We soared at this year’s Audubon Florida Assembly in Daytona Beach, and I thank the members, staff, award winners, and donors who attended the exciting three-day event. You are what hope looks like to a bird! 

This year we had the special privilege of looking back at 125 years of Audubon in Florida and setting our sights on future conservation initiatives and wins under the new, strategic Flight Plan. From protecting plume birds at the turn of the 20th century, stopping egregious development projects from the Big Cypress Jetport and the Cross-Florida Barge Canal to creating state parks, national wildlife refuges, and more, Audubon has been there to protect birds and the places they need. 

One of my favorite parts of Assembly was a brainstorming activity where we asked participants to think ahead to how we want conservation to look in the Sunshine State. We spoke passionately about working with cities and counties to plant more trees, expanding resilience education and insight amongst coastal communities, creating pocket parks in urban spaces—in the photo below you can see how our ideas took flight to fill an entire wall!

I am grateful this season for all of you, working across all of Florida’s counties, habitats, and coastlines, to improve quality of life for both wildlife and people. Cheers to the new year! 

This letter originally appeared in the 2024 Winter Naturalist.