After a long campaign by Audubon Florida and partners, the South Florida Water Management District entered into a new lease agreement on the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge this March, effectively saving this important National Wildlife Refuge! The agreement allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue managing this resource for wildlife. The new agreement renews the 60-year partnership between the State of Florida and the federal government to protect 144,000 acres of northern Everglades habitat in Palm Beach County. We thank the more than 67,000 advocates who took action to protect one of the nation’s most beloved and important National Wildlife Refuges!

Audubon’s role was so critical to this success that the National Wildlife Refuge Association is recognizing Audubon Florida’s Celeste De Palma with a new award at their national gala in Washington, D.C