|
Dear Carlton,
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support of Wildpath. Your commitment to protecting wild places, like the Florida Wildlife Corridor, has been the driving force behind our success, and we couldn't be more thankful.
This has been a big year for Wildpath's storytelling and advocacy – and the land protection it helped inspire. Let's start with the conservation milestones.
Conservation Milestones
$1 Billion Toward Land Protection
Earlier in 2023, the Florida legislature committed a record $1 billion toward land protection in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, bringing the total commitment since the 2021 Florida Wildlife Corridor Act to more than $2 billion.
111,059 Acres Approved For Protection in 2023
This has also been a big year for putting conservation funding to work. Our partners at land trusts throughout the state worked with landowners and state agencies to approve protection for 111,059 acres of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This is the annual pace of conservation needed to protect an additional 800,000 acres by the end of the decade. Wildpath's photographers and videographers have been in the field working to tell these stories. Please visit Wildpath.com/progress to see some of the incredible landscapes being saved and acknowledgement of all the organizations making the conservation possible. Download photos, videos and maps to help share the progress we are accomplishing together.
Storytelling Milestones
Wildpath also achieved major storytelling milestones this year that helped strengthen and grow the movement to save the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Path of the Panther Film Released In Theaters Across Florida
In February, the Path of the Panther film, produced by Wildpath and Grizzly Creek Films, released in over 40 different theaters across Florida. During its limited theatrical debut, it ranked the top documentary film in the country.
Path of the Panther Film Broadcast and Streaming
In April, the film was broadcasted on National Geographic Channel and started streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Path of the Panther Policy Screenings
During the 2023 legislative session, Wildpath hosted special screenings of the film near the state capitol in Tallahassee to educate and inspire lawmakers. We also organized a special screening at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC that featured a panel discussion with policy experts from The Nature Conservancy and leading federal conservation agencies. A new screening for national policymakers is being planned for 2024.
Path of the Panther Community Screenings
Our impact team organized over 20 community screenings with local organizations, universities, zoos and indigenous tribes, and is working with the Live Wildly and Florida State Parks Foundations for special screenings in state parks within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Community screenings are continuing into 2024 with many more to come.
Path of the Panther Education Curriculum
Wildpath partnered with Disney to create a Path of the Panther Activity Guide for elementary school students and educators. Our team is partnering with Disney and the National Geographic Society to also create a complete Path of the Panther education curriculum that will be available for classrooms in 2024.
Path of the Panther Book
National Geographic published my new book, Path of the Panther, which can be purchased at wildpath.com/book. The 240-page coffee table book includes a foreward by Carl Hiaasen and essays by other leading Florida authors. We gave signed copies to all of Florida's lawmakers in Tallahassee earlier this year and have plans to share the book with all members of Congress early in 2024.
Capitol Photography Exhibit
A large-scale photography exhibit, based on the contents of the Path of the Panther book, debuted in the Capitol Gallery in Tallahassee during the 2023 legislative session, including a reception hosted by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. The original Path of the Panther exhibit has since traveled from Tallahassee to two additional museums in South Florida.
Path of the Panther Day
President Passidomo and the Florida legislature designated the day of our Capitol Gallery reception as Path of the Panther Day, honoring our team’s work and its legacy in inspiring recognition and protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The legislature is considering February 12, 2024 as Florida Wildlife Corridor Day and Wildpath is working with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and Conservation Florida to host events at the capitol with partners and champions.
Path of the Panther Exhibit at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
A new version of the Path of the Panther exhibit premiered in December at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa, where it will be on view through March 2024. Learn more here.
Dear Tampa Bay: Stories from the Gulf Coast
Wildpath's Director of Video Storytelling, Katie Bryden, produced the short film, Dear Tampa Bay: Stories from the Gulf Coast, working with the National Wildlife Federation and National Science Foundation. In addition to being a powerful portrayal of resiliency along America's gulf coast, the film was used as a case study to measure the success of educating communities about environmental impacts.
New Documentary Films
We also made great progress on new documentaries we are developing with National Geographic and other partners. Stay tuned for more details on forthcoming films focused on Florida black bears and the Florida Wildlife Corridor, Florida grasshopper sparrows and the headwaters of the Everglades, as well as migratory species and marine protection in the Gulf of Mexico.
Looking Ahead to 2024
As we embark on a new year, Wildpath is working to scale the impact of our storytelling. While we remain focused on the storytelling and advocacy needed to inspire permanent protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, we are also developing exciting new initiatives to conserve land and water beyond Florida's borders.
Gulf of Mexico: Paths to Protection
We are working with National Geographic Explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle, with support from the National Geographic Society, for a project called Gulf of Mexico: Paths to Protection. Starting along Florida's "Wilderness Coast", we will showcase the largest contiguous seagrass beds in the Gulf and under-appreciated corals offshore. Our storytelling will focus on the migration routes of whale sharks, Rice's whales, sea turtles and tarpon, among other species. Our goal is to help the world reimagine the Gulf as much more than an industrial sea, rather a global biodiversity hotspot worth saving. Policy goals include supporting new sanctuaries to protect seagrasses, deep-water corals and migration corridors.
US Department of Defense - Sentinel Lands
Wildpath has also begun telling stories with the US Department of Defense and partners within Sentinel Lands, effectively advocating for wildlife corridors across America. For this project we will be sending photographers and filmmakers to document large landscapes and conservation projects surrounding military bases throughout the United States.
The Power of Your Generosity
As we reflect on these incredible milestones of 2023, we are profoundly grateful for the role you've played. This work is not possible without generous supporters and champions like you. Your donations help keep us on the front lines of conservation, building stories that inspire action.
As we look ahead to 2024, I hope you'll consider contributing to Wildpath's ongoing efforts with a year-end donation today. Together, we will create a future in balance for people and wildlife – and the wild places that sustain us all.
| 
