Today Zach and Mason are joined by Kailyn Lawson, the Community Conservation Manager at the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, to discuss co-managing the recent Longleaf to Lighthouse Expedition.

We dive into Kailyn’s background and focus before hearing more about the expedition and what’s next with the documentary film.

Resources mentioned during the episode:

• https://floridapress.org/9781683406549/regional-landscape-conservation-planning/
• https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0cdea7371c874357a9307ac8ea701568
• https://www.usf.edu/pcgs/academics/global-sustainability/climate-mitigation-and-adaptation.aspx
• https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/films/

Thomas is a passionate wildlife conservation professional with more than 30 years of research, management, and leadership experience. He spent his childhood playing soccer and exploring the outdoors around the suburbs of Northern Virginia before earning his B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife at Virginia Tech. He later completed both his M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Tennessee.

After completing his thesis and dissertation work focused on black bear population dynamics in the Southeastern United States, Thomas came to Florida in 1999 to serve as the Statewide Bear Biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Over nearly 25 years with the agency, he advanced through leadership roles, ultimately serving as Director of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation and later as Assistant Executive Director.

Following his retirement from state government, Thomas continued his conservation work through new ventures, most recently serving as the Senior Director of Conservation for the Live Wildly Foundation. Throughout his career, he has taken a strategic approach to conservation centered on long-term outcomes. He helped envision and lead the development of Florida’s Wildlife Action Plan, played an instrumental role in creating Landscape Conservation Cooperatives in Florida, and helped establish the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS), where he served on the Executive Steering Committee for many years, among numerous other initiatives, committees, and boards, including currently serving on the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Board.

Thomas also serves as Board President for Unity Eastside Church in Tallahassee, where we recorded this conversation, and more importantly, where he met and married his wife, Angel.

Together, Thomas and Angel enjoy tinkering in the yard at their certified monarch butterfly waystation, hiking, camping, kayaking, and raising their daughter, Lakshmi, to love the outdoors.

Melissa Hill is a Senior Project Manager for Trust for Public Land (TPL) focused on expanding the Florida Wildlife Corridor, connecting vital acreage of the Florida National Scenic Trail and protecting the special spaces that connect Floridians to the outdoors. Her work is centered on conserving land for public access by working directly with landowners and partner agencies to secure necessary funding and close complex real estate transactions.

Prior to joining TPL, Melissa spent three years at the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Gulf Program addressing resilience issues, habitat protection, and water quality needs along Florida’s Gulf Coast. She received her master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Florida while researching opportunities for nature-based solutions at the intersection of private property rights and nesting sea turtles. Based in Tallahassee with her husband, she is a mediocre birder, enthusiastically bad at drumming, and deeply smitten with her favorite state.

Learn more about the projects and work of Melissa and TPL below:

• Shoal River Headwaters State Park - Our Work in FL
• Florida - Our Work in Florida: Trust for Public Land
• Home | Florida National Scenic Trail | Forest Service
• Land Conservation and Open Space Referenda Map - North Florida Land Trust

This episode was hosted and edited by Zach Franco.