From Ridge to Ranch to River to Reef with Hilary Swain
Wednesday, February 14, 2018Time 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
From Ridge to Ranch to River to Reef
Hilary Swain, Executive Director of Archbold Biological Station
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | 4:30pm | Auditorium
General Admission $20 | Reserved Seating $35 | Sponsorship $150
Upstream and inland from Boca Grande, the heart of Florida includes a vast 2.6 million-acre watershed, the headwaters of the Everglades. This area stretches from the ancient sands of the Lake Wales Ridge, across nearly one million acres of working cattle ranches, to the rivers that flow south into Lake Okeechobee and beyond to the Everglades and the coasts. Dr. Hilary Swain will introduce this vast, complex region through the research, education and conservation lens of Archbold Biological Station, located in Venus, Florida (archbold-station.org). She will describe Archbold’s work at the 8,848-acre, globally significant Florida scrub preserve lying on the southern end of an ancient sandy ridge running through central Florida and then transport us to Archbold’s 10,500-acre Buck Island Ranch. The programs at Buck Island Ranch are driven by Archbold scientists and collaborators from universities and government agencies. This insight into the work of Archbold’s mission will show how it affects the lives of millions of people in Florida and the future sustainability of ecosystems around the world.