Trails are one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting people to nature and fostering a lasting sense of place. By providing direct, immersive access to the outdoors, trails invite us to build personal relationships with the landscapes around us. Whether it’s a shaded stretch of pine flatwood on a rail trail, a sandy path along a coastal estuary or a boardwalk hovering above a cypress swamp, these experiences deepen appreciation and often plant the seed for stewardship. When people fall in love with the places they explore, they’re far more likely to protect them. Trails don’t just lead us through nature, they anchor us to it, transforming passive admiration into active care.

This week we’re joined by Charles Hines, who knows a thing or two about trails. He’s the Florida Gulf Coast Trail Program Director for Trust for Public Land and former Sarasota County Commissioner. Charles shares the bold vision behind the 420-mile trail spanning seven counties across Southwest Florida, and how projects like this are reshaping how Floridians connect with nature, recreation, and each other. We’ll dive into the progress of the Gulf Coast Trail vision, how it will connect with other trail networks, and the vast community benefits of such infrastructure investments. 

A native of Florida, Hines has a background in law and has played an active role with many community nonprofits and civic organizations, including the Bay Park Conservancy, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Charlotte Harbor Estuary Program, Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, West Coast Inland Navigation District, and Florida Association of Counties.

Resources:

• https://www.tpl.org/our-work/florida-gulf-coast-trail
• https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2025/jul/03/bikers-new-legacy-trail-bridge/

Subscribe to Florida Uncut to hear from more voices shaping wild Florida.

In this special episode of Florida Uncut, we’re bringing you our first-ever live recording, captured this past weekend at the Wild Space Gallery in St. Pete.

The conversation centers around the behind-the-scenes efforts that brought the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s 2024 expedition film to life. Every two years, the Foundation leads a week-long journey, on foot, bike, and water, through a region of the Corridor that needs greater public awareness and protection.

This year’s expedition took place in Southwest Florida, tracing a route from the Western Everglades to the Caloosahatchee River, an infamously challenging crossing point for the endangered Florida Panther.

Our panel features several team members (Ethan Coyle, Alex Freeze, and Joe Whalen) who helped make the expedition possible. You'll hear untold stories from the trail, hilarious moments of gear failure, and candid reflections on the logistics, challenges, and triumphs that didn’t make it into the final film.

If you're near St. Pete, be sure to check out the companion gallery exhibit, “Blazing the Trail: From Strand to Slough,” on display at the Wild Space Gallery through August 30. The exhibit dives deeper into the people, process, and wild beauty behind the making of this year’s expedition film. 

I want to give an enormous thank you to Ethan, Alex, and Joe for the amazing conversation. I love working with them. I want to also especially thank Leslie Elsasser, Noel Smith, Kat Duval, and Tony Palms for opening up the Wild Space Gallery to tell these stories and for the opportunity to host our first live podcast. I am so thankful and still buzzing from the experience! 

Wild Space Gallery on Google Maps. Don't miss it! Be sure to come check out the exhibit by August 30th. The gallery is open Wed-Sat 2-6pm.

Also, mark you calendars for the film premiere of our expedition on September 18th at the Tampa Theater.

Would you like to attend a live recording of Florida Uncut? Be sure to save the date of July 12, 5–9 PM for a new exhibition "Blazing the Trail: From Strand to Slough" and a live recording of "Wild Takes: Florida Uncut Podcast Live" from 5-8pm at the Wild Space Gallery in St. Pete! I’ll be there interviewing the folks behind the scenes of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s last expedition, and upcoming film. 

In this episode, we catch up with Joe Howard, one of the original trekkers on the O2O: Path to Connection expedition. Joe reflects on his journey across the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor, an ambitious, 57-mile boots-on-the-ground adventure aimed at raising awareness for one of the most critical wildlife linkages in Florida.

We’re speaking with Joe, a career Florida state parks manager, nearly two years after the trek because the story didn’t end on the trail. Just last week, the Florida Cabinet approved a major land acquisition in the O2O region, securing nearly 78,000 acres of high-priority conservation land. It’s a huge victory for Florida’s Wildlife Corridor, and for the vision Joe and the O2O team helped bring to life.

Tune in as we talk with Joe about the power of storytelling, what it meant to be part of the expedition, and how it feels to see real policy action happen in a place he walked to protect.

Watch O2O: Path to Connection here

Read more about the approved funding for the 77,877 acres of land here. 

Alex Freeze has been part of the movement to connect and protect wild Florida for well over a decade and now works as the Corridor Connect Director at the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. Alex brings a wealth of experience as a conservation photographer, environmental educator, and advocate for Florida's natural landscapes. Did I mention she was a field producer for the Emmy award-winning film, Path of the Panther?

In this conversation, Alex shares her journey from being a 6th-generation Floridian to a leading voice in conservation, highlighting her work in visual storytelling and her role in coordinating collaborative conservation efforts across the state. We explore the challenges and triumphs of preserving Florida's unique ecosystems, the importance of community engagement, and the innovative collaborative strategies Alex employs to advance the Corridor an acre at a time. 

Alex is also the driving force behind the upcoming Corridor Connect summit, Florida’s premiere statewide gathering of conservation professionals happening June 3-5, 2025. It’s a powerful convening of storytellers, scientists, landowners, and policymakers to collaborate on one of the most urgent conservation efforts in the country. Be sure to follow the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation on socials to hear and see what goes on!

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

• Alex’s master’s thesis on students’ impression of conservation photography: https://www.montreat.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/exploring-student-impressions-of-conservation-photographs-a-potential-strategy-for-classroom-environmental-education.pdf
• Dear Tampa Film: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Gulf-Restoration/Dear-Tampa
• 10 things you can do to help the Florida Wildlife Corridor: https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/10-things.pdf

Connect with Alex Freeze:

• Website: alexfreeze.com
• Instagram: @alexofthewild

Learn More About the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation:

• Website: floridawildlifecorridor.org
• Instagram: @floridawildlifecorridor
• Facebook: Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation

Learn more about the summit: corridorconnect.org/page/summit-2025

In this episode of Florida Uncut, we sit down with Brent Setchell, Drainage Design Engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 1, to talk about something most drivers rarely see—but Florida’s wildlife depends on: wildlife crossings.

Brent grew up immersed in the outdoors, and now he’s helping ensure Florida’s wild places remain connected. From panthers and bears to otters and deer, these crossings save lives—animal and human alike. But what goes into building one? When and where is the right time to act? And how many crossings do we actually need?

We dig into the data, the planning, and the unexpected benefits that come with making Florida’s highways a little more humane and its wild spaces more connected. Brent also shares the story behind one of the state’s standout crossings near the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area, as well as the first overpass wildlife crossing currently under construction on I-4. 

Resources/links from episode:

• Watch FDOT and fStop’s film, Building Wild Spaces, Connectivity on I-4 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3TPkSaQ4e8&t=51s
• Map of current and upcoming Florida wildlife crossings: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a105b26615f64b19b543eb9ab61fe197&extent=-9237486.6341%2C2933269.2122%2C-8868754.4097%2C3305670.414%2C102100
• Learn more about the Lakeland Mural Unveiling with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation on 4/18 at 3pm. I’ll be there! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lakeland-mural-unveiling-tickets-1308877881979
• Request an invitation to the Corridor Connect Summit, happening June 3-5! https://corridorconnect.org/page/summit-2025

Support Florida Uncut on Patreon.

Damon is a restoration ecologist and practitioner with 20 years of experience designing and implementing habitat restoration projects in southwest Florida. He played an instrumental role in local large-scale habitat restoration projects including the restoration of Perico and Robinson Preserve, among many other habitat improvement projects across Manatee County.

In late 2022 Damon founded the nonprofit Oyster River Ecology to scale up local habitat restoration projects including large scale oyster restoration in the Tampa Bay & Sarasota Bay watersheds. Damon has led an effort to conduct a massive oyster restoration project in the Manatee River, once called the "Oyster River" with a goal of restoring 132 acres of oyster reefs in the river.

Damon will provide a deep dive into the local history of oysters in the Manatee River and share details about work already in progress to bring oysters back to their historical abundance in the Manatee River.

You can find out more about Damon and opportunities to get involved at oysterriverecology.org. 

You can also follow along: 

https://www.instagram.com/oyster_river_ecology_inc/

https://www.facebook.com/OysterRiverEcologyInc

https://www.youtube.com/@oysterriverecology

For this episode I'm sitting down with Mike Elfenbein, an incredibly dedicated advocate for wild Florida. You might find Mike hunting pythons barefoot in the Everglades, or dressed in a suit and tie (shoes optional) on Capitol Hill pushing for further focus and protection for Florida's wildlands.

Mike now resides on Florida's southwest coast where he serves as the executive director for the Cypress Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. of America.

Mike’s conservation journey started in the fishing industry and evolved after a pivotal invitation to go hunt in Big Cypress as a kid. His passion for wildlife conservation is now highlighted by his desire to show people the places and provide similar opportunities and invitations he was given. From airboats to fishing trips, Mike has learned that getting more folks to see wild Florida is the best way to protect it.

“My mission is to protect the Big Cypress National Preserve and everything connected to her."

Mike’s previous leadership positions include serving on the board and as executive director of the Fishing and Conservation Trust and as a delegate for the Everglades Coordinating Council. 

Whether you're a newcomer to Florida or have roots that run deep, Mike is sure to fire you up for protecting our precious state.

Learn more about and follow Mike’s work: 

• Mike’s Instagram: instagram.com/mike_2lf/
• Cypress Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America: cypressiwla.org

In this episode, we hear the inspiring story of a Lake Wales native, Blair Updike, who turned a childhood passion into a professional art career—and is now working to put Florida art back on the map. With no artistic background in her family—her father invented the Grove Goat, and her mother was an accountant—her journey began after an inspiring demo by Highwaymen artist Robert Butler.

After years working in marketing and sales at her family’s manufacturing business, art resurfaced when she painted her youngest child. That moment sparked a full-time career and, most recently, the launch of The FL Gallery online in June with the support of AllFla.

Florida art, she believes, is neglected, and its stories are vital to the state’s identity. By combining artist promotion with engaging art history, The Florida Gallery has struck a chord with Floridians, reaching over 2 million people and gaining 20k+ followers. Participating artists are seeing huge growth in awareness, and future collaborations with museums and organizations are in the works.

Join us as we explore how art can tell Florida’s story and why working together is key to supporting its artists and the protection of wild Florida. 

All Blair’s links:

• Find Blair’s prints here: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/blair-updike
• Personal website www.bupdikeart.com
• Personal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bupdikeart/
• Florida Gallery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefloridagallery/

I don’t know about you, but I am not land rich. My quarter-acre yard won’t be doing much for the conservation of wild Florida. I don’t have the opportunity or burden of the decision to put my land in conservation. I don’t know what it’s like to weight the pros and cons, go through the application process, talk with my family, etc. 

That’s why I was thrilled to sit down with the fifth-generation citrus grower and landowner, Ned Hancock, to hear about his family’s decision to apply to put their 2,600-acre parcel in conservation. I wanted to know the motivations behind their efforts to apply for a Rural and Family Lands Protection Program easement, the difficulty of the process and getting all stakeholders onboard, and how other nearby landowners feel about the future of Florida. 

Ned is passionate about his land, his county, and his state with roots going back generations. Their land is situated in the Peace River Valley, a critical economic and environmental region, as well as an important piece of the Florida Wildlife Corridor but not as well protected as other parts of the state. 

• Read more about Ned’s story at Florida Conservation Group’s blog: https://floridaconserve.org/2024/08/20/ned-hancock-peace-river-valley/
• Learn more about Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Rural and Family Lands Protection Program: https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Protect-Our-Environment/Rural-and-Family-Lands-Protection-Program

• Reach out to Travis Thompson or Mike Elfenbein about Amendment 2: 
• Mike: https://www.instagram.com/mike_2lf/?hl=en
• Travis: https://www.instagram.com/travisthompson

Travis Thompson is a 5th generation Floridian from Winter Haven, Florida. He’s the Executive Director of the conservation non-profit All Florida, as well as a co-owner of Duck Ranchin’ the state’s largest waterfowl hunting operation. Through his work, he advocates for the things that make Florida special - our woods, water, wildlife, and the way of life that connects us to those things. From spraying to snook fishing, cattle to citrus, Travis and his team are in rooms every day around the state of Florida working on authentic conservation solutions.

Travis has been a huge part of Amendment 2, the Right to Fish and Hunt. I had a lot of questions about this amendment that Travis was gracious enough to answer. If you have more questions after our conversation, Travis makes the invitation to reach out directly to him. 

You can learn more about Travis and his work below:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisthompson
• All Florida: https://allfla.org/

Don’t forget to vote!