Stokes (21:12):
You know, Alex, like we're talking about all
these different groups, youknow, that interact with each
other. And, you know, humans canget like, like, we're messy,
right, relationships are messy.
But you know, what I really Igenuinely do think that like
people are are all like, we'reall trying our best, you know,
we're all like, putting our bestfoot forward. We're all trying
to make the right decisions, youknow, based on the best the
(21:33):
information that we have. And socaring more about the
connections, and thecollaborations you have within
the Florida wildlife corridorthat's such a vital part into
like doing that storytelling,how do you facilitate those
connections between differentgroups, such as developers and
landowners and conservationistsand people who just work regular
(21:56):
jobs and live in big cities inFlorida, and everyone else in
between?
Alex Freeze (22:04):
That is such a great question. And I don't
think anybody has like a perfectmethodology or a perfect answer,
but I'll just share with youwhat we did, or so we, as a
team, and we are an everexpanding team, it's, it's such
a fantastic organization to be apart of just because there's so
(22:25):
much momentum and energy andpassion and in belief in the
mission of, you know, keepingthe corridor connected,
protected, and restoring whatneeds to be restored. So, so
much of what we do is we have,like summit type experiences,
(22:47):
conferences where we give openinvitations to I mean, every
partnership you could possiblyimagine from players that I've
already mentioned before, youknow, The Nature Conservancy of
Florida, but also like FloridaFish and Wildlife, politicians,
(23:07):
local lawmakers, landowners,artists, conservationists, all
people who you know, we're verypublic organization, we have,
you know, very public socialmedia, we've made these films
which have, you know, gone on tosome of them, you know, be in
film festivals all across theworld. You know, our message is
(23:30):
a very public one. And one ofthe biggest pieces of publicity
that's brought in a lot ofpartnerships, since 2021, was
actually the signing of theFlorida wildlife corridor act.
So this is not just kind of aconceptual idea of the four
(23:50):
wildlife corridor is adesignated space under this
official, you know, legislativeAct that was signed with
unanimous bipartisan support, Iwill say, which are not words
that you get to string togethervery often these days in June of
2021, and that publicity, andthe the really groundbreaking
(24:14):
nature of that act being signed,you know, people reach out to
our team all the time, like,Hey, how can I be part of what
you're doing? How can we, youknow, work together to protect
this particular land, there areland Trust's all across Florida.
So the for wildlife corridorFoundation is a nonprofit, we
(24:35):
are not a land trust, we do nothold land. We are the advocacy
organization who wants tohighlight all of the good work
that these other organizationsare doing. And so, we would work
really closely with a land trustorganization to you know, make
sure that the partnershipsbetween the land owners and the
trust are strong, that you know,everything was on the up and up
(24:59):
getting done, what needed to getdone. But then we have other
team members whose specialty is,you know, grassroots community
activism and outreach. And we'repainting murals all across
Florida and bringing artiststogether to spread the message.
We have curriculum anddevelopment right now that we
(25:21):
have, you know, big hopes of, ofreaching young people and going
into educational audiences toteach people about the corridor
in a unique and engaging way.
Our upper leadership, we are ledby the absolutely incredible
Mallory Dimmitt, who is one ofmy absolute conservation heroes,
(25:43):
and just icons to me. She's suchan incredible person. Mallory
and our leadership team travelall across the state giving
presentations and talks about,you know, different areas that
are in need of protection. Andthen, of course, we do the
expeditions fairly frequently,you know, sometimes they're
(26:07):
every other year, sometimesthere's a couple years in
between the foundation had anexpedition just last year, that
highlighted three veterans andtheir journey through a really
important part of the corridor.
And that film is going to becoming out, hopefully in the
(26:29):
next year, which is reallyexciting. So those are really
the big ways that we sort ofdraw in partners and, and have
these collaborative experiences.
So much of my role specifically,is making sure that those
partners are just supported withthe tools that the foundation
creates our incrediblecommunications team is just
(26:50):
cranking out the bestcommunication pieces, left and
right, and making sure that thephotographs and the video
content and the messaging aroundwhat's happening in the
corridor, you know, what acreagegot protected this month, what's
being threatened and needs to befocused on, you know, maybe what
(27:12):
toll road is being produced,that maybe shouldn't be
happening, that needs someadvocacy against that messaging
is all you know, very importantto get out to our partners.
Partnerships extend across everyarea of work that you can
imagine. And it's so criticalthat all of that work, you know,
(27:34):
come together and be, you know,aligned to the mission of
connecting and protecting thecorridor.
Phillip Stokes (27:45):
Alex, you know, I do want to say, you know, it's
interesting, because, you know,now, with, with the internet,
you know, we have, we can lookat, you know, beautiful
landscapes from all over theworld, you know, and, and it's
really interesting to me to kindof look at the uniqueness of
each area. But then thinkingabout Florida, and like, what
(28:08):
makes Florida, Florida, youknow, and everything we've
talked about, like, yeah, it'sit's hot, it's swampy. But there
are and I should say, and all ofthat is just very beautiful.
And, you know, we didn't pick,you know, the, the land to be
the way it is, like you said, Imean, just the fact that it's
(28:29):
here, you know, it has it hasthat value. And so are there any
last thoughts you want to say aswe're wrapping up today?
Alex Freeze (28:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you making space for that. As
somebody who grew up my entireyouth and young adult life in
Florida, I just, I hope peoplecan maybe take away from this
conversation that Florida is somuch more than just golf
(29:02):
courses, and Daytona and youknow, things that are great
about Florida. Don't get mewrong, but what you mentioned,
our swamps and our wetlands andour coastal habitats. They are
some of the most unique naturalspaces. Absolutely in the entire
(29:28):
country and in the entire world.
Everglades National Park is aWorld Heritage Site. There are
so few of those designatedglobally and the impact that
having a space like that, buteven more so having a connected
corridor as robust as theFlorida wildlife corridor that
(29:53):
still exists in the third mostpopulated state in the entire
country is absolutelyincredible. And I don't want
people to undervalue howimportant that is, and how
incredible that is. For a statelike Florida, Florida has a lot
(30:15):
of different identities, a lotof different. You know, we all
know Florida man, it gets postedaround everywhere. And the
identity of Florida is so muchricher and deeper and more
nuanced than that we haveanimals in Florida that exists
nowhere else in the world. Oneof my favorites being the
(30:35):
Florida Scrub J, I'm a big birdnerd. And having just this
wildlife in these wild spaces,that truly exist nowhere else
and can't exist anywhere else,because the conditions aren't
right for it is so special. Andif I could ask any of your
(30:59):
listeners anything, it's just togo out even into your backyard
communities and experience wildFlorida for yourself. I know it
can be intimidating. But thereare so many great resources out
there to help people getconnected with their local
wilderness spaces and wildspaces. And just just go out and
(31:21):
see it for yourself. That's,that's really the message that I
want to send. Because it's sobeautiful. It's just incredible.
And I think of wild Florida assort of like this, this like
entity like made up of all ofthese moving parts. And she's
just great. Like, it's it's sucha, it's such a special place,
(31:47):
and so unique in the in theframework of the rest of the
country, and it's so worthprotecting.
Phillip Stokes (31:59):
But Alex, I think you summed that up pretty
perfectly in a really great wayto kind of wrap up today. So I
just want to say thank you somuch for being on the PI centers
podcast. It was an absolutepleasure speaking with you
today.
Alex Freeze (32:11):
Thank you, Phillip, thank you so much for having me
and highlighting before wildlifecorridor.
Ricky Telg (32:17):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
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thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:32):
Welcome to Science by the Slice, I'm
Phillip Stokes, EducationCoordinator with the PIE Center.
Today's episode is all about theFlorida wildlife corridor, which
is an 18 million acre statewidenetwork of connected lands and
waters. You can think of thiscorridor as a highway of
undeveloped land, which includesareas of wilderness and working
(00:55):
lands. And to learn more aboutthe corridor, you'll hear a
conversation I had with AlexFreese, who was with the Florida
Wildlife Corridor Foundation, anorganization that champions a
collaborative campaign topermanently connect, protect and
restore the Florida wildlifecorridor. While Alex has held
(01:16):
several roles with thefoundation, she currently serves
as the Corridor CollaborationTeams Facilitator, Alex and I
discussed just what the Floridawildlife corridor is, and how
lands are identified as beingpart of the corridor. We talked
about some of the expeditionsthat have taken place with the
foundation, major successes andconnecting lands and waters in
(01:37):
Florida, as well as some of theopportunities to conserve even
more of the corridor. Well, Alexfreeze, thank you so much for
being on the pie sinnerspodcast, science by the slice.
We're thrilled to have you. AndI'm excited to talk to you today
about the Florida Wildlifequarter foundation. I'm also
(01:59):
excited to hear more aboutyourself as well. So first, I
just want to give you a chanceto introduce yourself, tell us
who you are and a little bitabout your role within the
organization.
Alex Freeze (02:09):
Awesome. Thanks so much for having me, Phillip.
It's really a treat to be here.
So jumping right in. I have beenwith the for wildlife corridor
foundation for a very long timegoing all the way back to 2015.
I was the first ever intern forthe Florida Wildlife Corridor
Foundation. Before we were evendesignated as a foundation. I am
(02:32):
a sixth generation Floridian Ifeel so lucky to have been born
and raised in Florida and trulyraised in wild Florida. I come
from a long line of ranchers andagriculturalists. And just
people who loved the outdoors inFlorida. And that really sparked
(02:54):
my passion for wanting to beinvolved in conservation. And in
an organization like the Floridawildlife corridor foundation. I
started my journey into theprofessional world of of
environmental resources with adegree in wildlife biology that
turned into a master's degree inenvironmental education. My
(03:17):
heart has always been forwildlife and wild spaces. And I
really found my niche inconnecting people to wild places
as much as I wanted to initiallybe a biologist and be the one
boots on the ground. Learningabout Panthers or bears or
salamanders. I found that myskill set really was in
(03:38):
connecting people to thosespaces and those animals and
what I could do to communicatethe importance of nature in the
natural world. And that led verynaturally into that internship
with the Florida WildlifeCorridor starting in 2015. I
have to give a big shout out toCarlton Ward, who is the founder
(04:01):
of the Florida Wildlife CorridorFoundation. And the guy who gave
me a chance and hired me as hisfirst ever intern and then
convinced Mallory Dimmitt andJoe Guthrie, who were the other
founding members of thefoundation that yeah, we can
totally bring it in turn on this1000 mile seven D day hiking,
biking kayaking expedition thatwe're going to do and she's
(04:26):
going to be great. And it wasone of the most formative
experiences of of my youngconservation life and I'm truly
so grateful for it to this day.
That expedition that I mentionedwas the second expedition that
and will I know we're gonna getinto talking about that much
(04:48):
more later. But that 2015 trekthat we called the Forgotten
Coast. That was indeed 1000miles and 70 days hiking, biking
and kayaking and that's sort ofmy initial jump into foundation
land. And now having been in thespace for a while my role has
(05:10):
graduated to becoming thecorridor collaboration teams
facilitator for the foundation,we have several different teams
that act in different capacitiescollaborating over many
different areas of conservation,that need somebody in the
foundation to make sure thatthey're all getting what they
(05:34):
need, that they are able to workeffectively together and produce
really impactful products thatare making a difference in
corridor conservation across thestate. And that's what I've been
doing ever since May of thisyear. 2023. And I'm just so
stoked to be back with thefoundation after several years
(05:55):
away doing other work. And it's,it's been such a nice
homecoming.
Phillip Stokes (05:59):
Yeah, that's really amazing to hear your
story, Alex, and, you know,everyone, everyone's story,
right, everyone's foundation andtheir, where they grew up, you
know, it influences the way theytheir values and, and what they
really want to devote their timeinto, right. And so hearing
about where you grew up as asixth generation Floridian and
(06:21):
really just, you know, soundslike being an awe of of nature
and all the different resourcesthat Florida offers, I guess.
And then fast forward to 2015. Ididn't realize okay, you were an
intern, and they said, Sure.
Okay. Let's, let's bring ourintern along on Okay, remind
everyone, how many miles was itand you were hiking? You said
(06:43):
biking, kayaking, I mean, justdoing just kind of
Alex Freeze (06:49):
An adventure of a lifetime. I would say yes. So
trekking, trekking, to highlighthow important the connectivity
is of, you know, this landscapeand showing that, you know,
these lands are literally stillconnected and we can move
(07:09):
through them on foot or on bikeor on, you know, paddle craft.
So that was 1000 miles in 70days over three months from
Central Florida. All the way upto the Panhandle in Gulf Islands
(07:30):
National Seashore. We startedright around the Green Swamp,
which is kind of often talkedabout is like the heart of
Florida, the green beating heartof Florida, too crazy close to
Orlando, this absolutelybeautiful cypress swamp with
pine lands and beautifulwetlands. And there is a branch
(07:52):
of the Florida wildlife corridorwhich we'll talk about what that
means. That goes all the way upinto the Panhandle. And we
finished at the beautiful GulfCoast Gulf Islands National
Seashore 70 days later. And itwas absolutely wild and myself I
grew up in Tampa so the GulfCoast is really my home. I grew
(08:15):
up running through dunes andwatching clovers breed and
fledge in the springtime and inthe early summer, my
grandparents had a almost 400acre cattle ranch, just outside
of Bradenton, Florida and asmall town called Parrish and I
(08:38):
have distinctive memories as achild of running through
palmettos and having my parentsand my uncle's point out deer
tracks and maybe a panthertracker to cannot confirm or
deny I was like nine years old.
So you know, I don't have anyevidence to support that. But
they told me they were Panthertracks could have been Bobcat
(08:59):
tracks, also could have beencoyote tracks. I would have
loved it no matter what it was.
But it really sparked myimagination as a young person to
think oh my gosh, there'sthere's big cats in my
grandparents woods. And thegreat sadness of that story is
that that ranch no longerexists. And unfortunately,
(09:22):
that's the story and the endingto so much ranch land and
working land and family land inFlorida when families can no
longer afford to keep the landor the stewards the original
stewards pass away like mygrandfather did. And the
children are scattered to thefour corners and it doesn't make
(09:44):
sense for the family to keep itso my grandmother's house still
stands on a small 20 acre patchbut the remainder of that
beautiful 400 Acres is nowcookie cutter development and
it's truly heartbreaking butthankfully that is not The story
everywhere. And I'm reallyexcited to, you know, keep
(10:04):
sharing with you all of thecollaborative work that the
floor wildlife corridorFoundation is doing to ensure
that what happened to myfamily's ranch land is not the
story and is not the narrativefor for so many working families
in Florida who have beautiful,incredible pieces of land that
are vital to the connections ofthe corridor.
Phillip Stokes (10:24):
Yeah, and I think you know, what you've
touched on. So starting backwith the expeditions, and
connecting people to the wildspaces of Florida. I think it
sounds like that's a prettyintegral part of the Florida
wildlife corridor Foundation,because a lot of times we don't
see those spaces. And, you know,you mentioned how a lot of those
(10:47):
wild spaces have been turnedinto developments and, you know,
things, you know, humandevelopment that that we need,
you know, we need communitiesand places to live. But also,
you know, any, any Floridianwho's, you know, you know, maybe
been here for a long time, yeah,you drive around with them. And
you say, Hey, you see that?
Yeah, that used to be an orangegrove that used to be, you know,
(11:07):
pasture for cattle that used tojust be a tree stand, you know,
or whatever, like a an area offorested area. But what's
happening, and I want you todescribe this a little bit
better is a lot of landdevelopment, and Florida does
fragment the connected wildlands of Florida, maybe not
(11:30):
intentionally, but it does breakup those contiguous lands for
for animals, for you mentionedbefore, like Storm buffers, and
all sorts of, you know, servicesthat we rely on. So why, you
know, tell us, you know, what iskind of the issue at hand. And,
you know, what are some ofthose, you know, long term goals
(11:52):
of the Florida wildlife corridorfoundation?
Alex Freeze (11:59):
Absolutely. And you bring up such a good point.
Humans need to be able tosurvive and live and thrive in
Florida just as much as wildlifeneeds to be able to survive and
live and thrive in Florida. Butit's all about how do we build?
Where do we build? What is thedesign implementation that is
(12:21):
going to make this what we calla corridor compatible community,
we have about 1000 people a day.
That's the one of the best, youknow, estimates that we have for
people moving to Florida, andhow we accommodate those people
is really important. So whenwe're looking at the corridor,
(12:43):
and I'll give a little bit moreof like a specific definition of
what the Florida wildlifecorridor is like, what is this?
It's kind of an abstract idea.
Corridor. I mean, that couldmean anything. So when we're
talking about the Floridawildlife corridor, we are
talking about a statewide fromall the way at the bottom of
(13:06):
Florida, the Everglades, upthrough peninsular Florida to
the very top the edge ofGeorgia, the Okefenokee Swamp.
That's a funny word, but I loveit the Okefenokee Swamp, yeah.
And then there's a V of thecorridor that goes through the
Panhandle. And that's theexhibition we were talking about
(13:28):
earlier. And this corridor ismade up of 18 million acres of
wilderness working lands, publicand private property that is
home to some of the, you know,most endangered imperiled, but
(13:48):
incredible species that Floridahas to offer. So you think of it
as like a highway for wildlifeand wild lands and water is
absolutely included in this aswell. So just like we need eye
for just like we need I 75 totravel and move where we need to
in the state. Animals like theFlorida panther, the Florida
(14:08):
black bear, the gopher tortoiseneed to be able to move
throughout the state to findpartners to breed to find food
to find appropriate habitat. Andkeeping that corridor connected
is absolutely possible, whilestill developing intentionally
(14:33):
at the same time. So so much ofthe corridor is made up of
working lands, and of that 18million acres that I talked
about that encompasses theentire corridor, 8 million acres
of that is still unprotected. Sowe've come so far, there is so
(14:54):
much positivity, you know, veryoften, especially nowadays, if
We have environmentalconversations, they tend to take
kind of a darker turn, I thinkthe message of the corridor is
such a positive one, becausethere's so much opportunity, and
there's so much great workthat's being done in a very
(15:16):
interdisciplinary collaborativeway that is, you know, keeping
this corridor connected. Onemisconception I think people
have about the corridor is thatmaybe all, you know, open,
undeveloped land in Florida ispart of the corridor. And that's
not necessarily true, althoughall land is valuable and worth,
(15:38):
you know, conservationprotection? Absolutely. We're
really thinking of this greenhighway. So say we wanted to
build, you know, a new housingdevelopment. If the city
planners and the county plannersand the decision makers that are
coming together with thedevelopers to decide, how is
this new community going to goin? If they were thinking in
(16:03):
terms of corridor compatibility,they would think, Okay, where
can we put this development,that's not going to cause a
fragmentation or a breaking upof that highway, a highway only
works if it stays connected? Ifeel like that was very rambly.
But that was very much anutshell touch on the idea of
(16:25):
corridor compatible communitiesand how absolutely development
is going to happen in Florida.
And it's needed, we need to beable to support successful, you
know, full human lives inFlorida, but we can absolutely
do that in a way that issustainable, and thoughtful
towards the other residents ofour state, which are our
(16:45):
wildlife.
Phillip Stokes (16:48):
Yeah, you know, it's it is interesting. Maybe
ironic, I don't know that youmentioned how important roads
are for people. I mean, we knowhow much we rely on them every
day to get to work and visit ourfamily and everything else. And
yeah, for for animals, they needthat because because what you
mentioned before was it's notjust having some green space in
(17:08):
some undeveloped land, maybethat's a part of the corridor,
maybe it's not, it's great tohave it, you know, where the
trees are putting off oxygen andabsorbing co2 and things like
that. But is it necessarily isthat where the black bear is
going to travel, to be able tokind of, you know, expand its
(17:31):
terrain, and whatever, whateverthe black bear needs to do, for
that matter. And I reallyappreciate Alex, what you said
is, you know, taking thatpositive frame, because you're
right, within conservation, wethink about the things that have
been done, but there's so muchthat can be done, you know, and,
and just being intentional, and,and trying to develop in smart
(17:53):
ways, while still, you know,allowing humans to prosper, but
also allowing the wildlife toprosper. And so humans can enjoy
just this the great state thatFlorida is right.
Alex Freeze (18:06):
Absolutely. There's so much economic viability, in
sustainability and in buildingand living as as people with the
environment in mind. As anenvironmental educator, I try so
hard to help people understandhow we are all part of this
(18:26):
greater ecosystem, we do notexist apart from it. And for us
to be able to continue to liveour most fulfilling, enriching,
healthy lives for, you know, allof the future to come. We have
to do that in line and inpartnership with the natural
(18:51):
world. And that's where the mostsuccess comes from. And so much
of Florida's prosperity ishoused within the Florida
wildlife corridor, I mean,absolute millions of acres of
agricultural lands, ranch lands,if you if listeners might not
(19:12):
know and this is very often notan identity that Florida has.
But Florida is either the secondor third largest producer of
cattle in the entire country.
And that that idea is often verydichotomous with like
environmental protections andcattle ranching. In a lot of
ways for good reasons with howranching is done around the
world. You know, we're all awareof, you know, slash and burn
(19:33):
agriculture in South America.
absolutely devastating. That isnot how we raise cattle here in
Florida. cattle ranches, andthose working family lands make
up a massive part of the Floridawildlife corridor. And those
conservationists, thoseranchers, who really are what I
(19:54):
would consider some of theoriginal conservationists, if
you go out with these workingmen, women and people They know
the land and the ebbs and flowsand the way that it works
seasonally and how to keep theiranimals healthy on the land as
well as wildlife healthy on theland, their knowledge, and their
experience is so rich and vastin deep. And it's it's truly a
(20:19):
remarkable partnership that wehave with so many landowners and
the corridor. Ecotourism is ahuge thing in Florida, I mean,
people flocked to our springs,to our national parks, to our
state parks, and that ecotourismbrings so much prosperity to you
(20:39):
know, our coasts, of course, thebeaches, which, again, are not
always part of the corridor, butare part of the natural fabric
of Florida, which is soimportant to protect. So it's,
again, I'm the type of personwho looks at it as the intrinsic
value of nature, how it deservesto be here, simply because it
(21:00):
exists, but it is so importantto comment on how important the
corridor connectivity is to thehealth of all Floridians
financially and physically.
Phillip Stokes (21:12):
You know, Alex, like we're talking about all
these different groups, youknow, that interact with each
other. And, you know, humans canget like, like, we're messy,
right, relationships are messy.
But you know, what I really Igenuinely do think that like
people are are all like, we'reall trying our best, you know,
we're all like, putting our bestfoot forward. We're all trying
to make the right decisions, youknow, based on the best the
(21:33):
information that we have. And socaring more about the
connections, and thecollaborations you have within
the Florida wildlife corridorthat's such a vital part into
like doing that storytelling,how do you facilitate those
connections between differentgroups, such as developers and
landowners and conservationistsand people who just work regular
(21:56):
jobs and live in big cities inFlorida, and everyone else in
between?
Alex Freeze (22:04):
That is such a great question. And I don't
think anybody has like a perfectmethodology or a perfect answer,
but I'll just share with youwhat we did, or so we, as a
team, and we are an everexpanding team, it's, it's such
a fantastic organization to be apart of just because there's so
(22:25):
much momentum and energy andpassion and in belief in the
mission of, you know, keepingthe corridor connected,
protected, and restoring whatneeds to be restored. So, so
much of what we do is we have,like summit type experiences,
(22:47):
conferences where we give openinvitations to I mean, every
partnership you could possiblyimagine from players that I've
already mentioned before, youknow, The Nature Conservancy of
Florida, but also like FloridaFish and Wildlife, politicians,
(23:07):
local lawmakers, landowners,artists, conservationists, all
people who you know, we're verypublic organization, we have,
you know, very public socialmedia, we've made these films
which have, you know, gone on tosome of them, you know, be in
film festivals all across theworld. You know, our message is
(23:30):
a very public one. And one ofthe biggest pieces of publicity
that's brought in a lot ofpartnerships, since 2021, was
actually the signing of theFlorida wildlife corridor act.
So this is not just kind of aconceptual idea of the four
(23:50):
wildlife corridor is adesignated space under this
official, you know, legislativeAct that was signed with
unanimous bipartisan support, Iwill say, which are not words
that you get to string togethervery often these days in June of
2021, and that publicity, andthe the really groundbreaking
(24:14):
nature of that act being signed,you know, people reach out to
our team all the time, like,Hey, how can I be part of what
you're doing? How can we, youknow, work together to protect
this particular land, there areland Trust's all across Florida.
So the for wildlife corridorFoundation is a nonprofit, we
(24:35):
are not a land trust, we do nothold land. We are the advocacy
organization who wants tohighlight all of the good work
that these other organizationsare doing. And so, we would work
really closely with a land trustorganization to you know, make
sure that the partnershipsbetween the land owners and the
trust are strong, that you know,everything was on the up and up
(24:59):
getting done, what needed to getdone. But then we have other
team members whose specialty is,you know, grassroots community
activism and outreach. And we'repainting murals all across
Florida and bringing artiststogether to spread the message.
We have curriculum anddevelopment right now that we
(25:21):
have, you know, big hopes of, ofreaching young people and going
into educational audiences toteach people about the corridor
in a unique and engaging way.
Our upper leadership, we are ledby the absolutely incredible
Mallory Dimmitt, who is one ofmy absolute conservation heroes,
(25:43):
and just icons to me. She's suchan incredible person. Mallory
and our leadership team travelall across the state giving
presentations and talks about,you know, different areas that
are in need of protection. Andthen, of course, we do the
expeditions fairly frequently,you know, sometimes they're
(26:07):
every other year, sometimesthere's a couple years in
between the foundation had anexpedition just last year, that
highlighted three veterans andtheir journey through a really
important part of the corridor.
And that film is going to becoming out, hopefully in the
(26:29):
next year, which is reallyexciting. So those are really
the big ways that we sort ofdraw in partners and, and have
these collaborative experiences.
So much of my role specifically,is making sure that those
partners are just supported withthe tools that the foundation
creates our incrediblecommunications team is just
(26:50):
cranking out the bestcommunication pieces, left and
right, and making sure that thephotographs and the video
content and the messaging aroundwhat's happening in the
corridor, you know, what acreagegot protected this month, what's
being threatened and needs to befocused on, you know, maybe what
(27:12):
toll road is being produced,that maybe shouldn't be
happening, that needs someadvocacy against that messaging
is all you know, very importantto get out to our partners.
Partnerships extend across everyarea of work that you can
imagine. And it's so criticalthat all of that work, you know,
(27:34):
come together and be, you know,aligned to the mission of
connecting and protecting thecorridor.
Phillip Stokes (27:45):
Alex, you know, I do want to say, you know, it's
interesting, because, you know,now, with, with the internet,
you know, we have, we can lookat, you know, beautiful
landscapes from all over theworld, you know, and, and it's
really interesting to me to kindof look at the uniqueness of
each area. But then thinkingabout Florida, and like, what
(28:08):
makes Florida, Florida, youknow, and everything we've
talked about, like, yeah, it'sit's hot, it's swampy. But there
are and I should say, and all ofthat is just very beautiful.
And, you know, we didn't pick,you know, the, the land to be
the way it is, like you said, Imean, just the fact that it's
(28:29):
here, you know, it has it hasthat value. And so are there any
last thoughts you want to say aswe're wrapping up today?
Alex Freeze (28:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you making space for that. As
somebody who grew up my entireyouth and young adult life in
Florida, I just, I hope peoplecan maybe take away from this
conversation that Florida is somuch more than just golf
(29:02):
courses, and Daytona and youknow, things that are great
about Florida. Don't get mewrong, but what you mentioned,
our swamps and our wetlands andour coastal habitats. They are
some of the most unique naturalspaces. Absolutely in the entire
(29:28):
country and in the entire world.
Everglades National Park is aWorld Heritage Site. There are
so few of those designatedglobally and the impact that
having a space like that, buteven more so having a connected
corridor as robust as theFlorida wildlife corridor that
(29:53):
still exists in the third mostpopulated state in the entire
country is absolutelyincredible. And I don't want
people to undervalue howimportant that is, and how
incredible that is. For a statelike Florida, Florida has a lot
(30:15):
of different identities, a lotof different. You know, we all
know Florida man, it gets postedaround everywhere. And the
identity of Florida is so muchricher and deeper and more
nuanced than that we haveanimals in Florida that exists
nowhere else in the world. Oneof my favorites being the
(30:35):
Florida Scrub J, I'm a big birdnerd. And having just this
wildlife in these wild spaces,that truly exist nowhere else
and can't exist anywhere else,because the conditions aren't
right for it is so special. Andif I could ask any of your
(30:59):
listeners anything, it's just togo out even into your backyard
communities and experience wildFlorida for yourself. I know it
can be intimidating. But thereare so many great resources out
there to help people getconnected with their local
wilderness spaces and wildspaces. And just just go out and
(31:21):
see it for yourself. That's,that's really the message that I
want to send. Because it's sobeautiful. It's just incredible.
And I think of wild Florida assort of like this, this like
entity like made up of all ofthese moving parts. And she's
just great. Like, it's it's sucha, it's such a special place,
(31:47):
and so unique in the in theframework of the rest of the
country, and it's so worthprotecting.
Phillip Stokes (31:59):
But Alex, I think you summed that up pretty
perfectly in a really great wayto kind of wrap up today. So I
just want to say thank you somuch for being on the PI centers
podcast. It was an absolutepleasure speaking with you
today.
Alex Freeze (32:11):
Thank you, Phillip, thank you so much for having me
and highlighting before wildlifecorridor.
Ricky Telg (32:17):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
Center for Public IssuesEducation in Agriculture and
Natural Resources. Thanks forlistening to today's episode.
Subscribe to Science by theSlice on your favorite podcast
app and give us a rating orreview as well. Have a question
or comment? Send us an email topiecenter@ifas.ufl.edu. That's
(32:40):
piecenter, all one word, atifas, I-F-A-S, dot ufl dot edu.
We'd love to hear from you. Ifyou enjoyed today's episode,
consider sharing with a friendor colleague. Until next time,
thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
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