In 2021, Audubon received two grants toward the five year, 1,000-acre marsh and prairie restoration project at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples. SeaWorld Conservation Fund has added $100,000 to its previous commitments of $200,000. Publix announced that it is contributing $2 million to restore wetlands in the Everglades, with $1.2 million of those funds earmarked to support the restoration of 500 acres at the Sanctuary.

Healthy wetlands remove excess nutrients from our watershed, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in our communities, hold floodwaters during the rainy season, and provide habitat to many of our wading birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that call these wetlands home.

Restoration efforts are already showing progress. Hundreds of ducks spent part of their winters here, attracted to the diversity of plants. They forage on smartweed, grasses, and sedges, and already multiple species of wading birds, including herons, egrets, and Roseate Spoonbills, are using the area.

It costs approximately $2,300 to restore an acre of marsh or prairie, and we have a goal of 1,000 acres. Thank you, SeaWorld Conservation Fund and Publix!