Naples, FL – Audubon Florida is pleased to announce that it received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County. These funds will provide needed support to maintain operations at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary due to the financial impacts from the COVID-19 shutdown.
For more than a century, Audubon has worked to protect and restore America's Everglades and other important sites, including Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Originally established to protect old-growth cypress forest from logging in 1954, the Sanctuary now protects more than 13,000 acres of wetland habitats and introduces visitors to these natural resources via a 2.25-mile boardwalk.
“We are grateful to the Naples community for this funding, which is especially important while the Blair Audubon Visitor Center is closed to the public,” said Lisa Korte, Sanctuary director. “I would like to thank the Community Foundation of Collier County for its strong partnership and for being a philanthropic first responder during the coronavirus pandemic. The Naples community came together to establish the Sanctuary in 1954 and we appreciate this community support during the coronavirus pandemic,” she concluded.
The staff at the Sanctuary monitors environmental conditions, educates the community, and manages and restores wetland habitats that have been altered by decades of land-use changes. Maintaining these healthy wetlands is crucial for cleaning nutrient pollution from groundwater, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the community, holding floodwaters during severe weather events, and providing habitat to many species of wading birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that call these wetlands home.
About Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and recognized as a Wetland of Distinction by the Society of Wetland Scientists, has been an Audubon-protected site for more than 100 years. It protects more than 13,000 acres, including the world’s largest remaining, old-growth bald cypress forest. An estimated 100,000 visitors annually explore the Sanctuary’s 2.25 miles of boardwalk through ancient forest, marsh, and upland habitats. Learn more at Corkscrew.Audubon.org.
About the Community Foundation of Collier County
The Community Foundation of Collier County, now entering its 35th year, is a tax-exempt, public, charitable organization established in 1985 to increase and focus on local private philanthropy. Today, the Community Foundation of Collier County manages more than 750 funds, collaborates with hundreds of nonprofits, holds $214 million in assets and has distributed over $184 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and community programs. The Community Foundation of Collier County is one of Florida’s fastest-growing community foundations. For good. Forever. Learn more at cfcollier.org or call 239-649-5000.
